Author: Kirstin Duffin

Federal news House narrowly passes $3 trillion coronavirus aid bill [Roll Call, 5/15/2020] “Democrats’ bill would [provide, among other relief,] $100 billion for a public health fund for hospitals and other health care providers…. The Senate won’t take up the legislation in its current form, though key senators will begin discussions with Democratic leaders and…

Federal news Upcoming COVID-19 stimulus legislation Advocacy Alert: Urge Your Representative to Support Emergency Library Funding [ALA Public Policy & Advocacy Office, 4/11/2020] “Congressional leadership has started work on a new COVID-19 relief package, and we are working to ensure libraries of all types are included. Today, we need your help to get the library…

Federal news COVID-19 Emergency Declaration [Federal Emergency Management Agency release on 3/13/2020] On March 13, 2020, the President declared the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant an emergency declaration for all states, tribes, territories, and the District of Columbia… H.R. 6201 Families First Coronavirus Response Act [became Public…

Federal news Trump to hold Friday news conference on coronavirus [The Hill, 3/13/20] “…Bloomberg News reported he plans to declare a national emergency, a move that had been under consideration for some time. Declaring a national emergency would allow wider use of federal funds by state and local authorities, some of which have been overwhelmed…

Federal news Having a hard time keeping up with presidential campaigning? Kaiser Health News gives us “A Guide To Following The Health Debate In The 2020 Elections.” Supreme Court allows Trump’s ‘public charge’ rule to proceed: The 5-4 ruling would deny green cards to immigrants who use federal aid programs [Roll Call, 1/27/20] “The [tech…

Federal news The FY20 funding bill passed in the House and Senate late last month. The NIH will see an increase of $2.6 billion to $41.7 billion. IMLS funding increases $10 million to $252 million. [Labor-HHS-Education summary from House Committee on Appropriations, 12/16/2019] Kaiser Health News provides further highlights: raising the smoking age to 21,…

Federal news Lots of legislative health-related stories are in the headlines. Here are some of the highlights: MLA comments on the use of the FHIR standard for capturing and sharing clinical data [MLA, 11/22/2019] “Today, the Medical Library Association (MLA) commented on how the Health Level Seven International (HL7®)  Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard…

Federal news On October 1, 2019, a U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the FCC’s authority to eliminate net neutrality protections, but ruled that states or other local efforts can take action to support net neutrality. Read more from this ALA press release. Senate Democrats fail in bid to block Trump’s Obamacare opt-out [Politico, 10/30/2019] “The…

Federal news Senate bill would give NIH $3 billion in 2020, or 7.7% boost (Science, 9/18/2019) “Like the House bill, the Senate measure rejects Trump’s proposal to move the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality into NIH.” Pelosi unveils signature plan to lower drug prices (The Hill, 9/19/2019) Political tensions escalate as drug pricing bills…

Federal news New Law Will Require Breastfeeding Rooms in Federal Buildings (FedSmith.com) “The Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act (H.R. 866) … stipulates that these lactation rooms will be hygienic places provided in addition to the restrooms that are ‘shielded from view’, ‘free from intrusion’ and ‘contains a chair, a working surface, and, if the public…