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2024 Weekly Updates
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Friday, April 12, 2024
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Federal Updates
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State of Play:
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- The House and Senate returned from a two-week recess this week – and a busy week it was.
- Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) was selected by his colleagues to serve as the next chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, as former Chair
Kay Granger (R-TX) announced she was stepping down earlier this year.
- The House passed a controversial bill to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a key federal government surveillance
tool, for two years. The effort passed after privacy hawks tried passing an amendment to require the government to obtain a warrant before accessing Americans’ data. The warrant amendment failed. Cammack voted against final passage of the legislation. The
bill is now off to the Senate, where debate and a vote is expected to happen next week. As of now, FISA expires on April 19th. More to come next week.
- The future of the Farm Bill is still up in the air. It was reported this week that House Agriculture Committee Democrats held a tense closed-door
meeting and are “floundering” over a possible counteroffer to the Republicans’ Farm Bill proposal.
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing focused on telehealth this week as pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities expire at the
end of 2024. While several Members in both Chambers of Congress want to permanently extend the flexibilities, concerns regarding costs remain.
Cybersecurity & AI:
- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to examine the federal and non-federal role of assessing cyber threats and vulnerabilities
of critical water infrastructure in our energy sector. Learn more
here.
- The FDA is looking to get input from patients and providers as it creates new draft guidance for artificial intelligence (AI) lifecycle
management and content marketing submissions for AI-enabled devices. The call comes as FDA works to strengthen its purview of AI. More to come on this in the coming weeks.
Agency & Regulatory Updates:
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- The EPA issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful per-and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals.’ Read more
here. The EPA also released its annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory – available
here.
- The Biden administration announced a final rule that implements the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s expansion of background checks for firearms—the
only significant expansion of the background check requirement since then-Senator Biden helped shepherd the Brady Bill over the finish line in 1993. This action is part of the Administration’s strategy to stem the flow of illegally acquired firearms into communities
and hold accountable those who supply the firearms used in crimes. Read more
here.
- CMS finalized policies that aim to strengthen enrollee protections and guardrails to ensure Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D (Part D)
prescription drug plans best meet the needs of people with Medicare. Read more
here.
- The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced finalized updates to the foods prescribed to participants in the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. Read more
here.
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Upcoming Relevant Hearings:
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Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA: A Review of the President’s FY25 Budget for the USDA
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Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services: A Review of the President’s FY25 Budget for HHS
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House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security: A Review of the President’s Budget for FEMA
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House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health: Examining Health Sector Cybersecurity in the Wake of the Change Healthcare Attack
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House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce: Legislative Solutions to Protect Kids Online and Ensure Americans’ Data Privacy Rights
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Please let us know if you’d like a transcript of these or any other hearings.
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Katie Schoettler
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Washington, D.C.
Director, Public Affairs
Government Solutions
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Contact
Now
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Kate M. Kros
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Washington, D.C.
Public Affairs Advisor
Government Solutions
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Contact
Now
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