Senate Begins Debate on Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016

 

The Senate last week began consideration of the "Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016" (S. 524), which would authorize $77.9 million in grants per year, from fiscal years 2016-2020, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat a growing epidemic of prescription opioid abuse. Authorized funds could be used for treatment and recovery services, alternatives to prison for nonviolent offenders, law enforcement initiatives and programs to prevent overdose deaths and improper prescriptions. Eligible recipients would include state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions and nonprofit groups. Some programs would assist specific populations of opioid users such as prisoners, young people and pregnant women. Many of the bill's provisions would direct HHS and the Justice Department to coordinate with each other on grant decisions, support evidence-based practices, provide technical assistance to grant recipients and ensure an equitable geographic distribution of funds.

 

During the week of February 29, the Senate voted on the following five amendments to S. 524:      

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has scheduled a final cloture vote on S. 524 on Monday, March 7 along with a vote on Sens. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Shelley Moore Capito's (R-WV) Amendment No. 3374, which would provide follow-up services to individuals who have received opioid overdose reversal drugs. The Senate is then expected to hold a final vote on passage of the amended bill during the week of March 7. The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy on March 1 for S. 524, stating that the "Administration looks forward to working with the Congress on securing funding to provide families and communities with the support they need for opioid abuse prevention and to ensure that treatment is available for those who seek it." Read more...

House Passes FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015

 

On February 29, the House passed, by voice vote, the "FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015" ( H.R. 1471 ), which would reauthorize FEMA for three years and would authorize $150 million for the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, establish rates for reimbursing state and local governments for administrative costs incurred to implement disaster recovery projects, and commission a study of disaster costs and losses. The bill also r einstates a 3-year statute of limitations on FEMA's ability to reclaim funds based on an agency change in policy determination after an applicant has already spent the funds on projects previously determined to be eligible and clarifies mitigation activities related to wildfires and earthquakes. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. Read more...

House Passes ALERT Act

 

On February 29, the House passed, by voice vote, the "Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terror (ALERT) Act of 2016" ( H.R. 4401 ), authorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to train state and major urban area fusion centers (local and state law enforcement personnel) in the most effective tactics and methods used to counter terrorism. It also provides increased community awareness of ongoing terrorist threats, and directs DHS to notify Congress on the number of security clearances they issue to state and local law enforcement communities. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.  Read more...

House Financial Services Committee Passes Flood Insurance Reform Bill

 

On March 2, the House Financial Services Committee passed, by a vote of 53-0, the "Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act" (H.R. 2901), which requires private flood insurance to be treated the same as federal flood insurance for homeowners with federally backed mortgages who are required to buy coverage. Supporters of the bill believe that it will foster more competition in the flood insurance market, providing an alternative for 5 million property owners who rely on the U.S. government's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The current mandatory purchase requirement does not require that the insurance coverage be provided under the NFIP, however, mortgage lenders have said they are uncertain that private flood coverage satisfies current regulations and have mostly only accepted NFIP policies. Committee Democrats supported the bill after new language ramping up oversight, along with disclosures about coverage amounts and deductible levels, was adopted unanimously by the Committee. If enacted, the bill would be but one step lawmakers say is necessary for flood insurance reform. Others include updating the FEMA flood mapping methods and investing more in disaster damage mitigation. The NFIP is up for reauthorization in 2017, giving lawmakers a window to hone solutions. A Senate companion bill ( S. 1679) was introduced by Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) last June. Read more...

House Passes Medicaid Reform Bill

 

On March 2, the House passed, by a vote of 406-0, the "Ensuring Terminated Providers are Removed from Medicaid and CHIP Act" ( H.R. 3716 ), which would codify and expand requirements that states share information when they terminate the participation of health-care providers in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program as well as requiring state Medicaid agencies to establish databases with information about fee-for-service and other providers. The bill would create additional requirements for Medicaid and CHIP, like data reporting, to ensure that states have all information necessary to enforce certain requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and would require that states pay back the federal portion of Medicaid and CHIP payments made to terminated providers for services performed more than sixty days after a provider's termination. The ACA contained a provision that prohibited providers terminated "for cause" relating to quality, integrity, or fraud, in one state's Medicaid program from participating in another state's program. The legislation also contains the language fromthe "Medicaid Directory of Caregivers (DOC) Act," (H.R. 3821) which increases the efficiency of the Medicaid program by creating a searchable database that is more patient friendly and would provide beneficiaries served under the Medicaid fee-for-service or primary care case management programs with a directory of physicians participating in the program so those patients can receive the most up to date information and are able to find doctors who accept Medicaid more quickly and efficiently. The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy for H.R. 3716, stating that it "supports House passage [...] because it improves program integrity for Medicaid and CHIP." Read more...

Speaker Ryan Moves Ahead With Promised Overhaul of House Rules

 

On March 3, it was reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and House GOP leadership has quietly launched a 10-month process aimed at overhauling both their party and the institution's rules, following through on Speaker Paul Ryan's campaign promise to change the way the chamber operates. The effort is focused on all aspects of how Congress works, with meetings and hearings on issues ranging from "restoring balance to the authorization and appropriations process" to targeted sessions on the "process for removing elected leaders." The collaborative structure is clearly designed to give the entire conference buy-in to the process.The process will begin March 15, with a closed meeting on "conference agenda setting/dispute resolution" and a public hearing on "improving legislative transparency." In April, the House Rules Committee will hold an open hearing on "restoring balance to the authorization and appropriations process." In May, the GOP will hold a closed meeting on the "process for removing elected leaders." In September, it will consider changes to the party rules. In November, Republican lawmakers will consider changes to the party rules. In December, they'll release "recommended major changes to the House Rules." And in January, both will get a vote. Read more...

Five House GOP Task Forces Release Mission Statements

 

During the past two weeks, the House Republican's five new task forces on National Security, Tax Reform and Reducing Regulatory Burdens, Health Care, Poverty and Opportunity, and Constitutional Authority, released their mission statements outlining the goals and principles of each task force. The task forces are made up of GOP committee chairs who are taking input and ideas from members. The goal is for them to produce their ideas sometime this spring, in advance of the selection of a Republican presidential nominee. House leaders have said they expect whoever the nominee, the candidate will want to embrace the House's agenda. Speaker Ryan announced the creation of the task forces after a GOP retreat in January, saying that House Republicans would build ideas that would show voters in the upcoming elections what the GOP could accomplish if a Republican were elected to the White House. Read more...