House
Analysis: This week, the House may consider legislation to amend the Exchange Information Disclosure Act, a bill designed to increase transparency in the operation of American Health Benefit Exchanges. It may also consider the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act of 2014, a bill to require notifying individuals of breaches of personally identifiable information through the exchanges under Obamacare. These attempts to improve the transparency and security of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, speak to Congress’s recognition of the law’s failures in these areas. However, the only acceptable solution is to repeal the law entirely and replace it with a market-based, patient-centered alternative.
Major Floor Action
- H.R. 3362 – Exchange Information Disclosure Act
- H.R. __ – Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act of 2014
- H.R. 2279 – Reducing Excessive Deadline Obligations Act of 2013
Major Committee Action
- The House Committee on Natural Resources will hold a hearing entitled “Obama Administration’s War on Coal: The Recent Report by the Office of the Inspector General.”
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing entitled “The Extenders Policies: What Are They and How Should They Continue Under a Permanent SGR Repeal Landscape?”
- The House Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing entitled “International Impacts of the Federal Reserve’s Quantitative Easing Program.”
- The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing entitled “Waste in Government: What’s Being Done?”
- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing entitled “Building the Foundation for Surface Transportation Reauthorization.”
Senate
Analysis: This week, the Senate may consider the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. The Heritage Foundation’s James Sherk testified before Congress on the effectiveness of extending unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. He explained the Emergency Unemployment Compensation system has the negative effect of making being “unemployed less costly, causing UI recipients to take longer to find new work.” There are policy tradeoffs that come with extending UI benefits that Congress should consider. The Senate may also resume consideration of the nomination of Janet Yellen to be Chairwoman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Heritage Foundation notes that if confirmed, Yellen would likely continue to grow the Fed’s power and make the institution’s regulations increasingly politicized.
Major Floor Action
- S.1845 – the Unemployment Insurance Extension Act
Major Committee Action
- The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs will hold a hearing entitled “Examining the GAO Report on Government Support for Bank Holding Companies.”
- The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing on the nomination of John Roth to be Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
