HHS Committee Preliminary Agenda | NCSL Capitol Forum

7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Mezzanine–Registration A

Registration
The Marriott Wardman Park

Pre-Conference and Task Force Meetings

Task Force on Innovations in State Health Systems

Task Force members will participate in a roundtable discussion to share innovative ideas from their states and to solicit ideas from colleagues about challenges they face.

Presiding

• Co-chair: Representative Matt Hudson (R-FL)
• Co-chair Delegate Dan Morhaim (D-MD)  

Child Care Development Block Grant Reauthorization Legislative Focus Group

The reauthorization of the Child Care and Child Care Development Block Grant last year presented a number of challenges and opportunities for states. Hear about some of the major changes in the new law and discuss child care and its essential role in supporting working parents and providing quality learning environments for children.

Speaker:

• Rachel Schumacher, Director, Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the Alliance for Early Success for sponsoring this focus group.

NCSL Hunger Partnership Preconference: Child Hunger and Nutrition

In collaboration with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, this interactive session provides insight into the federal child nutrition programs, focusing on school breakfast, afterschool meals, and the summer meals program. Join the discussion with experts and peers who have used the legislative process to increase access to child nutrition programs in their states, introduce best practices and resources for improving child nutrition programs at the state level, and observe a school breakfast program in action.

7:30-8 a.m.–Breakfast
 

8-8:30 a.m.–Welcome Remarks and Introductions

• Senator Renee Unterman, Georgia, NCSL Hunger Partnership Co-Chair
• Duke Storen, Senior Director, Partnership Impact and Advocacy, No Kid Hungry Program

8:30-9:30 a.m.–Lessons from Legislators Acting to End Child Hunger
 

9:30-9:45 a.m.–Break
 

9:45-10:30 a.m.–Why the Child Nutrition Programs Matter for Your Constituents
 

Moderator:

• Laura Hosny, Associate Director of Communications, Share Our Strength

Speakers:

• Ms. B. Aisha Mahoney, Principal, Prince George’s County School
• Rodney Taylor, FNS Director, Fairfax County, Virginia
• Promedica Representative (Invited)

10:30-11 a.m.–Roundtable: What Can I Do?
 

The NCSL Hunger Partnership gratefully acknowledges No Kid Hungry Share Our Strength for sponsoring this preconference.

Orientation to NCSL Standing Committees for Legislative Staff

An opportunity for standing committee legislative staff officers and members to meet and discuss their role on the standing committees. All legislative staff are welcome to participate.

Steering Committee

The steering committee is composed of the overall Standing Committee officers and legislator and legislative staff co-chairs of each standing committee. The steering committee will preview all policies for consideration during the NCSL Capitol Forum general business session, and determine the need for joint referrals and re-referrals of policy resolutions as necessary.

Luncheon – Lobby Day Briefing at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

There has been no shortage of excitement so far in the first year of the 114th Congress. Hear an update of what is happening on Capitol Hill, the state-federal priorities NCSL is advocating for, and receive a copy of the state specific congressional meeting schedule.

Bus to Capitol Hill

Congressional Meetings/Legislative Staff Briefings and Tours

2-5:00 p.m.

Hall of States Bldg.

Room 383/385

NCSL Standing Committee on Health & Human Services Capitol Hill Special Briefings–Hall of States Building

Presiding:

• Co-Chair: Representative James A. Dunnigan (R-UT)

2–3:00 p.m.– Medicaid Update: A Discussion and Review of Recent Administrative and Congressional Actions

Speakers:

• Matt Salo, Executive Director, National Association of Medicaid Directors
• Andrea Maresca, Director of Federal Policy & Strategy, National Association of Medicaid Directors

3:00–3:45 p.m.–A Special Presentation on Suicide Prevention

Speaker:

• Kelly L. Posner, Director, Center for Suicide Risk Assessment, Columbia University

3:45–4:15 p.m.–The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program–Proposals to Chart a New Direction to Assist Low-Income Individuals and Families

Speaker:

• Ron Haskins, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, and Co-Director of the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution

4:15–5:00 p.m. - Drug Exposed Newborns and the Use of Psychotropic Medications in Children in the Medicaid Program: How Can States Respond?

Speaker:

• David Harmon, MD, FAAP, Chief Medical Officer Superior Healthplan, and Medical Director of the Texas Star Health Program

The Hall of States Building is located at 444 North Capitol Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001, and is home to the NCSL Washington D.C. Office.

Legislative Staff Breakout Sessions

Rayburn House Office Bldg.

Welcome Reception on Capitol Hill

Join your colleagues for a night of networking on Capitol Hill.

Trends in Telehealth: Reimbursement, Licensure and Patient Safety  

This session will highlight issues faced by states in implementing telehealth, including reimbursement for telehealth encounters, provider licensure, and patient privacy and safety concerns. The NCSL Telehealth Project will release its white paper about these issues during this meeting.

Speakers:

• Representative Diane Franklin, Missouri
• Mario Gutierrez, Center for Connected Health Policy, California

Updates from the Federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities

The federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities has been charged with developing a national strategy and recommendations for reducing fatalities across the country resulting from child abuse and neglect. Get a preview of the findings and recommendations and impacts on states.

Speaker

• Dr. David Sanders, Chairman, Federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, Washington, DC

General Session Luncheon

When Religious Freedom and Anti-Discrimination Collide

Proponents argue the government shouldn’t infringe on the right to exercise one’s religious beliefs, but opponents of religious freedom acts contend they allow legal discrimination. Indiana brought the debate into national focus. Is there middle ground? Utah may be the model.

Moderator:

• Senator Curtis Bramble, Utah

Speaker:

• Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson, College of Law, University of Illinois
• Senator David Long, Indiana

Respondent:

• Senator J. Stuart Adams, Utah

Health and Human Services Committee Business Meeting

Presiding:

• Co-Chair: Representative James A. Dunnigan (R-UT)

1:30 p.m.–Welcome

1:45 p.m.–The President’s Initiative on Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Use

2–3 p.m.–Pending Congressional Legislation on Drug Abuse and Mental Health

Speakers:

• Robert Morrison, Executive Director and Director of Legislative Affairs, National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
• Stuart Gordon, Director, Policy & Healthcare Reform, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors

3–4:45 p.m.–“Federal Update and Policy Consideration”

Speakers:

• Rachel Morgan, Senior Committee Director
• Joy Johnson Wilson, Health and Human Services Policy Director

Women's Legislative Network Roundtable Discussion

Steering Committee

General Session Breakfast–The Sharing Economy

The popularity and meteoric success of Uber, AirBnB, Lyft made them economic powerhouses and challenged the culture and structure of prevailing business models. But fascination has given way to serious concerns about public safety, regulation, worker exploitation, and serious implications for legislative policy.

Speaker:

Adam Thierer, Mercatus Center of George Mason University, Virginia

The Affordable Care Act ‘s Excise Tax on “Cadillac” Health Plans

Scheduled to take effect in 2018, the ACA’s “Cadillac tax” is a 40 percent, non-deductible excise tax on employer-sponsored health coverage—including coverage by state and local governments for their employees-- that provides high-cost benefits. Most states and cities offer healthcare plans to their employees, as well as healthcare coverage in retirement, and will be affected by the tax. Join a discussion on the implications of full implementation of the excise tax and policy considerations before Congress and the Administration to lessen its impact.

Speaker:

• Kathryn Bakich, Senior Vice President, National Health Compliance Practice Leader, Segal Consulting, Washington, DC
• Len Nichols, Director, Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics Professor, George Mason University

NCSL Capitol Forum Business Meeting

The business meeting features consideration of policy directives and resolutions adopted in the standing committees.

General Session Lunch–The Shrinking Middle Class: Implications for the Future

From the halls of Congress to the campaign stump to Main Street, the discussion of income, wealth and prosperity has major implications for politics and policy. Will a strengthening economy put the debate to rest, or are reform strategies required to improve the prospects of the middle class and those at the bottom?

Panelist:

• Elise Gould, Economic Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.
• Ramesh Ponnuru, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.