Hearings/Markups House Committee on Energy and Commerce: “A Public Health Emergency: State Efforts to Curb the Opioid Crisis” Tuesday, January 14, 2020: The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on actions taken by states to address the current opioid crisis. Why this is important: Common themes from the witness panel of representatives from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, West Virginia, North Carolina and Rhode Island included an appreciation for federal funding,…

Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 5: Competitors in the Digital Economy On Friday, the House Antitrust Subcommittee will hold a field hearing at the University of Colorado, Boulder Law School. The hearing is titled “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 5: Competitors in the Digital Economy” and will include testimony from the CEOs of Sonos, Popsocket, and Basecamp, as well as the Vice President and General Counsel of Tile. The House will be in…

FEMA Administrator Confirmed The Senate confirmed Peter Gaynor on Tuesday to be Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Gaynor previously served as the Director of Rhode Island’s Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) and advised Governor Gina Raimondo on emergency management and response. USMCA Passes Senate The Senate passed the United States-Canada-Mexico trade agreement (USMCA) this morning 89-10. Earlier in the day, it made its way through committees of jurisdiction.  On the Senate Commerce Committee,…

Hearings/Markups House Committee on Energy and Commerce: “Legislation to Improve Americans’ Health Care Coverage and Outcomes” Wednesday, January 8, 2020 The Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a legislative hearing on the following bills: H.R. 1379, the “Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act” H.R. 2271, the “Scarlett’s Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act” H.R. 2468, the “School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act” H.R. 2477, the “Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification…

Federal Updates The White House is expected to release its FY21 budget request on February 10. he Departments of Education and Health and Human Services released joint guidance on the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to student health records. The Department of Education announced the opening of nominations for the Inaugural Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award — established May 2, 2019,…

Impeachment Trial The Senate is continuing to move towards President Trump’s impeachment trial. Disagreements between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have delayed the start of the trial; however, McConnell told Republican Senators on Tuesday that he has the votes to start an impeachment trial without witnesses, something Democrats have demanded. The Leader has said he will not take up any vote on USMCA or any other…

Senate Changes Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) was sworn in on Monday to succeed former Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who stepped down at the end of the year amid ongoing health issues. She will sit on the Agriculture, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Veterans Affairs Committees. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) succeeds Isakson as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee and Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) filled Isakson’s coveted spot on the Senate Finance Committee. USMCA…