Infrastructure

Infrastructure will be the top focus of the Biden Administration this spring and summer. The White House package will include the Endless Frontier Act, which the Senate is expected to move in April and authorizes $100 billion over five years for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Other provisions under consideration are drug pricing, climate policies, and immigration reform. House committees have begun to conduct hearings, including an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing this week. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio has stated his plans to mark up an infrastructure bill in late May.

Healthcare & Research

The Medicare sequester comes back into effect on April 1st. The House has passed legislation to delay the sequester, and we are awaiting a Senate vote. If this is not resolved, we expect the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to hold claims until Congress returns in mid-April. Dr. Jon Lewin joined other leading Academic Health Centers in sending a letter to the Hill outlining healthcare priorities like ending sequestration, making permanent telehealth advances, and implementing research infrastructure relief. Also related to research relief, Emory joined nearly 200 organizations encouraging Congress to pass the “Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act” (RISE) Act.

Emory’s latest COVID-19 newsletter, crafted for Capitol Hill, can be found here. If you have information you would like us to share with the hill, please email Caitlin.Sojka@emory.edu.

President Biden is expected to submit a “skinny budget” by early April, followed by a full budget in May. Once Congress has the budget, cabinet secretaries will appear before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to justify their agencies’ budget requests. In the meantime, appropriators are working on a supplemental security funding bill in response to the attack on the Capitol.

Following the lead of their Democratic counterparts, House Republicans voted last week to change their rules and allow its members to request earmarks. Earmark negotiations continue in the Senate. Emory continues to follow these developments and look for ways to best position Emory’s priorities.  

Hill Briefing

Emory University is hosting a virtual briefing with our top researchers on Clinical Trials in a Pandemic. We invite you to join us on March 29 to hear how we’ve utilized sustainable solutions to perform efficient, successful, and diverse clinical trials.

Election Reform

Currently, SB 202 by Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania) is the omnibus election bill that the Republican majority seeks to advance. Several provisions include limiting absentee ballot drop boxes to locations inside early voting sites during regular hours and expanding weekend voting to two mandatory Saturdays and two optional Sundays. The bill also requires a driver’s license number, state ID number or other documentation to request and cast an absentee ballot. To see President Fenves’ statement on election reform, check out the latest Capitol Update from the Emory News Center.

Hospital Visitation 

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed a substitute to HB 290 by Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), which originally would have prohibited hospitals and nursing homes from implementing a policy that restricts visitors - including during a public health emergency. Dr. Jon Lewin sent the Senate Health and Human Services Chairman a letter opposing the bill in its original form. During the committee meeting, Sen. Dean Burke (R-Bainbridge) offered language to the bill that clarifies hospitals are allowed to have visitation policies, restricts hospitals from putting in place policies that fall outside of CMS guidelines and allows the state Department of Community Health to take regulatory action if a hospital doesn’t follow those guidelines. Emory supports this new language, and the OGCA team will be working to see that this version receives final passage.

OGCA will send out a special state session wrap-up report on Friday, April 2.

Community Engagement Strategy

Emory University’s new community engagement strategy amplifies Emory’s impact in the areas of social and economic mobility; health and well-being; and arts, science and cultural enrichment. Read more Emory’s new community engagement strategy and learn about our recent partnership with Saboor Construction here.

COVID Vaccine Event

Propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased attention on social injustice, structural racism and health disparities, a Collaborative Anti-Racism Working Group has been established, with equal representation from Emory University School of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Grady Health providers. The collaborative invites faculty, staff, trainees, and learners from all institutions to attend a live webinar titled "COVID-19 Vaccine: Why It Matters?" The event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 at 5:30pm. You may register here.

Community Advocacy Webinar

Are you passionate about a cause and interested in advocating for issues you feel strongly about? The Emory Alumni Association and the Office of Government and Community Affairs have partnered on a webinar series that brings together alumni government leaders, academic thought leaders, and lobbyists to share the opportunities and challenges of advocacy. Please mark your calendar to attend Emory Explores: Advocacy at the Local Government Level on Tuesday, March 30 at 5pm.