Autism CARES Act
On February 8, the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (CARES) Act (S. 427; H.R. 1058) was introduced in the Senate by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Mike Enzi (R-WY). Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA), along with several cosponsors, introduced the bill in the House. The bill would reauthorize and amend the Autism CARES Act, which expires on September 30, 2019. For a summary of the bill, see the press release of Senator Menendez.
Family Leave
There are signs that legislation to create a paid family-leave program could make progress in this Congress (2019-20). According to the Washington Post, the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, is meeting with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and other key legislators to discuss the issue. Some lawmakers have proposed paying for a person’s family leave by reducing his or her future Social Security benefits. Meanwhile, the FAMILY Act was reintroduced on February 12 in both the House and Senate by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY). Under that bill, a family-leave program would be financed through taxes on individuals and employers.
ACA-Related Hearings
As reported in the February 8 Update, there were several recent hearings related to the Affordable Care Act. You can watch the hearings and listen to the testimony on the websites of the committees that held the hearings: the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health and the Committee on Education and Labor.
Medicare Buy-In
Dems Offer Smaller Step toward ‘Medicare for All’ (The Hill, 2/13/19) – This legislation would permit individuals age 50 and older to buy into Medicare.
Encourage confidence to act