the Daily Whip: Tuesday, July 10, 2012

DemocraticWhip.gov - (202) 225-3130 FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2012 House Meets At: First Vote Predicted: Last Vote Predicted:

10:00 a.m.: Morning Hour
12:00 p.m.: Legislative Business

Fifteen “One Minutes” per side

1:30 - 2:00 p.m. 2:00 - 2:30 p.m.

**Members are advised that the House is expected to complete consideration of H.R. 6079 tomorrow.

**Members are also advised that a procedural vote may occur at approximately 12:30 p.m.

H.Res. 724 – Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 6079 - Patients’ Rights Repeal Act (Rep. Cantor – Energy and Commerce/Ways and Means/Education and the Workforce) (One Hour of debate) The Rules Committee has recommended a Closed Rule that provides for five hours of general debate allocated as follows:

60 minutes equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce 60 minutes equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means 60 minutes equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on the Budget 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Small Business 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the Majority Leader and Minority Leader or their respective designees

The Rule allows for no amendments, provides one motion to recommit, and waives all points of order against the legislation.

The Rules Committee once again rejected a motion by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts to consider H.R.6079 under an open Rule. Instead of focusing on jobs and reducing the deficit, House Republicans continue to waste time on the 31st attempt this Congress to take away healthcare benefits and patient protections from millions of Americans. Members are urged to VOTE NO on H.Res. 724.

Begin Consideration of H.R. 6079 - Patients’ Rights Repeal Act (Rep. Cantor – Energy and Commerce/Ways and Means/Education and the Workforce) (Five hours of debate) The Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law two years ago and recently upheld by the Supreme Court, has many benefits, including:

Already Providing Relief to Millions of Americans:

17 million children with pre-existing conditions now have health insurance; 54 million Americans are now receiving free preventative care services; 360,000 small businesses are now taking advantage of the healthcare tax credit to provide insurance to 2 million workers; 105 million Americans no longer have to deal with lifetime caps; and Allows 2,800 employers to take advantage of the retiree reinsurance program to help cover over 12 million retirees not yet eligible for Medicare

Putting Americans – not insurance companies – in charge of their health care by enacting multiple insurance reforms, including:

Eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions for kids immediately and for all Americans by 2014; Eliminating lifetime limits and caps on coverage immediately and phasing out annual limits and caps on coverage by 2014; Prohibiting insurance companies from canceling or rescinding your policy if you get too sick; Requiring insurance companies to spend 80-85% of your premium dollars on benefits – not CEO salaries or administrative costs; and Allowing 6.6 million youth up to age 26 to remain on their parents’ insurance policy

Strengthening the Medicare program – extending Trust Fund solvency by 8 years – and reducing costs for seniors by:

Providing each senior that entered the donut hole in 2010 with a $250 check to help cover drug costs; Reducing brand name drug costs in the donut hole by at least 50%, discounting generic drug costs, and closing the donut hole entirely over time; Eliminating all co-pays and deductibles for preventive services; Eliminating overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans; and Providing seniors with a free annual wellness exam

Reducing both the short-term and the long-term deficit:

Resulted in a net deficit reduction of $210 billion over the next 10 years; Slowed the growth in long-term health care spending, resulting in over $1 trillion of savings in the second ten years

Repeal turns the clock back on all of this – it increases the deficit, puts insurance companies back in charge of Americans’ health care, increases costs and cuts benefits for Medicare seniors, and eliminates $40 billion in tax credits to help make insurance more affordable for small businesses. The House only has 16 legislative days remaining before the August break, and the House should be spending its time on creating jobs for the American economy, and not on ideological theatre. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

Bill Text for H.R. 6079:
PDF Version

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK
The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Wednesday, July 11: The House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to complete consideration of H.R. 6079 - Patients’ Rights Repeal Act (Rep. Cantor – Energy and Commerce/Ways and Means/Education and the Workforce). The House is also expected to begin consideration of H.R. 4402 - National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2012 (Rep. Amodei – Natural Resources/Judiciary) (Subject to a Rule).

The Daily Quote “As the spotlight shifts unmistakably from Washington to the campaign trail, House Republicans have planned a series of hot-button votes over the next four weeks to contrast the party’s agenda with that of Democrats... Very little — if any — of it will become law. The main goal is to boost the party’s prospects on Election Day. House Republicans will kick off the effort this week with another quixotic attempt to repeal Obama’s health care law. Next week, they will turn to defense, passing the Defense Department’s funding bill while trying to put the Obama administration on record as having no plan to avoid deep cuts to the Pentagon next year… Republicans have spent much of 2012 on these very themes. And therein lies the risk for the party… weeks of passing bills that are unlikely to become law could give Democrats more ammunition.”

- Politico, 7/8/12

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