Action  Board Update

By  Leon F. Vinci

I.      House and Senate Adopt Budget Agreement

II.     H1N1 Outbreak

III.    Health Reform

IV.     Sebelius Confirmed as HHS Secretary

V.      Capps Introduces Climate Change and Health Bill

VI.    Harkin Introduces School Nutrition Bill

VII.   POLICY WATCH! News on Relevant Federal, State and Local Activities

I. House and Senate Adopt Budget Agreement

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed a resolution calling for $3.56 trillion in spending for the coming fiscal year. Of that funding, the resolution provides $529.8 billion in non‑defense discretionary spending – about a 6 percent increase over FY 2009 levels. The final budget resolution called for only a $2 billion increase in FY 2010 discretionary health spending, while APHA has requested a $7.4 billion increase. While the budget resolution serves as an outline for spending in particular areas, such as health and education, the appropriations committees have the final say on exactly how the money provided under the budget resolution will be divided up among the various programs and agencies.

APHA has already begun talking with members of the House and Senate Labor‑HHS‑Education Appropriations Subcommittees to try to ensure the highest possible level of funding for health programs and agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

II. H1N1 Outbreak

In response to the recent outbreak of H1N1 (swine flu), which is suspected in the infection of thousands of people and in the deaths of over 100 worldwide, APHA and other advocates sent a letter to members of Congress requesting additional funding for:

President Obama has urged Congress to provide an additional $1.5 billion in emergency funding in response to the H1N1 virus outbreak, and House Appropriations Chairman Obey has outlined a plan to provide an additional $2 billion for these activities. APHA will continue to work with its partners to ensure adequate funding is provided to address this urgent public health issue.

In addition to the call for emergency funding, APHA is supporting legislation introduced by Rep. Lois Capps,  D‑Calif., and Sen. Richard Durbin, D‑Ill.. that would guarantee that all victims of a major public health disaster would receive emergency treatment regardless of their health insurance status. According to a press release issued by Rep. Capps’ office, the legislation would allow the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to activate a temporary 90 day health benefit for the uninsured who are victims of a public health disaster once a public health emergency has been declared.

You can take action in support of this legislation by visiting APHA’s new advocacy site at: http://action.apha.org/site/PageNavigator/Advocacy.

III. Health Reform

A number of House and Senate committees continued their work to draft legislation to overhaul the nation’s health system. The House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor are working to jointly draft legislation, as each of the three committees has jurisdiction over different aspects of reforming the nation’s health system.

We urge Section members to be involved in the health reform debate. A list of questions that APHA members can use during town hall meetings on health reform around their states and Congressional districts can be found at: http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/23C67A61‑1D76‑465D‑B760‑253DAD61ECA8/0/townhallquestions2009.pdf

IV. Senate Confirms HHS Secretary and Other Key Health Leaders

On April 28, the Senate voted to confirm President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, by a vote of 65 to 31. Sebelius’ confirmation completes Obama’s cabinet and came after many lawmakers urged quick action so that Sebelius could provide HHS leadership in the federal response to the H1N1 virus outbreak.

On May 6, the U.S. Senate also confirmed Bill Corr as deputy secretary of HHS and Dr. Yvette Roubideaux as director of the Indian Health Service. Corr most recently served as executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco‑Free Kids, and before that, as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Health and the Environment. Roubideaux previously worked in the Indian Health Service as a medical officer and clinical director on the San Carlos Indian Reservation and in the Gila River Indian Community. Roubideaux is a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe. Roubideaux is an APHA member, and APHA submitted a letter in support of her nomination. 

President Obama has nominated Dr. Margaret Hamburg as administrator of the Food and Drug Administration and Eric Goosby as global AIDS coordinator and administrator of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

V. Capps Introduces Climate Change and Health Bill

On May 7, Rep. Lois Capps, D‑Calif., introduced the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act. The legislation establishes a “Sense of Congress” directing all levels of government to assist the public health community in preparing to respond to the health impacts associated with climate change. The bill directs the secretary of HHS in collaboration with the director of the CDC and others to develop a National Strategic Action Plan to prepare for and respond to the health impacts of climate change in the United States and in developing nations. The bill authorizes funding for CDC to conduct research into the health effects of climate change and to assist in preparedness planning at the national, state and local levels, and internationally, to ensure that public health workers and agencies are prepared to respond to or reduce the impacts of the health effects of climate change. Finally the bill would require the secretary of HHS to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine to conduct a report to assess the needs of health professionals to address the health impacts of climate change and to recommend programs to address those needs.

APHA worked closely with Rep. Capps to develop the legislation and is hopeful that the bill will be incorporated into the larger climate change legislation that is slated to be considered by the House of Representatives later this year.

VI. Harkin Introduces School Nutrition Bill

On April 30, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D‑Iowa, introduced S. 934, the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009, to require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update nutrition standards for food sold in schools at anytime during the school day. Currently, the Department of Agriculture has little authority over the nutrition content of school food outside of federally supported school breakfast and lunch programs. Some states and localities have imposed nutrition standards, but food and beverage companies mostly regulate themselves under voluntary standards. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D‑Calif., introduced similar legislation in the House (H.R. 1324) on March 5.

VII. Policy Watch: News on relevant Federal, State and Local Activities

New York City Considers Law Preventing Fast Food near Schools. Councilmember Eric Gioia (D‑Queens) has proposed legislation to ban new fast food restaurants within 0.1 miles (approximately 500 feet) of schools. This law is in response a new study showing that children tend to weigh more when there are fast food restaurants in close proximity to their schools.  If approved, the law would only apply to new restaurants.

Texas Senate Passes Bill to Raise Smoking Age to 19. In an effort to curb smoking, Sen. Carlos Uresti (D‑San Antonio) has introduced legislation to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 19.  Supporters say this action could potentially reduce teen smoking rates by 20 percent. However, this bill could potentially cost Texas $12.5 million in lost tax revenue over the next two years. Others question whether it is ethical to prevent legal adults from making decisions about smoking. Having passed the state’s Senate, the legislation is now under consideration by the House.  

ALSO:

APHA has a new online platform for our legislative alerts. Please visit http://action.apha.org/site/PageNavigator/Advocacy to send a letter to your Congressional representatives urging their support for funding for public health agencies in fiscal year 2010, funding for pandemic influenza preparedness, and addressing public health in climate change legislation.  Help APHA influence lawmakers to make public health a priority this year.