Brain Injury Law Blog : Head Injury : Coma : Personal Injury : Las Vegas Nevada Lawyer & Attorney Tim Titolo

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BIAA legislative update as follows: 

Defense issues are expected to be the focus of legislative activity next week, as the Senate plans to debate the war supplemental bill, while the House plans to consider the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill (H.R. 5658).

Earlier this week, the House passed an amendment related to the war supplemental bill containing a provision, strongly supported by the Brain Injury Association of America, which would

delay implementation of seven harmful Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush Administration. BIAA will continue to advocate in favor of maintaining this provision in the war supplemental bill as it is considered by the Senate next week.

Also next week, floor consideration of a possible final version of the fiscal 2009 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 70) could also take place, as Congress works to accomplish legislative goals before leaving town for a week-long Memorial Day Recess beginning on Monday, May 26.
Final passage of a budget resolution would include the establishment of official funding allocations for the fiscal 2009 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which funds multiple TBI-related programs, including programs authorized through the TBI Act.

Please watch for a BIAA Legislative Action Alert on fiscal 2009 TBI Appropriations to be sent out early next week.
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Debate over War Supplemental Bill Continues

An amendment related to the war supplemental bill passed by the House earlier this week contained a provision, strongly supported by the Brain Injury Association of America, which would delay implementation of seven Bush administration Medicaid regulations.

This provision includes the content of legislation (H.R. 5613) endorsed by BIAA, which would place a moratorium through March 2009 on several harmful Medicaid regulations, including regulations which would negatively impact individuals with traumatic brain injury.

According to an article last week in CQ Today, by attaching H.R. 5613 to the war spending bill, Democrats hope to avoid an extra set of cloture votes in the Senate, where the Medicaid moratorium bill on its own had been facing a GOP filibuster (Alex Wayne, CQ Today, 5/6/2008).
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 5613 by a veto-proof margin, 349-62, on April 23. Without a moratorium, all seven of the regulations would go into effect by June 30 of this year, including regulations which would limit access to essential services for individuals with brain injury.

BIAA continues to strongly endorse H.R. 5613 and supports efforts to keep the bill’s content in the war supplemental legislation as it is considered by the Senate next week.
Fiscal 2009 Appropriations Update

Floor consideration of a possible final version of the fiscal 2009 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 70) could take place next week, as Congress works to accomplish legislative goals before leaving town for a week-long Memorial Day Recess beginning on Monday, May 26.
Final passage of a budget resolution would include the establishment of official funding (“302b”) allocations for the fiscal 2009 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which funds multiple TBI-related programs, including programs authorized through the TBI Act.

Last week, BIAA signed on to a coalition letter urging Appropriations Committee Chairs in both chambers to allocate an additional $15 billion over last year’s funding levels for the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittees.

The letter states that this additional funding is necessary, as it would “(1) restore cuts to core program funding over the last four years, (2) more appropriately account for four years of inflation and population growth to maintain service levels and purchasing power; and (3) return these programs to the FY 2005 level, a high water mark for many.”

Once 302b Subcommittee allocations have been determined, the fiscal 2009 appropriations process can officially go forward with bill markups and other official action.