Showing posts with label Clean Line Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clean Line Project. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

House News: Self-Driving Vehicles, Obamacare, Travel Ban, Ryan Zinke, Prescription Drugs, Clean Line Project, People with Disabilities

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell called on the Trump Administration to prioritize the development and testing of connected and self-driving vehicles in the President’s proposed budget for 2018. The Members of Congress sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney and Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao urging them to include $200 million in their 2018 federal budget request for facilities designated by DOT as proving grounds for automated vehicle testing. In January, DOT designated ten sites across the country as national proving grounds, including the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti.

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Republicans released legislation on March 6, 2017 to repeal Obamacare.

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"The new Executive Order signed by President Trump is nothing more than an un-American Muslim ban. Sadly, this ban will make our country less safe. Instead of strengthening our security, President Trump continues to betray the values that make America a gracious nation." --Juan Vargas (D-CA, 51st)

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Ryan Zinke was confirmed as Interior Secretary.

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Greg Walden releases legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare
Greg Walden (R-OR, 2nd)
March 6, 2017

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today released legislation as part of House Republicans’ effort to repeal and replace Obamacare through a budget process known as reconciliation. The legislation, part of House Republicans’ American Health Care Act, creates a new and innovative Patient and State Stability Fund to help low-income Americans afford health care and to repair the damage done to state insurance markets by Obamacare. Additionally, the legislation lays out a plan to responsibly unwind Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion while prioritizing the program’s funds to the most vulnerable through a per capita allotment.
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“Obamacare is collapsing under its own weight, driving up health care costs, and limiting options for individuals and families. We made a promise to the American people to repeal this broken law and replace it with a stable transition to a better system that lowers costs, increases choices, and protects patients. That is exactly what the American Health Care Act will do." --Jackie Walorski (R-IN, 2nd)

"This bill perfectly embodies what one would expect from Trumpcare: It promises more, delivers less and neglects the old, the poor and the sick, while rewarding insurance companies, the pharmaceutical industry, and the rich with massive tax breaks. Trumpcare will make America sick again.” --Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL, 23rd) (But, if you like your doctor you can keep him)

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Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is scheduled to meet with President Donald J. Trump on March 8, 2017, to discuss lowering prescription drug prices. Cummings will be joined by Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont, a senior Democrat on the Oversight Committee and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Dr. Redonda G. Miller, President of The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

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Arkansas Delegation Urges Secretary Perry to Review Clean Line Project
Steve Womack (R-AR, 3rd)
March 7, 2017

“Not only are Arkansans facing the prospect of losing their property due to a decision by the federal government, but your department risks codifying into law the practice of federal eminent domain seizures. This dangerous precedent is antithetical to your distinguished record as a champion for states’ rights in the face of federal overreach,” members wrote to Secretary Perry.
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Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) re-introduced his bipartisan bill to protect people with disabilities, by ensuring they have access to vital equipment (H.R. 1361). The Congressman’s legislation, which clarifies the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008, is an important bill to secure the essential specialized power wheelchairs and related accessories relied on by people with disabilities and their families.