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The Federal Budget
110th Congress, Second Session
January 28, 2008
THE WEEK AHEAD
Tonight, the President gives his final State of the Union Address before a joint session of the Congress. The speech is unlikely to introduce any major new policy initiatives, and will instead focus on the War in Iraq, economic issues, and FY 2009 spending. Specifically, the President will likely call on Congress to cut spending on "earmarks" in half, and will require agencies to ignore any earmark requests that are in report language, rather than the underlying statute.
The Senate will resume consideration of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) bill, as the House is expected to take up the Economic Stimulus Package this week before recessing early for the annual Democrats' retreat. The current package focuses primarily on tax provisions, including a tax rebate ($600 for individuals, $1,200 for families), tax benefits for low-income individuals, and provisions for small businesses.
The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) is working to have Medicaid provisions included in the bill. Specifically, they have sent a letter asking the Congress to include temporary increase in the Medicaid federal medical assistance
percentage (FMAP) tied to a requirement that states receiving this increase do not enact any new restrictions in Medicaid eligibility or covered services during this period.
Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives again failed -- this time by fifteen votes -- to override the President's veto of Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reauthorization legislation. The councils will continue to push for reauthorization and expansion, but it will be increasingly difficult to get a consensus in Congress with election year politics upon us.
CCD ALSO FIGHTING PROPOSED TARGETED CASE MANAGEMENT RULE
Medicaid's Targeted Case Management program facilitates access to medical, social, and educational services for some of the most vulnerable populations in our society including persons living with HIV/AIDS, people with developmental disabilities, and people with serious mental illnesses. An interim final rule by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), goes far beyond statutory reforms to case management and targeted case management that Congress intended in the Deficit Reduction Act. CCD is working with Senator Stabenow (D-MI) to urge CMS to rescind this rule and work with Congress, the disability community, and other stakeholders to ensure that any new rule does not extend beyond legislative intent. We will be certain to keep members apprised of this situation as it develops.
HOUSE HEARING ON ADA RESTORATION RESCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY
The House Committee on Education and Labor has rescheduled its hearing to examine the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Restoration Act of 2007. The Committee will explore these issues at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday,
January 29, 2008 at 2175 Rayburn House Office Building, or it can be viewed online at http://edlabor.house.gov/.
Witnesses scheduled to testify include House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; Robert Burgdorf, professor of law at the University of District of Columbia; David Fram, director of ADA & EEO Services at the National Employment Law Institute; Andrew Imparato, president and CEO of the American Assn. of People with Disabilities; and Carey
McClure of a worker from Griffin, Ga., whose job offer was revoked by General Motors because of his muscular dystrophy.
COMMITTEE EXAMINES MEDICAID AND SCHIP FAILURES FOR UNINSURED
On Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 10:00 a.m. the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will be holding a hearing titled, "Covering Uninsured Kids: Missed Opportunities for Moving Forward." The hearing will examine the SCHIP bill recently vetoed by the President, and the potentially negative effects on the uninsured of recent CMS
actions. It will be held in 2128 Rayburn House Office Building and can be viewed by webcast at:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/membios/schedule.shtml
Witnesses include Cindy Mann, research professor and executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University Health Policy Institute; Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus; Carolyn Chester, nursing aide and mother of a SCHIP beneficiary; Louis Rossiter, research professor and director of the Schroeder Center for Healthcare Policy at the College of William and Mary; Chris Peterson, specialist in health care financing in the Congressional Research Service's Domestic Social Policy Division; Ann Kohler, Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services; Tricia Brooks, President and CEO of the New Hampshire Healthy Kids Corporation; and Dennis Smith, Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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