Policy Corner: November 20, 2020

The Senate is Proceeding to Negotiate with the House on Appropriation Bills

The Senate is proceeding directly to negotiations with the House of Representatives, instead of marking up or passing their spending bills. The current resolution funding government as of Oct. 1 ends Dec. 11. As reported last week, the Senate recommended level funding, as did the House, for the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) Traumatic Brain Injury programs. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended a $2.5 million increase for the ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research’s research programs. However, the House proposed level funding for NIDILRR. The Senate also recommended $87 million more for the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Center than the House and $61 million more for the National Institute of Neurological Disabilities and Stroke than the House recommended.

The House passed a Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) Education appropriations bill in July, which included $1 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement the National Concussion Surveillance System. The Senate did not recommend funding, but included budget language directing the CDC to include the results of the pilot survey of more than 10,000 households in its fiscal year 2022 requests. The House also recommended $10 million for the Lifespan Respite Care Program, up from $6 million appropriated last year. The Senate included a $1 million increase for the program

The House and Senate have recessed for Thanksgiving. It is unclear whether the two bodies will reconcile the differences in order to pass spending bills or enact another continuing resolution to fund programs into the new year.

Senators Introduce Nursing Home Reform Legislation

Sens. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) have introduced the Nursing Home Reform Modernization Act of 2020, S. 4866. This bill came about as the result of the Senators’ bipartisan report, which revealed examples of persistent abuse and neglect in facilities eligible for a federal watch list known as the Special Focus Facility (SFF) program. The bill would expand oversight to the SFF candidates that currently do not receive it, increase educational resources for all underperforming facilities, and establish an independent Advisory Council to inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on how best to foster quality improvements.

House Elects Leadership

The House of Representatives elected its leadership for the upcoming 117^th Congress. Democrats re-elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as the Speaker of the House; Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) as House Majority Leader; and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) as House Majority Whip. House Republicans re-elected Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House Minority Leader; Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) as House Republican Whip, and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as chair of the House Republican Conference. Several House races are still outstanding.

BIAA gratefully acknowledges the Centre for Neuro Skills and Avanir Pharmaceuticals for their support for legislative action. Click here to read past issues of Policy Corner.