On July 12, 2018, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced 14 mostly bi-partisan bills on medical professionals, nuclear utilization, immigration resolution, and other issues. Various health care bills were passed through the committee, including H.R. 959, which would reauthorize nursing workforce development programs to support the recruitment, retention and advanced education of skilled nursing professions; H.R. 1676, which would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve the training of health professionals in palliative care through leveraging existing authorities and funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); H.R. 3728, which would reauthorize health professions workforce programs that support loan repayment and provider training experiences in primary care, dentistry, rural or underserved areas, and in community-based settings; H.R. 5385, which would reauthorize payments to Children's Hospitals that operate graduate medical education (GME) programs for five years; and H.R. 982, which requests information from President Trump and directs the HHS Secretary to provide information regarding the separation of children from their parents or guardians as a result of the Administration's "zero tolerance" policy.

Other bills of interest include H.R. 2345, which would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in consultation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to study and report on the feasibility of designating a three-digit dialing code to be used for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system. Additionally, H.R. 3994 would establish an office of Internet Connectivity and Growth at National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to coordinate and track federal funding for broadband across all agencies, streamlining the process of applying for federal funding for projects that expand broadband access.

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Markup detail

Consideration of bills

Health

H.R. 959, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017, would amend Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to reauthorize nursing workforce development programs, which support the recruitment, retention, and advanced education of skilled nursing professionals. The bill would extend advanced education nursing grants to support clinical nurse specialists and clinical nurse leaders, define nurse-managed health clinics, add clinical nurse specialists to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education, and reauthorize loan repayments, scholarships and grants for education, practice, quality and retention.

Action: A technical amendment sponsored by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) was adopted by voice vote and H.R. 959 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 1676, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act, would direct HHS to award grants to improve the training of health professionals in palliative care, increasing education and awareness about the benefits and services of palliative care, and enhancing research on palliative care through leveraging existing authorities and funds at the NIH.

Action: H.R. 1676 was ordered to be reported favorably by voice vote.

H.R. 3728, the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency Readiness Act of 2017, would amend Title VII of the PHSA to reauthorize the health professions workforce programs that support loan repayment and provider training experiences in primary care, dentistry, rural or underserved areas, and in community-based settings. The bill would also restructure the geriatric health professional grant program to reflect changes that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has pursued to enhance outcomes for geriatric patients.

Action: An amendment sponsored by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) on institutional payment was adopted by voice vote. H.R. 3728 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 5385, the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2018, would reauthorize payments to children's hospitals that operate GME programs for five years to enable the nation's freestanding children's hospitals to provide education to graduates of medical schools, enhance pediatric research capabilities, and care for vulnerable and underserved children.

Action: A clarifying amendment sponsored by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) was adopted by voice vote. H.R. 5385 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 982 would ask President Trump, and direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to transmit, respectively, certain information to the House of Representatives referring to the separation of children from their parents or guardians as a result of the Administration's "zero tolerance" policy.

Action: H.R. 982 was ordered to be reported favorably by a vote or 54-0.

Environment

H.R. 2278, the Responsible Disposal Reauthorization Act of 2017, would amend the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Controls Act of 1978 to extend the authorization for the Secretary of Energy to continue the operation of the disposal site in Mesa County, Colorado (known as the Cheney disposal cell) for receiving and disposing of residual radioactive material from processing sites and of byproduct material from property in the vicinity of the uranium milling site located in Monticello, Utah, from September 30, 2023 to September 30, 2048.

Action: H.R. 2278 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 2389, To reauthorize the West Valley demonstration project, and for other purposes, would amend section 3 of the West Valley Demonstration Project Act (WVDP) to authorize $75 million for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2028 for a high-level radioactive waste management demonstration project at the Western New York Service Center (Center) in West Valley, New York, and require the Comptroller General to submit a report no later than 24 months.

Action: An amendment sponsored by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) reducing from 24 to 18 the time of a comptroller general report was adopted by voice vote. H.R. 2389 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

Energy

H.R. 1320, the Nuclear Utilization of Keynote Energy Act, would revise the assessment and collection of user fees and annual charges by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission), provide for certain reports on requirements under the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) and revise certain procedures and processes relating to the NRC's regulatory requirements. The legislation would also exempt funding provided for the development of a regulatory infrastructure for advanced nuclear reactor technologies from the existing fee-recovery requirements, and sunset existing fee-recovery requirements and make new fees and charges effective on October 1, 2020.

Action: H.R. 1320 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 6140, the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act, would require the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to make high-assay low-enriched uranium (HA-LEU) available for domestic commercial use and require the Secretary to submit a report to Congress by January 1, 2020, on the Department's uranium inventory, which may be processed into HA-LEU. The Secretary would also have to conduct periodic surveys to assess the quantity of HA-LEU necessary for domestic commercial use and assess options to acquire HA-LEU for domestic commercial use with cost and time requirements for each option, among other things.

Action: Two amendments by Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) and Rep. Michael Burges (R-TX) were adopted on USEC Privatization and Uranium Stockpiles. H.R. 6140 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

Digital commerce and consumer protection

H.R. 6032, the State of Modern Application, Research, and Trends of IoT Act, would require the Secretary to conduct a study on the state of the internet-connected devices industry through outreach to the private sector and evaluate the Federal agencies with jurisdiction over entities in the IoT industry along, with Federal Government resources that exist for consumers and small businesses. H.R. 6032 would require the Secretary to submit a report to Congress within one year of enactment with the results of the study and recommendations for the growth of the US economy through the secure advancement of internet-connected devices.

Action: H.R. 6032 was ordered to be reported favorably by voice vote.

Communications and technology

H.R. 2345, the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2017, would direct the FCC, in consultation with SAMHSA, to study and report on the feasibility of designating a three-digit dialing code to be used for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system.

Action: An amendment by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) to require a report on a suicide prevention hotline to be given to both the Senate and House Committees on Veterans' Affairs and to make technical and clarifying changes was adopted by voice vote. H.R. 2345 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 3994, the Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Businesses Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act, would establish an office of Internet Connectivity and Growth at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to coordinate and track federal funding for broadband across all agencies. This office would streamline the process of applying for federal funding for projects that expand broadband access.

Action: An amendment by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) on digital literacy technical corrections was adopted by voice vote. H.R. 3994 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 4881, the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018, would require the FCC, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to form a task force to evaluate the best ways to meet the broadband needs of precision agriculture in the United States. The task force would focus on identifying and measuring gaps in broadband coverage, and developing policy recommendations to promote rapid, expanded deployment of broadband in agricultural areas.

Action: H.R. 4881 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

H.R. 5709, the Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act, would give the FCC additional authority to issue fines on any person who willfully and knowingly broadcasts radio transmissions over AM or FM frequencies without a license from the FCC or without complying with unlicensed operations rules defined in the Commission's rules. The bill also would give the FCC additional tools to enforce penalties against pirate stations and protect the public services provided by legitimate, licensed broadcasters.

Action: An amendment by Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) adding a section to require the commission to conduct enforcement sweeps within six months to ascertain whether additional pirate radio broadcasting is occurring, and to make clarifying changes was adopted by voice vote. H.R. 5709 was ordered to be reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.

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