Policy Corner: September 28, 2018

Congress Sends Appropriations Bill to President

This week, the House of Representatives passed the Conference Report for fiscal year 2019 appropriations for the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, including a Continuing Resolution (CR), which has been sent to the president for his signature. The CR provision temporarily funds the remaining government programs until December 7, 2018, in order to keep the government open after Sept. 30. The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act programs were level funded. The bill provides a $2 billion increase to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research. A total of $6.6 billion was appropriated across federal programs to fight the opioid abuse epidemic by supporting prevention, research, and other efforts to end the national crisis.

Senate and House Reach Consensus on Opioid Legislation

The Senate and House leadership reached consensus Wednesday on a package of 70 bills that had passed both bodies separately. The House and the Senate will need to pass this consensus legislation before it can be sent to the President for his signature. The consensus legislation includes the STOP Act to help stop the shipment of synthetic opioids; extends support for Medicaid patients seeking treatment from 15 to 30 days, covering all substance use disorders; and permanently allows more medical professionals to treat people in recovery to prevent relapse and overdoses. The bill also allows the FDA to require prescription opioids to be packaged in set amounts such as a 3- or 7-day supply in blister packs, and will help spur the development of a non-addictive painkiller.

House Considers Permanent Tax Cut Legislation

The House Committee on Ways and Means passed a bill this week referred to as “Tax Reform 2.0” to make a permanent extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s individual provisions that are scheduled to expire after 2025. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, this permanent extension would cut taxes by more than $630 billion in the 10-year budget window from 2019-2028. While these tax cuts do not directly cut Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or other programs people with disabilities rely upon, they dramatically cut the revenue necessary to fund these programs and increase pressure to cut all federal programs. The House is expected to take up the bill today, Friday, September 28.

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