Policy Corner: May 3, 2019

House Appropriations Subcommittee Approves Labor-HHS-Spending Bill

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies approved its fiscal year 2020 bill this week. The bill includes $189.8 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $11.7 billion over the 2019 enacted level and $47.8 billion over the President’s 2020 budget request. The proposed funding level for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is nearly $700 million. Of the roughly $50 million increase, $25 million is set aside for “firearm injury and mortality prevention research” and $10 million will be used for a suicide prevention program. The bill also includes $25 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study firearm safety research.

The summary, which includes several program highlights, can be found at this link. Some of the highlights are as follows:

• $3 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Grants, $178 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and the President’s budget request.
• Early childhood programs received an increase of $4 billion, including $245 million for Family Caregivers Services representing a $26 million increase above the 2019 enacted level.
• $14.5 billion for Special Education, representing an increase of $1.05 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $1.07 billion above the President’s budget request. Within this amount, the bill provides:
  • $13.4 billion for Part B Grants to States, an increase of $1 billion above the 2019 enacted level and President’s budget request; and
  • $21 million for Special Olympics education programs, an increase of $3.5 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President’s budget proposes to eliminate this program.
• $13 billion for the Social Security Administration’s operating expenses, with an increase of $300 million above the 2019 enacted level to hire additional staff at field offices, teleservice and processing centers, and to improve public services.

The bill is now headed to the full House Appropriations Committee for mark up, which is expected to be held May 8.

Senators Introduce Medicare for All Bill

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), along with fourteen democratic co-sponsors, has introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2019, S.1129, for the purpose of covering all Americans with health care coverage through an improved Medicare plan rather than private health insurance. This newest edition of the bill would also cover long-term care. The legislation has been endorsed by 63 national organizations and unions.

GAO Issues Report on Special Education

This month, the General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report, “Varied State Criteria May Contribute to Differences in Percentages of Children Served,” noting differences in states’ eligibility criteria and the difficulty of identifying and evaluating some children suspected of having disabilities. As such, there are differences in the percentages of children receiving special education services across states. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires states to have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all children with disabilities residing in the state who need special education services are identified, located, and evaluated, known as “Child Find.” States have some latitude in establishing eligibility criteria and defining disability categories. You may access the report here.

BIAA gratefully acknowledges the Centre for Neuro Skills and Avanir Pharmaceuticals for their support for legislative action.