On Monday, Chairman Levin released draft legislative text of the Domestic Manufacturing and Energy Jobs Act of 2010.  The draft legislation would make a significant investment in domestic manufacturing to create jobs and see to it that the clean energy technologies of the future are made here in the United States.  The bill would also provide long-term certainty that the United States will continue to support renewable energy and energy efficiency, and will encourage manufacturers to build facilities in the United States.

On Tuesday, the Subcommittee on Trade held a hearing on Enhancing the U.S.-EU Trade Relationship.  Subcommittee Chairman John Tanner explained that “The Transatlantic alliance is fundamental to U.S. economic and security interests.  Whatever our differences, we are all committed to the same values, and that is what makes the U.S.-EU relationship strong.”

On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support held a hearing on to Review the Use of Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration Projects to Promote Child Well-Being.  The hearing focused on State use of Title IV-E child waiver demonstration projects to enhance the outcomes of children that are known to the child welfare system.  Click here for Subcommittee Chairman Jim McDermott’s opening statement.

On Friday, Chairman Levin introduced H.R. 5982, the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2010. The bill would have provided nearly $20 billion in tax relief to small businesses and closed loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas.  The legislation would have also eliminated an information reporting requirement for businesses that the independent Taxpayer Advocate recently indicated could pose potential “administrative challenges to taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).” 

The bill was defeated by House Republicans, and following its defeat Chairman Levin stated: “By defeating this bill, Republicans made clear that they care more about some companies that ship jobs overseas than small businesses that face a potential burden by this reporting requirement.  Despite all of their rhetoric about the need to eliminate this reporting requirement, Republicans walked away from small businesses when it mattered most.”

The Obama administration also announced on Friday that the U.S. is initiating consultations with Guatemala under the CAFTA-DR Labor Chapter to address concerns about Guatemala’s failure to enforce its labor laws.  Click here for reaction from Chairman Levin and Trade Subcommittee Chairman John Tanner.

Pic of the Week

Ways and Means Committee Member Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) joined a number of Committee Members (including Chairman Levin and Xavier Becerra pictured at left), Speaker Pelosi, House Democratic Leadership, and other House Democrats at an event on Wednesday commemorating the 75^th anniversary of Social Security.

- by Cameron Brenchley

 The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a new report on Monday, underscoring the need to extend the Emergency Fund for Job Creation and Assistance program that is set to expire on September 30, 2010.  The program helps States immediately support job programs and is estimated to have helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs (including private sector) in States across the country since its inception in 2009. Yesterday, Chairman Levin introduced legislation to extend the program for a year.

Calling the program a “bright spot” in the recovering economy, CBPP illustrates the impact of allowing the program to expire in States across the country:

“… some of these programs have already stopped taking applications in anticipation of the fund’s September 30 expiration, and most programs will shut down or significantly scale back their operations on that date (see Figure 1). Unless Congress extends the fund, tens of thousands of people across the country will lose jobs — potentially raising the unemployment rate in places with particularly large programs, such as Illinois and Los Angeles. Such job losses are both troubling and unnecessary: the House has twice passed extensions that were fully offset to avoid increasing the deficit, but the Senate has thus far failed to act.”

States can draw on the Emergency Fund, created by the 2009 Recovery Act, to create subsidized jobs in the private and public sectors for low-income individuals who otherwise would be unemployed. Officials in the 37 states (including the District of Columbia) operating these jobs programs estimate that by September, they will have placed more than 240,000 unemployed parents and their teenage children in subsidized jobs funded in whole or in part by the fund (see Figure 2 and Appendix A). That number would grow substantially if states had another year to operate their programs.

Examples of [the program] at work include:

• South Carolina is using the program to provide jobs to parents who would otherwise be receiving cash assistance through the state’s regular TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) program.
• Illinois has placed more than 20,000 individuals in jobs, far exceeding its original goal of 12,000 placements.
• Alabama is using the program to provide jobs to TANF recipients statewide, but has found it especially helpful in rural communities where very few job opportunities exist.
• North Dakota is providing jobs for unemployed non-custodial parents who don’t have the financial resources to meet their child support
• A rural community in Tennessee created 400 new jobs and helped reduce the county’s unemployment rate from 27.3 to 18.6 percent over an eight-month period.

Emergency Fund for Job Creation and Assistance program has the strong support of several Republicans.  Haley Barbour, the Republican Governor of Mississippi, called it a welfare to work program and urged for an extension.  In fact, despite Congressional Republican objection, a number of Republicans outside the Washington beltway have lauded the program as an effective mechanism to create jobs and help families.

• On a bipartisan basis, the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Association of Counties have all urged Congress to continue the program as a way to create jobs and help families.
• Kevin Hassett of the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) writes, “Given the state of the labor market, it is hard to imagine how any sensible person could oppose [extending the emergency fund].”  “If they are to be more than the party of no, Republicans need to rally around the Democrats who have shown such reserved pragmatism.”

Click here to view the letters.

- by Lauren Bloomberg

Today’s Los Angeles Times has a good article explaining that the Affordable Care Act is spurring doctors and hospitals across the country to team up in order to improve care and control costs:

“As Congress debated the healthcare bill, many critics lamented it would do little to transform a system in which doctors and hospitals bounce patients around in an uncoordinated, costly, sometimes tragic process.

“But something unexpected has happened since President Obama signed the legislation in March. Spurred in part by the law, many independent providers across the country are racing to mold themselves into the kind of coordinated teams held up as models for improving care.

“In some places, the scramble is so intense that physician groups and hospitals are putting aside rivalries and signing new partnerships almost daily.”

The LA Times notes that the health care debate “may have helped spark doctors, hospitals and others to rethink what they do, raising the prospect of better outcomes for millions of Americans.”

"There are a lot of people who have reached the conclusion that they need to change the way they practice medicine," said Dr. Mark B. McClellan, a former Medicare and Medicaid chief in the George W. Bush administration and a leading advocate of more care coordination.”

- by Cameron Brenchley 

Click here for additional information, including draft legislative text, summary and estimated revenue effects.

-by Lauren Bloomberg  

On Tuesday, the Subcommittee on Trade will hold a hearing on Enhancing the U.S.-EU Trade Relationship.  In announcing the hearing, Chairman John Tanner explained that “Just as the European Union strives to create ‘an ever closer union’ among its people, we should strive to create an ever closer relationship between the United States and the European Union.”

The Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support will hold a hearing on Thursday to Review the Use of Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration Projects to Promote Child Well-Being.  The hearing will focus on State use of Title IV-E child waiver demonstration projects to enhance the outcomes of children that are known to the child welfare system.

- by Cameron Brenchley

Chairman Sander Levin walks to the Capitol to vote on legislation.  During a floor speech this week arguing for the passage of an UI extension, Chairman Levin said: “For six weeks Republicans in the Senate blocked unemployment insurance. They stood not on the side [of], but in the way of millions of Americans, and during those six weeks over 2.5 million unemployed Americans exhausted their benefits and they struggled to stay afloat while continuing to look for work in this difficult economy.”

- by Cameron Brenchley

This week the House is scheduled to take up an important bill that will help spur economic growth and support thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs.  As early as tomorrow the House could consider H.R. 4380, the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act of 2010, which contains hundreds of tariff suspensions and reductions on products where there is no domestic production or domestic opposition.

Chairman Levin notes that “This bill is a shot in the arm for U.S. manufacturers who need these products to keep making their goods and supporting American jobs.” 

In a letter of support, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), explains:

The [Miscellaneous Tariff Bill] MTB is one of the most important short-term actions Congress can take to preserve and expand good American jobs, cut the costs of doing business in the United States and boost American manufacturing exports. U.S. manufacturers large and small use the MTB’s tariff suspension provisions to obtain raw materials, proprietary inputs and other products that are not available in our nation.

 

“Without the MTB, the cost of these companies’ products will inevitably increase, forcing them to pass higher costs on to consumers and making their products less competitive. These higher costs translate into lost jobs for American workers.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also supports passage of the legislation, writing: “Given its importance for preserving American jobs, the MTB should receive the same strong bipartisan support it has in the past, and the Chamber urges you to support its swift approval.”

In addition to support from NAM and the Chamber of Commerce, a coalition of over 140 businesses wrote a letter in support of H.R. 4380.

Click here for additional information on the MTB process.

- by Cameron Brenchley

REFORM MOVES AHEAD

 

Less than four months after Congress approved historic health care reform legislation, the Obama administration has been making good progress in bringing some early benefits to fruition and issuing rules to guide the reform process. Despite all of the critics’ hype and scare tactics, some polls suggest that the public perception of reform is slowly improving.

 

That hasn’t stopped the critics. More than a score of Republican attorneys general and governors have filed suit to nullify two important requirements of the new law — that everyone obtain insurance or pay a penalty, and that states expand their Medicaid programs. The White House will have to keep pressing back and keep explaining why reform is in the clear interest of the nation.

 

Most of the major elements of the reform law don’t go into effect until 2014, but some important benefits start this year. Administration officials had two early successes: pressuring insurance companies to immediately end their indefensible practice of rescinding coverage after a policyholder becomes sick and to immediately start covering children with pre-existing conditions. Officials also persuaded insurers and a handful of employers to allow parents to keep their dependent children on family policies until age 26.

 

A few hundred thousand Medicare beneficiaries who have reached the “doughnut hole” in Medicare drug coverage have gotten or will soon get small, $250 checks to help pay their drug costs; millions more will get checks when they reach the gap later this year. The administration has already proposed language for contracts that will be signed with the manufacturers of brand-name drugs to provide 50 percent discounts next year to patients who hit the gap. A small blizzard of regulations, each requiring painstaking drafting, has been issued, including new rules issued Wednesday requiring insurers to eliminate cost-sharing for recommended preventive care, such as screening tests and vaccinations.

 

Not everything has moved smoothly. The new law requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on medical care. But agreeing on a definition of care (versus administrative and other costs) has proved difficult. A plan to open temporary high-risk pools for people unable to obtain insurance because of pre-existing conditions appears to be running behind schedule.

 

On the employer front, the administration has notified nearly four million small businesses that they might be eligible for a tax credit to help defray the cost of insuring their workers. And it is accepting applications from employers for a separate program to help defray the costs of insuring early retirees.

 

President Obama was right to bypass Senate opponents and appoint Dr. Donald Berwick, a respected expert on health care quality and costs, to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. With no chief to sign off on crucial decisions, the agency has been reluctant to create and staff a new innovation center, to provide guidance on a vast expansion of Medicaid, and to issue a slew of regulations to reshape Medicare.

 

State leaders also have a lot to do to get ready for reform and ensure that their citizens get the full benefits. They will need to set up new health insurance exchanges, more closely monitor and regulate insurers, and expand Medicaid. While some politicians have de"cided to keep battling reform, at least 21 states have officially designated a task force or committee to oversee implementation. That is responsible government.

As early as Tuesday, the Senate could consider an extension of Unemployment Insurance benefits to millions of Americans whose benefits have been in limbo due to Senate Republican intransigence.  The House passed legislation earlier this month that would retroactively restore Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits and continue the EUC program through November. In addition, the legislation would restore full Federal funding for the permanent-law Extended Benefits program (through November).  The House will act, as needed, to ensure this important extension quickly becomes law.

The Committee will hold three hearings this week, beginning with a Subcommittee on Oversight hearing on Tuesday morning examining the Immediate Need for Charitable Assistance in the Gulf Coast Region.  The hearing will focus on the escalating demand for charitable assistance to help residents and wildlife in the Gulf Coast region and examine how donations contributed to charities for the region are being used.

Tuesday afternoon, the Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on Efforts to Promote the Adoption and Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology.  The hearing will focus on efforts to promote the adoption of health information technology, specifically through Medicare incentives designed to encourage the meaningful use of electronic health records.

On Thursday afternoon the full Committee will meet for a hearing on Transfer Pricing Issues.  When Chairman Levin announced the hearing he said, “In this global marketplace, we need to have a tax code that enhances the competitiveness of our companies and is enforceable by the IRS.  The transfer pricing rules have been frustrating for all parties involved and I look forward to an informative debate at this hearing.”

Click here for additional background information on transfer pricing issues.  

- by Cameron Brenchley

Members of the Committee returned to Washington this week after spending a productive week in their districts.  On Wednesday, Members of the Committee and fellow House Democrats joined unemployed workers at a press event to urge Senate Republicans to stop stonewalling an extension of Unemployment Insurance benefits.

At the event, which included an electronic display showing a live, running tally of unemployed Americans losing their benefits due to Senate Republican obstruction, Chairman Levin said: “There is a national emergency facing millions of Americans.  But it is an emergency of the most personal nature for the millions of unemployed workers and their families. Their ability to put food on the table, pay their rent and focus on finding their next job is being put to the test by a few Senate Republicans who would rather play political games than help the unemployed of this country.  This is simply unacceptable.”

Click here for more information and videos of the event.

The Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures held a hearing on Wednesday to examine the issue of reinsurance between affiliated entities and recent proposals that would impact certain reinsurance premiums paid to related foreign entities.  In his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Richard Neal stated: “This hearing is to explore whether there are any actual disadvantages between domestic and foreign companies, to quantify such problem if so, and to discuss proposals to address that."

On Thursday morning, the Subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing on Social Security at 75 Years: More Necessary Now than Ever.  The hearing focused on the essential role Social Security plays in the well-being of American workers and their families as they face retirement, disability or death of a bread-winner, both now and in the future. 

At the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Earl Pomeroy stated that “Social Security embodies the American values of independence, dignity and family, by rewarding work, instilling prudence, and sharing responsibility.…As we consider the future of Social Security and the potential adjustments needed to strengthen the program for the long-term, it is vital that policymakers recognize that Social Security is not just a set of numbers on a ledger.  Instead, it represents the ability of our seniors to live independently and with dignity during their retirement.”

Click here to visit the hearing page, and click here for more quotes and video from the hearing.

Pic of the Week 

Chairman Levin prepares to speak at an event on Wednesday urging Senate Republicans to stop blocking an extension of Unemployment Insurance benefits.  Louise Long, an unemployed worker who spoke at the event said “I’m not looking for a free ride or any handout; I’m just looking for an opportunity for myself to get back in the work world, because that’s what I was raised to do.” 

- by Cameron Brenchley

For more information about implementation of this provision, please visit healthcare.gov. 

“It is absolutely the most fundamentally decent and compassionate thing to do,” said John Sarbanes. Yet as Senate Republicans stall the bill, the number keeps growing, and more Americans face the very real threats of poverty and homelessness instead of receiving the unemployment benefits that they not only need, but, as Rep. Donna Edwards said, “they deserve.”

Click here for additional information on unemployment insurance.

-by Lauren Bloomberg 

A new report out this week by the Department of the Treasury, shows that between February and May of this year, American businesses hired an estimated 4.5 million new workers who had been unemployed for eight weeks or longer, which allows the businesses to receive a tax exemption made possible by H.R. 2847 the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act which passed the House on March 4, 2010, and President Obama signed into law on March 18, 2010.

The HIRE Act provides employers with incentives to hire and retain new employees by exempting employers from paying the employer share of Social Security employment taxes (6.2% of the first $106,800 of wages) for wages paid in 2010 for any new employee hired after February 3, 2010 and before January 1, 2011 if the new employee (1) was previously unemployed and (2) does not replace another employee of the employer. To encourage employers to retain these new employees, the bill would provide employers with a $1,000 income tax credit for every new employee that they continue to employ for 52 weeks.

In addition to tax incentives for businesses to spur job growth, the HIRE Act includes provisions to spur small business investments, expand the Build America Bonds Program, extend surface transportation programs, and provide the U.S. Treasury with new tools to find and prosecute U.S. individuals that hide assets overseas.

Click here for a fact sheet that provides a complete list of provisions in the HIRE Act.

- by Cameron Brenchley

Click here for additional information about Unemployment Insurance 

-by Lauren Bloomberg

After a productive district work period, Committee Members will be back in Washington this week to tackle a number of legislative issues, as well as two Subcommittee hearings.

On Wednesday, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures will hold a hearing on the taxation of reinsurance between affiliated entities.  Click here for background information regarding this hearing.

On Thursday, the Social Security Subcommittee is holding a hearing on Social Security at 75 years.  The hearing will focus on the essential role Social Security plays in the well-being of American workers and their families as they face retirement, disability or death of a bread-winner, both now and in the future.

In addition to the busy House schedule this week, Committee Members continue urging the Senate to act on H.R. 56188, the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act which passed the House on July 1^st.  During debate of H.R. 5618, Chairman Levin implored other Members to pass the legislation so the Senate could act on it quickly:

We must pass this so it is the first item of business when they return. The only reason this extension has not passed the Senate in recent days is because there could not be found more than two Republicans to vote for this extension. That is a shame and it is shameful.  This House needs to lift that shame off of the shoulders of everyone in this institution and pass this bill so that millions of American workers get the benefits they earned and deserve.” 

- by Cameron Brenchley

More good news for seniors who fall within the “donut hole,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday that 300,000 additional $250 tax-free rebate checks are being sent this week to seniors who fell into the Medicare Part D coverage gap earlier this year. This is the second round of checks to be sent to seniors, with the first round being sent last month.  Secretary Sebelius noted that 70 percent of the first-round of checks were cashed within the first week, providing further evidence that these checks are a welcome relief to many financially-strapped seniors.

The checks, provided under the Affordable Care Act, are the first step in completely closing the prescription drug coverage gap that has affected millions of seniors.  Beginning in 2011, seniors in the “donut hole” will receive a 50% discount on brand-name prescription drugs, and the “donut hole” should be completely phased out by 2020.

- by Cameron Brenchley

Chairman Levin kicked off the week with a great op-ed in The Hill discussing the importance of building a green economy.  Chairman Levin writes that, “the economic challenges facing our nation present us with great opportunity to rethink and retool how we build the economy and workforce of the 21st century. Nowhere is this more evident than in the renewable energy and green economy.” Emphasizing the importance of a public-private partnership, Chairman Levin said “to establish American businesses at the forefront of the green economy.”  

On Tuesday, Chairman Levin and Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Jim McDermott introduced H.R. 5618, the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act, to extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to millions of American families through the end of November 2010.

The bill was a result of Senate Republicans’ obstruction of legislation that would have not only promoted job creation here in the U.S. but extended critical unemployment insurance benefits to help Americans make ends meet as they look for their next job opportunity.

House Republicans voted down the measure that would have benefited millions of American families, including the estimated 1.7 million Americans whose benefits have expired, or will expire by the end of this week. 

Chairman Levin responded: “We will persevere….We will bring this bill up again under regular order and it will pass.  Today’s vote should make it abundantly clear to the American people that the Democratic majority in Congress remains committed to providing the benefits and assistance families need while we continue efforts to recover from this recession.”

Click here for more reaction from Ways & Means Members on Republicans' Vote to Deny Unemployment Benefits to Millions of Americans.

Also on Tuesday, the House voted to extend the closing deadline for taxpayers seeking the homebuyer’s tax credit. The bill extends the current deadline from June 30 to September 30, 2010, enabling an estimated 180,000 additional homebuyers to utilize the credit.  Taxpayers must have entered into a written, binding contract prior to May 1^st to claim the credit.

On Thursday, House Democrats again brought the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act to the House Floor.  Despite Republican opposition, the bill was passed and now awaits Senate action. Prior to the vote, Chairman Levin stressed:  “It has been noted that the Senate is out of session…  We must pass this so it is the first item of business when they return. The only reason this extension has not passed the Senate in recent days is because there could not be found more than two Republicans to vote for this extension. That is a shame and it is shameful.  This House needs to lift that shame off of the shoulders of everyone in this institution and pass this bill so that millions of American workers get the benefits they earned and deserve.” Click here for more information.

- by Cameron Brenchley

Before going out of session yesterday, the Senate failed to pass an extension of benefits.  Chairman Levin noted,   the only reason this extension has not passed the Senate in recent days is because there could not be found more than two Republicans to vote for this extension. Chairman Levin noted that:

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services launched HealthCare.gov, a website designed to empower consumers by putting information and access to health insurance plans right at the their fingertips.

The website features a revolutionary tool that allows consumers to search for insurance options -- compiling all available health insurance plans into one easy-to-use database. You simply answer a few basic questions, which specifically pinpoint the coverage options that may be best for you to consider.  The site protects your personal information, and will not require your name, address, or income.  From there, you can shop for the plan that best suits you. You can determine which plans are being offered in your zip code, which benefits plans offer, and, in October, the website will offer price estimates. Consumers will be able to use this site to better navigate the insurance market, and small businesses may also use it to find a full plan menu instead of being limited to the options they are offered through their broker.

The site also educates the consumer about the ins and outs of the new Affordable Care Act.  “Understanding the New Law” is an easy-to-use section that explains what the health care plan means to you, in language not written for experts, but for consumers. The page includes a timeline that shows the dates that each provision of health care reform will be implemented, and what each change means for you. There are also sections on the site about prevention and comparing care quality.

The team behind HealthCare.gov is dedicated to improving the website to best inform and empower you. Wherever you go on the site, there will be a box asking if the page was helpful to you, and if the page did not meet your needs, you will have the opportunity to offer feedback as to how it could be improved. In addition, there will be a Spanish version of the site by the end of July, and HHS is considering translating the site into additional languages.

This a consumer-oriented website designed to find information tailored specifically to your situation, dedicated to improving based on feedback, and seeking to provide you with all your information and care options on one easy-to-use site.  Whether you are searching for answers or searching for a health care plan, HealthCare.gov provides you with a wealth of information, presented in an efficient, informative, and user-friendly manner.

- by Cameron Brenchley