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Congressional legislation, May 9, 2016 – May 13, 2016
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The United States Senate passed 15 pieces of legislation, and the United States House of Representatives passed 25 pieces of legislation.
May 9, 2016
- For the third time, Senate Democrats voted to prevent the Senate from advancing on HR 2028 - the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016, because of Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Ark.) proposed amendment that would prevent the Obama administration from buying heavy water from Iran as part of the nuclear deal.
- The following legislation was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate:
- S Res 457 - A resolution relative to the death of Conrad Ray Burns, former United States Senator for the State of Montana;
- S Res 458 - A resolution relative to the death of Robert F. Bennett, former Senator of the State of Utah;
- S 546 - the RESPONSE Act of 2016;
- HR 4238 - To amend the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 to modernize terms relating to minorities;
- S Res 436 - A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.
May 10, 2016
- The following legislation was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate:
- The House passed HR 5052 - the Opioid Program Evaluation Act or OPEN Act by a vote of 410-1. The legislation proposes directing federal agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of federal grant programs designed to alleviate “problems pertaining to opioid abuse.”
- The House unanimously passed HR 4957 - To designate the Federal building located at 99 New York Avenue, N.E., in the District of Columbia as the "Ariel Rios Federal Building".
- The following legislation was passed by voice vote in the House:
May 11, 2016
- The Senate rejected Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Ark.) proposed amendment that would have prevented the Obama administration from buying heavy water from Iran as part of the nuclear deal by a vote of 57-42. The vote cleared the way for the Senate to vote on HR 2028 - the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016. It was the fourth time the Senate voted on the measure.
- The House passed HR 4641 - To provide for the establishment of an inter-agency task force to review, modify, and update best practices for pain management and prescribing pain medication, and for other purposes by a vote of 412-4. The legislation proposes creating a task force to create national guidelines for doctors when prescribing opioid medications to patients in an effort to prevent opioid addiction.
- The House unanimously passed HR 4843 - the Improving Safe Care for the Prevention of Infant Abuse and Neglect Act. The legislation proposes providing increased protections and services for infants born with an addiction to illegal substances.
- The following legislation was passed by voice vote in the House:
May 12, 2016
- The Senate passed HR 2028 - the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 by a vote of 90-8. The $37.5 billion package “provides FY2016 appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies.” It was the first 2017 appropriations measure approved. The White House threatened to veto the bill, saying in a statement, "At this funding level, the number of research, development, and demonstration projects supported in cooperation with industry, universities, and the national labs would be reduced, limiting innovation and technological advancement.” (The Hill)
- The following legislation was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate:
- The House passed HR 5046 - the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 by a vote of 413-5. The legislation proposes authorizing “the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to state, local, and tribal governments to provide opioid abuse services.”
- The House passed HR 1818 - the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2015 by a vote of 415-1. The legislation proposes directing “the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration program for states with a shortage of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to streamline state requirements and procedures to assist veterans who completed military EMT training to meet state EMT certification, licensure, and other requirements.”
- The House passed HR 4586 - Lali's Law by a vote of 415-4. The legislation proposes offering grants to fund programs that help pharmacists provide citizens with “opioid overdose reversal medication without person-specific prescriptions.”
May 13, 2016
- The House passed S 524 - the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 by a vote of 400-5. The legislation proposes authorizing the U.S. Attorney General to give federal grants to states that “expand educational efforts to prevent abuse of opioids, heroin, and other substances of abuse, understand addiction as a chronic disease, and promote treatment and recovery.” States that develop treatment programs for individuals using opioids and other illegal substances as an alternative to incarceration are also eligible to receive funding.
- The House passed H Res 725 - Providing for consideration of the bill (S. 524) to authorize the Attorney General to award grants to address the national epidemics of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use by a vote of 240-165.
