Weekly Legislative & Regulatory Round-up

S. 1

1/6/09

Harry Reid (D-NV)

A bill to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America's middle class through measures that modernize the nation's infrastructure, enhance America's energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need, and for other purposes; read the first time.

S. 4

1/6/09

Harry Reid (D-NV)

A bill to guarantee affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans, and for other purposes; read the first time.

S. 21

1/6/09

Harry Reid (D-NV)

A bill to reduce unintended pregnancy, reduce abortions, and improve access to women's health care; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

   S. 45

1/6/09

John Ensign (R-NV)

A bill to improve patient access to health care services and provide improved medical care by reducing the excessive burden the liability system places on the health care delivery system; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

S. 46

1/6/09

John Ensign (R-NV)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps; Referred to the Committee on Finance.

   S. 51

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to recognize the United States Military Cancer Institute as an establishment within the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, to require the Institute to promote the health of members of the Armed Forces and their dependents by enhancing cancer research and treatment, to provide for a study of the epidemiological causes of cancer among various ethnic groups for cancer prevention and early detection efforts, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

  S. 52

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide 100 percent reimbursement for medical assistance provided to a Native Hawaiian through a Federally-qualified health center or a Native Hawaiian health care system; Referred to the Committee on Finance.

   S. 53

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of services provided by nursing school clinics under State Medicaid programs; Referred to the Committee on Finance.

  S. 54

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by establishing minimum nurse staffing ratios at certain Medicare providers, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Finance.

 S. 55

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide improved reimbursement for clinical social worker services under the Medicare program; Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S. 56

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to remove the restriction that a clinical psychologist or clinical social worker provide services in a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility to a patient only under the care of a physician; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 57

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to establish a psychology post-doctoral fellowship program, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 59

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to make certain graduate programs in professional psychology eligible to participate in various health professions loan programs; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 63

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve access to advanced practice nurses and physicians' assistants under the Medicaid Program; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 75

1/6/09

Herb Kohl (D-WI)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the use of generic drugs under the Medicare part D prescription drug program when available unless the brand name drug is determined to be medically necessary; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 79

1/6/09

John Kerry (D-MA)

A bill to amend the Social Security Act to establish a Federal Reinsurance Program for Catastrophic Health Care Costs; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 80

1/6/09

David Vitter (R-LA)

A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of prescription drugs, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 81

1/6/09

David Vitter (R-LA)

A bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to allow workers who attain age 65 after 1981 and before 1992 to choose either lump sum payments over four years totaling $5,000 or an improved benefit computation formula under a new 10-year rule governing the transition to the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S. 82

1/6/09

David Vitter (R-LA)

A bill to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, to limit income eligibility expansions under that program until the lowest income eligible individuals are enrolled, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 85

1/6/09

David Vitter (R-LA)

A bill to amend title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit family planning grants from being awarded to any entity that performs abortions; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 86

1/6/09

David Vitter (R-LA)

A bill to establish a procedure to safeguard the Social Security Trust Funds; Referred to the Committee on the Budget

S. 93

1/6/09

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

A bill to provide quality, affordable health insurance for small employers and individuals; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 96

1/6/09

David Vitter (R

A bill to prohibit certain abortion-related discrimination in governmental activities; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 97

1/6/09

David Vitter (R

A bill to amend title IV of the Social Security Act to require States to implement a drug testing program for applicants for and recipients of assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 98

1/6/09

David Vitter (R-LA)

A bill to impose admitting privilege requirements with respect to physicians who perform abortions; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 99

1/6/09

David Vitter (R-LA)

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a Federal income tax credit for certain stem cell research expenditures; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 112

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D

A bill to treat certain hospital support organizations as qualified organizations for purposes of determining acquisition indebtedness; Referred to the Committee on Finance

S. 113

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D

A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide health care practitioners in rural areas with training in preventive health care, including both physical and mental care, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 114

1/6/09

Daniel Inouye (D

A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment of a National Center for Social Work Research; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 142

1/6/09

John Kerry (D-MA)

A bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to ensure that every uninsured child in America has health insurance coverage, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Finance

H.R. 15

1/6/09

John Dingell (D-15TH MI)

A bill to provide a program of national health insurance, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

H.R. 20

1/6/09

Bobby Rush (D-1ST IL)

A bill to provide for research on, and services for individuals with, postpartum depression and psychosis; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.R. 22

1/6/09

John McHugh (R-23RD NY)

A bill to amend chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, to allow the United States Postal Service to pay its share of contributions for annuitants' health benefits out of the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund; Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

H.R. 27

1/6/09

Judy Bigger (R-13TH IL)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicare Program, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

H.R. 43

1/6/09

Xavier Becerra (D-31ST CA)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

H.R. 63

1/6/09

Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-18TH TX)

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require hospitals reimbursed under the Medicare system to establish and implement security procedures to reduce the likelihood of infant patient abduction and baby switching, including procedures for identifying all infant patients in the hospital in a manner that ensures that it will be evident if infants are missing from the hospital; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

H.R. 77

1/6/09

Darrell Issa (R-49TH CA)

A bill to provide for a credit for certain health care benefits in determining the minimum wage; Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R. 84

1/6/09

Ginny Brown-Waite (R-5TH FL)

A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish standards of access to care for veterans seeking health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

H.R. 91

1/6/09

Donna Christensen (D-VI)

A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to authorize the shipment of prescription drugs between the States and the Virgin Islands; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.R. 92

1/6/09

Donna Christensen (D-VI)

A bill to amend titles XI and XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the cap on Medicaid payments for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa and to adjust the Medicaid statutory matching rate for those territories; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.R. 93

1/6/09

Donna Christensen (D-VI)

A bill to extend the supplemental security income benefits program to Guam and the United States Virgin Islands; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

H.R 107

1/6/09

Jeff Flake (R-6TH AZ)

A bill to reform Social Security retirement and Medicare by establishing a Personal Social Security Savings Program to create a safer, healthier, more secure, and more prosperous retirement for all Americans and to reduce the burden on young Americans; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, the Budget, Energy and Commerce, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

H.R. 109

1/6/09

Jeff Fortenberry (R-1ST NE)

A bill to provide for the offering of Health Benefit Plans to individuals, to increase funding for State high risk health insurance pools, and to promote best practice protocols for State high risk pools; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R. 141

1/6/09

Elton Gallegly (R-24TH CA)

A bill to require those applying for, and renewing, SCHIP, TAA, and ATAA benefits to present documentation proving both citizenship and identity in order to receive those benefits; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

H.R. 162

1/6/09

Ron Paul (R-TX)

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the inclusion in gross income of Social Security benefits; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

H.R. 163

1/6/09

Ron Paul (R-TX)

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to the purchase of prescription drugs by individuals who have attained retirement age, and to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of prescription drugs and the sale of such drugs through Internet sites; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

H.R. 164

1/6/09

RON PAUL (R-14TH TX)

A bill to provide greater health care freedom for seniors; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

H.R. 179

1/6/09

JOSÉ SERRANO (D-16TH NY)

A bill to permit the use of Federal funds for syringe exchange programs for purposes of reducing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and viral hepatitis; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.R. 180

1/6/09

JOSÉ SERRANO (D-16TH NY)

A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to waive the requirement for proof of citizenship during first year of life for children born in the United States to a Medicaid-eligible mother; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R.190

1/6/09

CAROL SHEA-PORTER (D-1ST NH)

A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that veterans in each of the 48 contiguous States are able to receive services in at least one full-service hospital of the Veterans Health Administration in the State or receive comparable services provided by contract in the State; Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

H.R. 193

1/6/09

FORTNEY STARK (D-13TH CA)

A bill to amend the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for an AmeriCare that assures the provision of health insurance coverage to all residents, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

H.R. 194

1/6/09

Fortney Stark (D-CA)

A bill to amend the Social Security Act to guarantee comprehensive health care coverage for all children born after 2009, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

H.R. 195

1/6/09

Cliff Stearns (R-FL)

A bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to nonprofit tax-exempt organizations for the purchase of ultrasound equipment to provide free examinations to pregnant women needing such services, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.R. 198

1/6/09

Cliff Stearns (R-FL)

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for amounts paid for health insurance and prescription drug costs of individuals; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R. 203

1/6/09

Cliff Stearns (R-FL)

A bill to amend titles XI and XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide increased civil and criminal penalties for acts involving fraud and abuse under the Medicare Program and to increase the amount of the surety bond required for suppliers of durable medical equipment; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

H.R. 211

1/6/09

Anna Eshoo (D-CA)

A bill to facilitate nationwide availability of 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on health and human services, including volunteer services, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.R. 221

1/6/09

Robert Wittman (R-VA)

A bill to require assurances that certain family planning service projects and programs will provide pamphlets containing the contact information of adoption centers; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.J. Res. 4

1/6/09

Betty McCollum (D-MN)

A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding health care; Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

H. Res. 21

1/6/09

Cliff Stearns (R-FL)

A resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to pregnancy resource centers; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

S. 29

1/7/09

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the credit for the health insurance costs of eligible individuals, to expand such credit to individuals covered under COBRA, and to extend the period of COBRA continuation coverage for certain individuals; to the Committee on Finance

S. 175

1/8/09

Russ Feingold (D-WI)

A bill to evaluate certain skills certification programs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S. 179

1/8/09

Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

A bill to improve quality in health care by providing incentives for adoption of modern information technology; to the Committee on Finance.