Federal Legislative Developments

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Healthcare negotiations steadily moved forward last week, as details emerged on a potential timeline for completing action on a final bill in the coming weeks.  Despite optimistic endgame statements from Democratic leaders on both sides of the Capitol, legislative language remained in the final stages of negotiations by the week’s end, as leaders continued to count votes and await final cost estimates. 

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Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 15, 2010

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) announced Thursday morning that he will release his updated financial regulatory reform bill on Monday.  While citing “significant progress” and indicating that many sticking points had been resolved, Chairman Dodd also acknowledged that “a few outstanding issues remain.” 

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Read More Senate Financial Reform Bill to be Unveiled Monday; Bipartisan Negotiations Fall Apart

Democrats moved steadily forward last week on their reinvigorated efforts to enact comprehensive healthcare reform, as the White House specified its procedural preferences and Congressional leaders continued to hammer out policy provisions.  However, given the various complications that stand in their way, it remains to be seen whether Democrats will be able to finalize legislation before the end of the month – their new self-imposed deadline. …
Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 8, 2010

On March 3, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 2554 or “NARAB II”) on a voice vote.  We previously covered H.R. 2254’s introduction last May here.  NARAB II will now head to the Senate for consideration where similar legislation has not yet been voted on. 

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Read More U.S. House of Representatives Passes NARAB II

As efforts to produce a bipartisan deal on sweeping financial regulatory reform legislation inch forward, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) offered an alternative proposal that aims to end the impasse over one of the legislation’s most controversial issues – consumer financial protection.  Though sources reported this morning that the offer is gaining traction, a final agreement remains elusive. …
Read More Senate Financial Regulatory Reform Update

The White House released its own healthcare reform bill last week, in preparation for Thursday’s marathon healthcare summit.  Despite its bipartisan billing, that six hour session did not yield tangible progress, leaving Democrats exactly where they were before the summit – faced with the question of how to move comprehensive healthcare reform forward without any help from the minority party. 

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Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 1, 2010

On Monday, February 22, Representatives Tom Perriello (D-Va.) and Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) introduced H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, to repeal the McCarran-Ferguson Act antitrust exemption for the business of health insurance. …
Read More House Introduces Health Insurance Bill to Repeal Antitrust Exemption

With Congress in recess last week, the White House worked behind the scenes to craft a healthcare reform bill that will be used as a basis for moving forward during the bipartisan healthcare summit scheduled for this week.  Meanwhile, more and more Democratic Senators formally voiced their support for reviving the controversial public option and using the budget reconciliation process to pass a final bill. …

Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – February 22, 2010

The two major snowstorms that struck Washington, DC last week brought business on Capitol Hill to a near standstill, as the House cancelled all votes for the week and the Senate conducted limited business.  As a result, Democrats headed into the first congressional recess of 2010 with little progress to report on their retooled jobs agenda, and no substantive breakthroughs on their stalled healthcare reform efforts. …
Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – February 16, 2010

As the White House and Congress focused their attention on the release of President Obama’s FY 2011 Budget and the new jobs agenda, healthcare reform efforts took a back seat last week.  Despite the priority shift, off the record chatter and closed door meetings continued, as speculation grew over if and how Democrats would be able to revive their stalled priority in the coming months. …
Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – February 8, 2010