AGD Capitol Connections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published proposed guidelines for prescribing opioids to treat pain in patients 18 years and older. The proposed guidelines mark the first update to the CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain since 2016.

In an interview with Bloomberg Law, Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA), described the enactment of a permanent COVID-19 workplace standard for the healthcare industry as OSHA’s most urgent rulemaking.

Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) plan to introduce the Senate companion to H.R.4122, the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act, this week.

Last Thursday, AGD met with Administrator Carole Johnson of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to welcome the Administrator to her new role and reinforce AGD’s ongoing collaboration with the agency.

On January 14, President Joe Biden delivered public remarks in which he detailed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal, the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan will be the first piece of Biden’s two-part response to the pandemic.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is currently recruiting for the position of Chief Dental Officer (CDO) within the Office of Special Health Initiatives.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) opened the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Payment Reconsideration Process for American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural and Phase 4 payments on February 1, 2022 for a period of at least 45 days.

In a letter addressed to President Biden and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Representatives Bobby Scott, Chair of the Education and Labor Committee, and Alma Adams, Chair of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, objected to the administration’s plan to withdraw most of its June 21, 2021 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring health care facilities to take steps to protect healthcare workers from exposure to COVID-19 while a more permanent standard is developed.

In a letter, the AGD congratulated Administrator Carole Johnson for her recent appointment to lead the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

S. 3017, the Veterans Dental Care Eligibility Expansion and Enhancement Act, will reportedly undergo markup in the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs sometime in the near future.

In a ruling last Thursday by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), SCOTUS permitted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to resume enforcement of its interim final rule mandating COVID-19 vaccination for staff at covered Medicare and Medicaid facilities.

The White House spent part of the holiday recess calling Democratic Senators in an effort to get the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, President Biden’s broad social spending package, back on track after Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) came out against the legislation late last month.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its COVID-19 technical assistance, adding a new section to clarify when COVID-19 may be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act.

Following a ruling by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, a judicial stay on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) COVID-19 vaccine rule has been lifted in 25 states. CMS will move forward with its vaccine enforcement in the states and territories not enjoined by the court’s ruling.

Carole Johnson will assume her role as the new Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) this month. Johnson most recently served as Testing Coordinator for the White House’s COVID-19 Response Team.

On November 30, H.R.1550, the Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education and New Treatments for (PREVENT) HPV Cancers Act of 2021 was passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Following the release of the Senate's Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 spending bill proposals, AGD sent a letter to leaders of relevant House and Senate funding subcommittees to reaffirm support for funding critical oral health programs.

On December 8, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to unanimously pass AGD-backed legislation, the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act of 2021 (H.R.4555). The legislation resulted from a multi-year AGD advocacy initiative and considerable collaboration with AGD's allies in Congress.

On November 17, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce is holding a markup session for pending legislation, including the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act (H.R.4555).

Consideration of President Biden's broad social spending package, the Build Back Better Act (H.R.5376), in the U.S. House of Representatives is paused pending the release of cost scoring estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).