POLICY BRIEFINGS

HHS Declares Monkeypox Public Health Emergency

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra has declared monkeypox a public health emergency pursuant to Public Health Service Act section 319 authorities. The declaration frees up federal funding for public health agencies and provides more flexibility for the administration to stop the spread of the virus. The White House had previously announced the appointment of a White House monkeypox coordinator, Robert Fenton from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the division of HIV prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was named deputy coordinator. More than 26,000 people globally have contracted monkeypox, with the U.S. leading the world with more than 6,600 known cases. The virus spreads primarily through close contact with lesions; 99% of U.S. cases have been in men who have sex with men.

House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) along with Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Val Butler Demings (D-Fla.) have sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office asking the agency to examine the adequacy of the Federal response to the monkeypox outbreak and to make recommendations for ongoing and future preparedness efforts. “We are concerned that the pace of the Federal response to monkeypox has enabled the virus to spread for two months and delays in distributing tests and vaccines have harmed efforts to contain the virus,” the letter states. They ask GAO to examine the extent to which the Federal government “adequately planned and prepared for the monkeypox public health emergency; are appropriately responding to the emergency and considered and are applying lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to the emergency.”

Recently Introduced Health Legislation

H.R.8624 — A bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for additional requirements for disclosing entities relating to the quality of care furnished at skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Jan [D-IL-09]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.8613 — A bill to provide for the establishment of a pilot program to provide grants to community mental health centers for the placement of social workers with law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-10]; Committees: House - Judiciary

H.R.8610 — A bill to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Office of Health Security, make technical corrections to the authorization of the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, establish a Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Advisory Committee, establish a departmental biodefense strategy, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Rep. Demings, Val [D-FL-10]; Committees: House - Homeland Security; Energy and Commerce

H.R.8602 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish fair and consistent eligibility requirements for graduate medical schools operating outside the United States and Canada; Sponsor: Rep. Burgess, Michael [R-TX-26]; Committees: House - Education and Labor

H.R.8597 — A bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of services furnished by freestanding emergency centers; and for other purposes; Sponsor: Rep. Arrington, Jodey [R-TX-19]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.8594 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify and preserve the breadth of the protections under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act; Sponsor: Rep. Clarke, Yvette [D-NY-09]; Committees: House - Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce

H.R.8591 — To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health shall conduct research on programs to educate workplace professionals on the prevention of impairment from the use of cannabis, opioids, and other drugs, and the risks resulting from individuals working while impaired, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-04]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce

S.4697 — A bill to require limitations on research on potential pandemic pathogens of concern; Sponsor: Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]; Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S.Res.737 — A resolution designating August 10, 2022, as “Toxic Exposure Awareness Day”; Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]; Committees: Senate – Judiciary

S.4700 — A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for limitations on copayments for contraception furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]; Committees: Senate - Veterans’ Affairs

S.4704 — A bill to require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a report regarding ways to improve the patent examination process at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thom [R-NC]; Committees: Senate – Judiciary

S.4708 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for wigs as durable medical equipment under the Medicare program, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.4712 — A bill to clarify coverage of occupational therapy under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.4721 — A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to veterans for improvements and structural alterations furnished as part of home health services; Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]; Committees: Senate - Veterans’ Affairs

S.4723 — A bill to ensure the right to provide reproductive health care services, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]; Committees: Senate – Judiciary

S.4734 — A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, to address matters relating to patent subject matter eligibility, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thom [R-NC]; Committees: Senate – Judiciary

S.4738 — A bill to protect the privacy of personally-identifiable health data, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]; Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation

S.4739 — A bill to allow additional individuals to enroll in standalone dental plans offered through Federal Exchanges; Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]; Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S.4747 — A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.4748 — A bill to provide for national uniformity for reproductive health products; Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]; Committees: Senate – Judiciary

H.R.8637 — To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide for training on alternatives to use of force, de-escalation, and mental and behavioral health and suicidal crises; Sponsor: Rep. Bass, Karen [D-CA-37]; Committees: House – Judiciary

H.R.8641 — To mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on incentives under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic for the development of orphan drugs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce

H.R.8650 — To ensure the right to provide reproductive health care services, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Judiciary

S.4750 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify and preserve the breadth of the protections under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act; Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.4761 — A bill to amend title V of the Social Security Act to establish a grant program for community-based maternal mentoring programs; Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.4764 — A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve reproductive health care of individuals with disabilities; Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]; Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S.4778 — A bill to require limitations on research on potential pandemic pathogens of concern; Sponsor: Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]; Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S.4782 — A bill to combat the fentanyl crisis; Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL];Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

August 8, 2022: | Page 1 Page 2