timeline
National Health Reform: Demystified
Health reform is the hottest topic in Congress this summer, and short of climate change, it's the issue certain to have the most impact on American families. As the state with the highest uninsured rate, Texas arguably has the most to gain from national health reform.
Keep reading for bill summaries, cost estimates, timelines, and up-to-date explanations of proposed reforms and what they could mean for Texas.
Three health reform bills are currently being drafted in Congress, two in the Senate and one in the House. President Obama has urged Congress to present him with a health reform bill before Congress adjourns in October. To see a timeline of what Congress and advocates must do in order to meet the President’s deadline, Click Here.
Committee Updates: The Pulse on Health Reform
Committee Updates
Side by side comparison of all the major health care reform proposals
Senate Finance Committee
Chair: Max Baucus (D-Montana)
Status: Still debating policy options, trying to reach a bipartisan consensus.
Links:
Financing options under consideration
Coverage options under consideration
Senate HELP Committee: [Health, Education, Labor, and Pension]
Chair: Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) has been leading in his absence
Status: Bill passed out of committee July 15 in a party line vote, 13-10.
Links:
Section by Section Bill Summary
Full Text (Not yet available)
House Tri-Committee:
House Ways and Means Committee Chair: Charles Rangel (D-NY)
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair: Henry Waxman (D-CA)
House Education and Labor Committee Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
Status: The House Tri-Committee Bill (H.B. 3200) was filed July 14. The bill passed out of Ways and Means on July 17 with a 23-18 vote, passed out of Education and Labor on July 17 with a 26-22 vote, and is still pending in Energy and Commerce.
Links:
Full Text (1018 pages)
Section by Section Analysis (38 pages)
Major changes between the discussion draft and the bill as filed (6 pages)
Helpful Resources
To follow the national health reform movement in Texas visit www.texasvoiceforhealthreform.org
Historical Timeline of Health Care Reform in America
Glossary of Key Players and Health Care Terms
Take Action:
Sign the Faith-inspired vision for health
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper
Call your Congressmen
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office.
Ask to speak with the aide who works on health care reform, and let them know that you want health care reform in 2009 and that the status quo is not an option.
Update: Recovery Act Funds Continue to Flow
Interested in knowing where Texas stands in its implementation of its share of Recovery Act funds? How the state stacks up to others around the nation? The timeline for all Recovery Act expenditures? If so, check out Texas Impact's latest report on those and other issues involving the Recovery Act.
Though the Legislature opted to not take proactive steps to institute planning and accountability measures, Texas Impact continues to track Recovery Act funds, state agency actions, and national developments. Stay tuned all year for Recovery Act updates, links, and success stories.
ARRA Implementation Timeline
The ARRA was conceived as a fast-acting piece of legislation that would stimulate the struggling American economy. "Quick-start" projects are given priority, and the focus is on job creation, energy innovation, and economic growth. Still, the important dates and deadlines in the bill are numerous, and they will stretch well into 2011, when the flow of funds will finally cease and state and local entities will still be reporting on what they achieved with their shares of the ARRA funds. Texas Impact has begun compiling a list of some important dates, and our timeline is included below.
--MARCH--
| Date | Item | Amount for Texas | Entity |
| 10 | Deadline for DOT to allocate Fixed Guideway Infrastructure Investment funds | $2,600,000 to local entities | TXDOT |
| 10 | Deadline for DOT to allocate Highway Infrastructure Investment funds | $1,507,500,000 | TXDOT |
| 10 | Deadline for DOT to allocate Transit Capital Assistance funds | $372,000,000 | TXDOT/Local governments |
| 12 | DOE released Weatherization Assistance Program funds | $327,000,000 | TDHCA |
| 12 | DOE released State Energy Program funds | $237,100,000 | SECO |
| 19 | Deadline for DOL to increase amounts for grantees under Community Service Employment for Older Americans grants | $1,300,000 | TWC |
| 19 | Special Fiscal Year 2009 Unemployment transfers made to states | $39,400,000 | TWC |
| 26 | DOE released Energy Efficiciency and Conservation Block Grants | $208,759,900 | SECO/Local Governments |
| Late March/Early April | DOEduc. releases guidelines and first 67% of State Fiscal Stabilization funds | $2,662,245,000 | TEA/Local education agencies |
| Late March/Early April | DOEduc. releases first half of Title I, Part A grants | $472,300,000 | TEA/Local education agencies |
| Late March/Early April | DOEduc. releases first half of IDEA Part B and IDEA Part C grants | $504,650,000 | TEA/Local education agencies |
--APRIL--
| Date | Item | Amount for Texas | Entity |
| 1 | 13.6 percent increase in Food Stamp benefits takes effect | -- | Individual Texans |
| 1 | “Making Work Pay” tax cuts take effect | -- | Individual Texans |
| 3 | Deadline for state governors to certify that their states will request and use funds | -- | Governor |
| 17 | TWDB plans to have list of potential projects using Safe Drinking Water Act grants | $160,700,000 | TWDB |
| 18 | Deadline for distribution of McKinney-Vento School Improvement Funds to states | $3,500,000 | TEA/Local education agencies |
| 19 | Deadline for transfer of unemployment compensation modernization funds | $555,700,000 | TWC [NOTE: TX is not currently eligible] |
| 22 | Public hearing on State Weatherization Plan to be submitted to DOE | $329,975,732 | TDHCA |
--MAY--
| Date | Item | Amount for Texas | Entity |
| 3 | Deadline for HUD to publish criteria for Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants | $2,000,000,000 Nationally | TDHCA/Local governments/Non-profit entities |
| 12 | Deadline for State Weatherization Plan to be submitted to DOE | $329,975,732 | TDHCA |
| 18 | First reporting deadline for recipients of DOT money | -- | TXDOT |
| 18 | Deadline for HHS guidelines for Health IT Implementation Assistance | -- | HHSC |
| 18 | Deadline for DOT criteria for National Surface Transportation grants | $1,500,000,000 Nationally | TXDOT |
| 26 | Deadline for states to submit applications for their allocations from Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants | $45,638,100 | SECO |
--JUNE--
| Date | Item | Amount for Texas | Entity |
| 1 | Deadline for DOL criteria for Community College and Career Training Grants | $90,000,000 Nationally | -- |
| 18 | Deadline for infrastructure projects to use 50% of their funds and be considered “quick-start” | -- | TXDOT |
| 25 | Deadline for cities and counties to submit applications for their allocations from Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants | $163,121,800 | Local Governments |
--JULY--
| Date | Item | Amount for Texas | Entity |
| 1 | Deadline for DOEduc. to determine State Incentive Grants for special education | $12,200,000,000 Nationally | TEA/Local education agencies |
| 1 | Earliest date DOEduc. will make final 33% of State Fiscal Stabilization funds available | $1,311,255,000 | TEA/Local education agencies |
| 1 | Remaining 50% of Title I, Part A funds made available | $472,300,000 | TEA/Local education agencies |
| 1 | Earliest date that remaining 50% of IDEA Part B and Preschool Grant funds will become available | $484,950,000 | TEA/Local education agencies |
| 17 | Applications due to HUD for Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants | $2,000,000,000 Nationally | TDHCA/Local governments/Non-profit entities |
| 19 | Deadline for projects using Capital Investment Grants to obligate funds if they are to receive priority funding | $750,000,000 Nationally | TXDOT |
