Legislature Returns to Work Monday

With the legislature on break this week, activity in general around the State’s Capitol has been somewhat muted.

Legislators return on Monday, April 19 to begin working toward the end of session (June 10 – see our “Legislative News” section for a link to the full calendar). The upcoming eight weeks will be focused on moving bills that have statewide policy implications and bills that represent local initiatives.

The Governor has yet to sign all of the budget bills (delivered to the Governor on April 7), except for the Education, Labor, Housing and Family Assistance (ELFA, Chapter 56, S2506C/A3006C, L 2021) and the Debt Service Bill (delivered on March 31- Chapter 52, S2502B/A3002B, L. 2021). The Department of Health also posted the Medicaid Scorecard this week, which details the programmatic spending changes that were included in the final agreement.

This week there were more expansions in the effort to reopen the state as the effort to get vaccines in arms continues (see our “From the Governor” section for details), the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was placed on “pause” nationally due to concerns related to a small cohort of serious blood clotting issues, the Rockefeller Institute put out a policy brief on ghost guns and at the federal level, Medicare providers got some good news as a bill to delay the federal Medicare sequester cut was passed by Congress and awaits the President’s signature.

COVID-19 – After reports that six individuals experienced severe blood clots, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a joint statement recommending a “pause” in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine until the incidences can be more thoroughly investigated. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held  an emergency  meeting on Wednesday and confirmed that the pause should be extended until more data is available and evaluated related to the abnormal blood clot issues (media here). In their initial statement the FDA and CDC asked health care providers to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

• The State has stopped administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and is substituting with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the

Federal Medicare Sequester Delay – The House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday, April 13, that included a delay in the 2 percent across-the-board cut to Medicare payments (sequestration).  The cuts had been implemented in 2012 to help address the debt ceiling crisis and were suspended in May 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed in March 2020.  The delay essentially continues a boost in Medicare reimbursement 2 percent through the end of 2021. A related American Hospital Association (AHA) bulletin can be found here.

Ghost Guns – The Rockefeller Institute has issued a policy brief regarding ghost guns, the current landscape regarding regulation and the challenges they pose to law enforcement.