Recess The House and Senate were in recess again this week; lawmakers will return to Washington next week following the Columbus Day holiday. On Tuesday, President Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom to former Attorney General Edwin Meese. Rep. Lowey Not Seeking Reelection, Rep. Thornberry Retiring House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) announced today that she will not seek reelection in 2020. Last week, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) also…

House Bipartisan Legislation Introduced on Accurate Provider Directories On Sept. 27, Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and Kim Schrier (D-WA) introduced legislation to improve the accuracy of the information listed on health plans’ provider directories to prevent patients from receiving surprise out-of-network bills. The Improving Provider Directories Act (H.R. 4575) requires health plans to establish a process to address inaccurate information listed in publicly accessible provider directories. Monitor H.R. 4575 here. Ways & Means Chair’s Surprise Billing Plan…

Hearings/Markups Senate Special Committee on Aging: “Promoting Healthy Aging – Living Your Best Life Long into Your Golden Years” The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing for seniors seeking to maintain a healthy lifestyle as they age. Find the hearing transcript here. House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health: “Making Prescription Drugs More Affordable: Legislation to Negotiate a Better Deal for Americans” The Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and…

On Sep. 26, McGuireWoods Consulting senior advisor and McGuireWoods LLP partner Gregory S. Walden testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation on behalf of the Small UAV Coalition, to which he serves as Aviation Counsel. Walden, a former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Chief Counsel, was invited to testify on the drone subtitle of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 during a Subcommittee hearing on the bill’s implementation. “Together, Coalition member companies…

Continuing Resolution, FY20 Spending Bills With government spending authority set to expire next Monday and Congress scheduled to begin a two week recess after wrapping its work this week, the Senate today voted 82-15 to pass a House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding through November 21. The White House has indicated that the President will sign the bill in time to avert a shutdown. Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced several more of its…

Hearings/Markups House Committee on Rules: Meeting on continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2020 The House Committee on Rules held a meeting to discuss H.R. 4378, Continuing Appropriations Act 2020 and Health Extenders Act of 2019. They agreed upon a rule for consideration of the Continuing Resolution. The CR passed the House on Sept. 18 by a vote of 301-123.  Find more information on the meeting here. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce:…

Continuing Resolution The Senate is expected to take up the House-passed CR while House and Senate conferees formally begin to reconcile the differences between the chambers’ National Defense Authorization Acts with the goal of bringing a final product to each floor by the end of the month. Digital Platform Mergers Next Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust will hold a hearing to review the impact of recent digital platform mergers. The House Appropriations Subcommittee…