Senate committee to investigate insurer pricing Nov 4, 2009
Waxman chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Senate letters note that a survey of state insurance commissioners found small businesses face average rate increases of 11 percent to 16 percent for 2010. (Fresno Bee -- Business)
Gore's role as goad for cause and as investor is in spotlight Nov 4, 2009
He appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in April to support an energy and climate change bill that was intended to reduce global warming emissions through a cap-and-trade program for major polluting industries ... He appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in April to support an energy and climate change bill that was intended to reduce global warming emissions through a cap-and-trade program for major polluting industries. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
NFL asks Congress for anti-doping help Nov 4, 2009
Henry Waxman, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said during a hearing Tuesday that recent court decisions essentially blocking doping-related suspensions of two players "could render the NFL and Major League Baseball drug testing programs unenforceable, loophole-ridden, and unacceptably weak and ineffective.". Yet Goodell also heard this, less-supportive, message from another lawmaker: Be careful what you wish for. (ESPN -- Football)
National/World News Nov 3, 2009
"We believe that a specific and tailored amendment to the Labor Management Relations Act is appropriate and necessary to protect collectively bargained steroid policies from attack under state law," Goodell said in testimony prepared for a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing Tuesday. Copyright. (The Palm Beach Post)
Health-Care Public Option Skeptics Find Support in CBO Premiums Estimates Nov 3, 2009
Waxman, a California Democrat, is chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Rangel, of New York, heads the Ways and Means panel. (Bloomberg -- US)
Goodell to testify at StarCaps hearing Nov 1, 2009
When the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce subcommittee convenes its hearings Tuesday in Washington D.C. concerning the blocked suspensions of and for violating the leagues anti-doping policy, Commissioner Roger Goodell is going to testify against them. Both Goodell and NFL Players Association Director DeMaurice Smith are scheduled to appear before the committee to offer testimony. (GoPokes.com)
Goodell to testify to Congress on Vikings bans Oct 31, 2009
Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, head of the NFL players union, are among the witnesses scheduled before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee next Tuesday, according to a witness list obtained by The Associated Press Friday. Goodell. (ESPN -- Football)
Hill Democrats Critical Of Bush's Budget Plan Oct 30, 2009
Health care was also a major topic in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt endured more than 2 1/2 hours of questions from Democrats complaining that the budget request would hurt children and the elderly and shortchange funding for research into cancer and other diseases. The lawmakers focused on Bush's proposal to increase funding for the state-federal Children's Health Insurance Program by $4. (Yahoo News -- U.S. Budget)
$2.2M A WORD Oct 30, 2009
a lawyer who voted against the first version of the bill on its way through the Energy and Commerce Committee. It s another thing to understand it when it s written in legalese. (The Drudge Report)
Why the House Bill Is Better Oct 30, 2009
After for a "robust" public option whose hospital and doctor payments would be linked to Medicare, thereby lowering premiums well below prevailing private-insurance rates, Pelosi had to settle for a "level playing field" version of the bill more in tune with a compromise reached by the House energy and commerce committee ... (Tauzin, then the Republican chairman of the House energy and commerce committee, was in writing this law ... But the House energy and commerce committee, to its great... (Slate)
Bravest Congressman is Calling Obama's Bluff Oct 28, 2009
In July, Stupak's amendment was narrowly defeated in the Energy and Commerce Committee, the House panel primarily responsible for drafting the bill. The committee instead approved an amendment by Democratic Rep. (Townhall.com)
Swine-flu telecommuters could clog Web networks Oct 28, 2009
House Energy and Commerce Committee members commissioned the report, asking the GAO to specifically look at how financial markets would deal with such a scenario. In its response to the GAO, the DHS said it didn't know which agency had clear or specific authority to allow telecom, cable and satellite companies to block or slow traffic to cope with congestion. (Honolulu Advertiser)
No deal at Copenhagen without cash, legislators warn Oct 27, 2009
Tue, 06:17 27 Oct 2009 GMT. REUTERS/Richard Carson COPENHAGEN, Oct. 25 (Alertnet) - When legislators from 19 countries gathered in the Danish capital this weekend to discuss what could be done in the fight against global climate change, the fractures fell along predictable lines. (AlertNet)
Net neutrality faces hurdles Oct 25, 2009
Markey, a senior member and former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Communications, Technology and the Internet Subcommittee, applauded the FCC's vote on Thursday and said it was an historic step toward preserving "the unfettered and open nature of the Internet.". "These proposed rules are an excellent complement to the Net neutrality legislation that I introduced in Congress earlier this year along with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-California)," Markey said in a statement. (CNN)
Around 40 Dems line up against federal abortion funding in healthcare bill Oct 25, 2009
Stupak's amendment was originally defeated by the House Energy and Commerce Committee during mark-up ... Under language in the Energy and Commerce proposal, one health plan in each health care "exchange" that sells public health insurance must provide coverage for abortion. (TheHill.com)
Gates Versus the White House Oct 22, 2009
Energy and Commerce has not yet done so, but they could report their version of the bill directly to the Rules Committee if need be. The Budget Committee only requires one day s notice to send the bills they ve received to the Rules Committee with a straight party-line vote. (Human Events Online)
How Drug Industry Lobbyists Got Their Way on Health Care Oct 22, 2009
But that was what happened on July 31 as the House Energy and Commerce Committee was putting the final touches on health-reform legislation ... "We've done very well," says lobbyist Jim Greenwood, a former Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania who was a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and now heads the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) ... Eshoo's successful amendment to the Energy and Commerce Committee bill would extend that to 12 years of exclusivity, as would... (Time.com)
Weiner: Obama admin. 'half-pregnant' with health industries Oct 21, 2009
The Energy and Commerce committee member also criticized the White House's effort to attract bipartisan support for healthcare reform, saying both efforts will water down provisions favored by liberals and turn the bill into a failure. "I think the White House very much wants to have, even if it's just one person, the ability to say that this is a bipartisan outcome," Weiner said. (TheHill.com)
White House ramps up push to shape health bill Oct 20, 2009
The overriding goal, says House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman , D-Calif. is to "try to push members to work out differences in order to keep the bill moving.". (USA Today)
Health Care: Will Catholic Bishops Try to Block Reform? Oct 19, 2009
In late July, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, who at the time was heading the USCCB's pro-life committee, sent a letter to members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that appeared to signal that there was room to accommodate Catholic concerns. The USCCB, Rigali wrote, wanted health reform to continue the policy of preventing "direct federal funding of abortion." The language was important because it seemed to match an amendment drafted by Representative Lois Capps, a Democrat in... (Time.com)
Wall Street Bounce Boosts Member Campaign Accounts Oct 18, 2009
But the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee also profited from targeted investments during the three-month period in companies such as General Electric, which yielded Barton $47,000; Lennar Corp., increasing by $22,800; and Fidelity Select Energy Service, accumulating $13,488. Barton s third-quarter boost adds to the $141,000 his campaign reported in investment proceeds in the previous quarter. (Roll Call)
NFL asks for rehearing in suspensions case Oct 16, 2009
Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee said it plans to conduct a hearing on the case. Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Letters for Tuesday, October 13, 2009 (965) Oct 14, 2009
Unlike your fresh Hawaiian tap water, bottled water does not require testing by certified laboratories to establish water quality, a situation that is currently under investigation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Robin Clark, Kalaheo. (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
The debate's in the numbers Oct 14, 2009
the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman and a leading author of the House Democratic health care bill, also said compromises in how many people will be covered may be necessary. "The effort to reform health care is a balancing act," he said Monday. (Albany Times Union)
Senate finance panel to vote on health care bill Oct 13, 2009
"We are much closer than we've ever been. I think we're going to make it," said House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. a co-sponsor of the House legislation. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Health-Care Plan Future Rests on Snowe, Battling Democrats, Budget Office Oct 12, 2009
We are much closer than weve ever been to accomplishing the elusive goal of reforming health care, Representative , a California Democrat who runs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told reporters last week. I think we are going to make it. (Bloomberg -- US)
Politics Rules Oct 10, 2009
On a side note, as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, one of the committees with jurisdiction over the health care reform bill, Rogers at the hearing on H.R. 3200 has received nearly four and one half million views on YouTube. Democrats Pass Orwellian Hate Crimes Legislation in Defense Bill. (Human Events Online)
Bishops Restate Vow vs. Obamacare's Abortion Oct 10, 2009
On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the letter said, "we are writing to express our disappointment that progress has not been made on the three priority criteria for health care reform that we have conveyed previously to Congress. In fact, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a conscience rights amendment accepted earlier by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. If final legislation does not meet our principles, we will have no choice but to oppose the bill, said the... (Newsmax)
Republican shoots target with Fla. Dem's initials Oct 10, 2009
gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington following a hearing on breast cancer legislation by the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health. Robert Lowry, a South Florida Republican candidate vying to replace Democratic congresswoman Deborah Wasserman Schultz, says it was a mistake to fire at a full-body silhouette with Wasserman Schultz' initials written next to its head during a weekly meeting of the Southeast Broward Republican Club held at a gun range on Tuesday,... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
AP NewsBreak: Congress to look into Vikings case Oct 9, 2009
The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to conduct a hearing next month on the case of two professional football players whose suspensions were blocked by a federal appeals court. Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. (Longview Daily News, WA)
Editorial: Matsui takes the pulse of the public Oct 9, 2009
Matsui, a member of the key House Energy and Commerce Committee that is charged with drafting a health care reform bill, hosted two telephone town halls in September and did a three-day health care tour in May (meetings with patients, doctors, nurses and medical staff at local clinics, hospitals and labs). But this may be her only face-to-face meeting with constituents before a final bill goes to the House floor. (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
Stafford says little about his hurt knee Oct 9, 2009
HEARING PLANNED: The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to conduct a hearing in November on the case of Minnesota Vikings defensive players Pat Williams and Kevin Williams , whose suspensions were blocked by a federal appeals court. OBITUARY: Leon Clarke, a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver in the NFL who played for Southern Cal in the 1955 Rose Bowl, died at 76 of pancreatitis on Monday. (The Augusta Chronicle)
Congress to review blocked doping suspensions Oct 9, 2009
WASHINGTON -- The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to conduct a hearing next month on the case of two professional football players whose suspensions were blocked by a federal appeals court. Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. (ESPN -- Football)
Those White Coats In The Rose Garden Oct 8, 2009
Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and his colleague Bart Stupak are openly engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against. 10/07/2009 06:13 PM ET. (Investors Business Daily)
Rep. Markey to host healthcare town hall meeting Oct 8, 2009
Edward J. Markey, D-Malden, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, today announced that he will host a health care reform town hall meeting Monday, Oct. 12, in Arlington. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is one of three committees with jurisdiction over health care policy. (Lincoln Journal, MA)
Congress Mulls Breast Cancer Reform Bills Oct 8, 2009
The House Subcommittee on Health, Energy and Commerce met Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, to consider four pending bills that would support breast cancer education, encourage efforts to improve diagnosis and help breast cancer victims ... The House subcommittee on Health, Energy and Commerce met today to consider the pending bills in conjunction with Awareness Month. (ABC News)
Markey to host town hall meeting on health care in Arlington Oct. 12 Oct 7, 2009
U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey, D-Malden, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, will host a health care reform town hall meeting Monday, Oct. 12 at Town Hall, 730 Mass ... The House Energy and Commerce Committee is one of three committees with jurisdiction over health care policy. (Arlington Advocate, MA)
Net neutrality rules face mounting GOP opposition Oct 7, 2009
Twenty House Republicans including most of the Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday urging him to delay the Oct. 22 vote on his net neutrality plan. Genachowski, one of three Democrats on the five-member commission, wants to impose rules to ensure that broadband providers don't abuse their power over Internet access to favor their own services or harm competitors. (USA Today -- Tech)
House bill seeking government P2P ban gets boost Oct 6, 2009
A bill that would make it to make software that causes files to be inadvertently shared over a P2P network without a user's knowledge was passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week. The so-called Informed P2P User Act would also require developers to clearly inform users about files that are being made available for searching and sharing, and would mandate that a user agree to the file-sharing first. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
GOP opposition over Net neutrality grows Oct 6, 2009
Twenty House Republicans including most of the Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday urging him to delay the Oct. 22 vote on his Net neutrality plan. Genachowski, one of three Democrats on the five-member commission, wants to impose rules to ensure that broadband providers don't abuse their power over Internet access to favor their own services or harm competitors. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Health Reform Loopholes for Illegals Oct 5, 2009
Energy and Commerce by a single vote killed an amendment by Rep. Nathan Deal that would require citizenship-status verification of Medicaid and SCHIP applicants. (Human Events Online)
A look at health care plans in Congress Oct 2, 2009
Democrats originally designed the plan to pay Medicare rates plus 5 percent to doctors, but the version that passed the Energy and Commerce Committee instead would let the HHS secretary negotiate rates with providers. CHANGES TO MEDICAID: The federal-state insurance program for the poor would be expanded starting in 2013 to cover all non-elderly individuals with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($14,404). (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
New ICANN agreement runs into criticism Oct 2, 2009
Other supporters of the new agreement included registrar , the , and U.S. Representative , a California Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "This agreement is a perfect example of how a public-private partnership can work to the advantage of all stakeholders," Waxman said in a statement. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
Democrats Negotiating Deal on Abortion in Health Care Bill Oct 1, 2009
said Wednesday he is working with Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif. to reach a compromise in the House health care bill over the issue of federal funding for abortions. (Roll Call)
First shipment of H1N1 flu vaccine leaves factory Oct 1, 2009
"We will have enough vaccine available for everyone," Kathleen Sebelius told the House Energy and Commerce Committee this month. Tuesday's shipment comes a few days before health officials had anticipated. (CNN -- Health)
Senate Panel Faces Final Hurdle Over How to Pay for Health-Care Overhaul Oct 1, 2009
To deal with the objections of self-described fiscally conservative Democrats in the , the House Energy and Commerce Committee agreed to authorize a study of the regional disparities in Medicare reimbursement before the public option would be implemented in 2013. Medicare Recommendations. (Bloomberg -- US)
80 percent agreement on health care? No way that's true Oct 1, 2009
80 percent agreement on health care. Latest Political Stories. (Fresno Bee)
How would the public option outcompete private enterprise? Sep 30, 2009
Potter is trying to change the crippling chains put on him by House Energy and Commerce Tom Davis and Insurance Company Hooker Grassley who was then Chairman of Senate Finance. They made the rules that cripple the post office. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Roberts: Transparency in Prescription Drug Benefit Fees Is Key to Lowering Health Care Costs Sep 30, 2009
In July, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a similar amendment, authored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), to its health care reform plan (H.R. 3200). (Roll Call)
Senate urged to guard mustangs Sep 30, 2009
has been sent to the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee, where it awaits action. Committee leaders have been hostile to the bill in the past. (AZCentral -- News)
Senate Panel to Take Up Health Bill Again Tuesday Sep 26, 2009
The Energy and Commerce Committee approved as a similar amendment as part of their version of health-care legislation this summer. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a trade group representing PBMs, warned in a statement that the amendment would result in higher drug prices. (SmartMoney)
Group to ask for ban on chemical in plastics Sep 25, 2009
The Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives is investigating the use of BPA in baby products as well as the FDA's approval of the chemical. For more information on the Rachel Carson Legacy Conference call Fiona Fisher at 724-274-5459. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Pelosi Kills Healthcare Deal With Blue Dogs Sep 24, 2009
and a group of fellow blue dogs had negotiated a deal with Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. in July that would remove the link to Medicare. (Newsmax)
tireless environmentalist Sep 23, 2009
At 80, restored to his wide-ranging dominion over the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, "John Dingell is one of the few people with the capacity to manage complex pieces of legislation where there are high stakes," says former House colleague Philip Sharp. He's smart enough, strong enough, mean enough. (Harper's Magazine)
FCC Chair Throws Weight Behind Net Neutrality Sep 23, 2009
Last week, the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee , fueling speculation that the bill could see action this fall. Impact for wireless. (SmallBusinessComputing)
Hill Democrats Critical Of Bush's Budget Plan Sep 23, 2009
Health care was also a major topic in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt endured more than 2 1/2 hours of questions from Democrats complaining that the budget request would hurt children and the elderly and shortchange funding for research into cancer and other diseases. The lawmakers focused on Bush's proposal to increase funding for the state-federal Children's Health Insurance Program by $4. (Yahoo News -- U.S. Budget)
Your Guide to Budget Reconciliation and Obamacare Sep 22, 2009
In the House, the budget instructed the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee to come up with $1 billion in deficit reductions for health care reform. In the Senate, the budget did the same for the Senate Finance and Health Committee (HELP). (Human Events Online)
Now Democrats can negotiate health care reform Sep 19, 2009
It does not allow Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices which was added to House Energy and Commerce committee bill ... But documents obtained by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and released today show that the company s employee performance evaluation program did include a review of rescission activity ... Try googling House Committe on Energy and Commerce Fred. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
How a Slate Factual Error Made Its Way Into Obama's Health Care Speech. (Sorry.) Sep 19, 2009
Peggie RaddatzOn June 16, the House energy and commerce committee's investigation subcommittee held a hearing (here's the and ) documenting the termination of health insurance policies held by seriously ill people. The hearing received scant coverage in the mainstream media (notable exceptions were , , and ), prompting Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Paul Begala to for blowing it off. (Slate)
'Bold Move'... Sep 19, 2009
chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee said he would co-author a net neutrality bill with Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass. (The Drudge Report)
White House seeks ways to curb malpractice suits Sep 18, 2009
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 15,2009, before the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Pandemic Flu Preparedness. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh). (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Political Grapevine Sep 18, 2009
His sister, Peggy Raddatz, told the House Energy and Commerce Oversight Committee on June 16 that her brother received treatment that, "extended his life approximately three years.". But aides to the president insist he got the story essentially correct, because Raddatz did lose his insurance before the transplant. (Fox News)
The Most Corrupt Dem? Sep 17, 2009
He spent about $80,000 of campaign funds over less than 4 years on cheap-looking and shoddy websites run by his son, stopping the payments only after his son was given an $80,000 annual salary to work for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. All possibly legal, but certainly unethical. (Human Events Online)
Markey will not seek Kennedy's Senate seat Sep 17, 2009
He also serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and has a seat on the Natural Resources Committee ... However, I have concluded that, as the Dean of the Massachusetts and New England House Delegations, as the Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and the House Energy and Commerce Committee s Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, as well as a senior Member of the Natural Resources... (Winchester Star, MA, MA)
TSC honors Rep. Anna Eshoo for commitment to maintaining America's leadership in research Sep 17, 2009
Ms. Eshoo serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet and the Subcommittee on Health. Additionally, she is the co-chair of the Congressional High-Tech Caucus and the House Medical Technology Caucus. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
