Copyright 2000 The National Journal, Inc.
The National Journal
View Related Topics
April 15, 2000
SECTION: OUTLOOK; Pg. 1210; Vol. 32, No.16
LENGTH: 520 words
HEADLINE:
Hot Bills
BODY:
PATIENTS' RIGHTS
House: Approved a bipartisan patients' rights bill
(H.R. 2723) on
Oct. 7, 1999, 275-151, then merged it with an insurance
access
bill (H.R. 2990).
Senate: Approved S.
1344 with narrower reforms favored by
health insurers on July 15, 1999,
53-47.
Outlook: With the House going on a two-week
recess, GOP
leaders will miss their target deadline of completing work on
the
bill by late April. Staff-level talks seem to be yielding
compromises on access to obstetricians and specialty care. The
biggest
remaining obstacles: the patient appeals process and the
bill's scope.
BANKRUPTCY REFORM
House: Approved H.R. 833 on May 5,
1999, 313-108.
Senate: Approved amended version of
H.R. 833 on Feb. 2,
83-14.
Outlook: Senate
leaders report no apparent progress in
untangling their bankruptcy bill from
amendments raising the
minimum wage, even though talks with the House on a
stand-alone
measure could move quickly. Some pro-industry lawmakers worry
that a stripped-down bankruptcy bill would attract tough
financial
privacy add-ons.
GAS PRICES
House: Referred
bills to cut federal gasoline taxes to the Ways
and Means Committee.
Senate: Refused to end debate on S. 2285 on April
11, 43-
56, effectively killing the bill.
Outlook: Strong bipartisan opposition embarrassed Senate
Majority
Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., whose proposal to
temporarily cut fuel taxes and
tap the budget surplus to fill
funding gaps in highway projects was
rejected.
FEDERAL BUDGET
House: Approved
conference agreement on H.Con.Res. 290 on April
13, 220-208.
Senate: Approved conference agreement on April 13.
Outlook: Republican leaders cheered passage of a final
fiscal
2001 budget resolution, which included nearly $ 4 billion
extra for defense,
$ 20 billion for a Medicare drug plan, and at
least $ 150 billion for tax
cuts, before the April 15 deadline.
But appropriators face the sobering job
of drafting spending
bills that will cut key programs.
MARRIAGE PENALTY TAX RELIEF
House: Approved H.R. 6 on Feb. 10,
268-158.
Senate: Began floor debate on S. 2346 on
April 11.
Outlook: Democrats slowed work this week
on the Senate
bill because they wanted to offer a scaled-back alternative,
plus
amendments that would add a Medicare prescription drug benefit
and
pay down the debt. Democrats say married couples deserve tax
relief, but
they see the GOP versions as excessive and likely to
be vetoed.
ORGAN TRANSPLANTS
House: Approved H.R. 2418 on
April 4, 275-147.
Senate: Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee
approved S. 2366 on April 12, 18-0.
Outlook: Thanks to a bipartisan compromise negotiated
with the
Clinton Administration, the Senate may resolve the two-
year power struggle
over control of the nation's organ transplant
programs. But that means
persuading the House to hand back
significant power to the Health and Human
Services Department.
LOAD-DATE: April 18, 2000
