The publication, Politico made news this week with a profile piece that reported that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS) will retire after this Congress. There have been some denials although the profile painted a portrait of a Speaker who wants to exit politics soon. If that is the case it is not expected that Ryan will
As a result of last year’s 21st Century Cures Act, a new Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) has issued its set of recommendations. The full report: The Way Forward: Federal Action for a System That Works for All People Living With SMI and SED and Their Families and Caregivers addresses how the government
Building on earlier comments by the President, on Wednesday, December 6, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS) said, “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit.” The irony of the remarks appears to be missed by many congressional leaders who are drafting a
Download CWLA Advocacy App to Your Phone and Advocate on Your Own Time! Search for "voterVOICE" (one word) in your App store, or use one of these links: Google Play or iTunes After you download the App, you will be prompted to enter your email. A verification code will be sent to your email. After
With negotiations on the CR extended reauthorizations like CHIP and the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program could be either thrown into a larger separate package or part of the end of year deal on the budget—whatever that may be. Still in play from MIECHV is the length of the extension, whether
Shaquita Ogletree On Thursday, November 30, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to discuss the opioid crisis and how states, communities, and providers were responding to the epidemic. Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) indicated that he hoped the Committee would take further action next year. Most of Committee members made
The major development regarding the Affordable Care Act occurred within the Senate and passage of their tax reconciliation legislation. The legislation does away with the individual mandate. Based on an analysis by the CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation, that action will increase the number of uninsured and will increase premiums. The decreased coverage
On Wednesday, November 29, the HELP Committee held the first of two Committee hearings on his nomination. HELP holds a hearing over the HHS Secretary position, but the actual approval vote comes through the Senate Finance Committee. Alex Azar, nominated to fill the vacancy left when Tom Price was forced out earlier this year due
There has been no progress on CHIP reauthorization but there was a lot of talk. There was a debate on the Senate floor when Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said that CHIP would get done because “I invented it. I was the one who wrote it… Kennedy came over and became the one who helped put
Thursday, November 16 was a big day for tax cut advocates. The House of Representatives passed their tax bill (HR 1) by of 227 to 205 with all but 13 Republicans and no Democrats voting for it. Later that evening the Senate Finance Committee passed their counter proposal out of Committee by a vote of