December Surprises Still Ahead in Washington, Trenton

It's mid-December, which traditionally means shortened calendars and tidings of good will across the political aisle. But tradition has been thrown to the winds in 2017, so why should December be any different?

When Congress passed a continuing resolution on December 7, they agreed to keep the government funded through December 22. At that point, though , the government faces another shut down threat unless additional funding is approved -- but there's the rub. Congress passed a joint budget resolution in October, but many issues remain to be resolved before the budget is passed and a government shutdown is averted. Even though Republicans have the majority in both houses of Congress, it's very difficult, if not impossible, to avoid a  government shutdown without some Democrat ic votes.

Tax Reform Remains a Challenge

Tax reform is possibly the most challenging of all right now . The tax reform bill is in conference committee and a compromise version of the House and Senate bill is expected sometime this week. However, each new agreement seems to include a new  provision that leads another Member or Caucus to oppose it.  

With this house of cards negotiation ongoing, it's impossible to predict when -- or if -- tax reform legislation will be passed. Republicans are under incredible pressure to deliver this by the end of the year, so they're making every attempt to craft legislation that will gain the 51 votes in the Senate and the 217 votes in the House necessary to pass. The House is now comprised of 433 members: 239 Republicans and 194 Democrats, with two vacancies. The 45-seat margin means Republicans can lose only 22 from their side of the aisle in order to ap prove the tax bill. The Senate margin is even closer, with 51 of the 52 Republican Senat e votes required .

Democrats May Seize Opportunity

Democrats view this as an opportunity to address their major issues:

Immigration reform: Passage of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), known as the "Dreamers Act," is a priority , not only for Democrats , but also for some Republicans. Democrats would be more likely to withhold their votes on immigration reform  if no action has been taken on DACA, or if it is not included in the legislation. 

Healthcare reform: Healthcare reform of a sort was enacted earlier this year through an Executive Order, but several key pieces of the reform may be included in tax reform legislation. This legislation addresses federal grants to the states to create invisible reinsurance programs and high-risk pools and temporary funding of federal cost-sharing reduction payments that assist in paying back insurers that must offer cost-sharing subsidies to certain low-income marketplace enrollees.

 

Children's Health Insurance Program funding: For the first time since it was initially authorized in 1997, Congress has failed to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which expired on September 30. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, as of December 6, 2017, nine states have exhausted their FY 2017 allotments and have received redistribution funds from CMS to continue coverage. A third of states anticipate exhausting funding by the end of January 2018 and an additional 21 states projected they will exhaust federal funds by the end of March 2018. New Jersey funding is anticipated to last until 3rd quarter 2018, but the NJ State  budget assumes continued federal funding.  

Lame Duck Session in Progress in Trenton

With lame duck legislative sessions scheduled in Trenton  for the remainder of this year and through January 9, when the new Legislature is sworn in, New Jersey is not missing out on the excitement this December. In addition to legislative activity, Governor-Elect Murphy is meeting with transition teams and putting his Cabinet in place. All of this leads up to his swearing in on Tuesday, January 16. 

December also saw the first meeting of the Biotechnology Task Force, created through legislation to address the impact of the life sciences industry in New Jersey and determine how best to support and  strengthen the sector. BioNJ President and CEO Debbie Hart was elected as  chair of the task force, and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker was elected vice-chair.  Click here to read the full press release on the inaugural meeting held on Friday, December 8.

Looking Ahead to 2018

NJ Life Sciences Open House -- February 2018 

 

This "virtual tour," held in a House office building, will demonstrate the life cycle of a drug developed in New Jersey from research to manufacturing and show its impact on Patients and the New Jersey economy. BioNJ is co-hosting this event again this year with We Work for Health and the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey. Originally planned for this month, the decision was made to postpone due to the level of Congressional activity, which would have impacted Congressional participation. BioNJ invites member Innovation companies, as well as patient advocates, to be part of this event. Please contact Rebecca Perkins, Vice President, Government Affairs, at [email protected] or 908-419-2194 if you would like more information.

BioNJ will co-host its annual Legislative Reception in Washington on March 1, for Members of New Jersey's Congressional Delegation and the New Jersey State Legislature.  

For information about BioNJ's public policy sponsorship opportunities, please click here. 

BioNJ will continue to meet and communicate regularly with our elected and appointed government officials both in New Jersey and in Washington. If you would like to schedule a facility tour or meet with your Congressional representative or your New Jersey legislators, we at BioNJ are happy to work with you to facilitate. BioNJ Member participation is the key to our successful public policy program -- thank you for your support!