Congress is in recess this week.
Although no agreement was reached in the Senate on a new healthcare bill at the end of last week, conversations continue.
Both chambers are scheduled to work next week.
News and updates
What we’re reading, June 26-30
Here is a selection of articles the Office of Federal Relations has read this week.
Smartphones & Medical Research – When smartphones first began collecting health data such as users’ heart rates and number of steps walked, doctors were dubious about the medical value of information gathered by a p hone.Three years later, doctors have changed their minds, thanks to a series of pioneering medical studies that demonstrated the efficacy of cellphone-based medical research. Read more from the Wall Street Journal.
Higher Ed Groups Criticize BCRA – The American Council on Education, along with 18 other higher education groups, wrote to Senate leaders Tuesday urging a “different approach” to the health-care bill released by Republican lawmakers last week. Read more over on Inside Higher Ed.
Free Speech Bill Struck Down – A proposal aimed at protecting controversial speakers’ appearances at Louisiana colleges and calling on campuses to penalize students who disrupt them has been vetoed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, who described the bill as a “solution in search of a problem.” Read more from the AP at US News.
Supreme Court To Take Up Travel Ban – The Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for President Trump to prohibit the entry of some people into the United States from countries he deems dangerous, but the justices imposed strict limits on Mr. Trump’s travel ban while they examine the scope of presidential power over the border. Read more from the New York Times.
The True Cost of Research – Funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has supported countless discoveries that have saved or improved millions of lives, from Dr. Mary-Claire King’s discovery of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene to new, more accurate diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s disease. As I’ve written before, the President’s budget proposal would dramatically cut NIH’s research funding, slowing progress in understanding and curing diseases that ultimately affect nearly every single American in some form. Read more from UW President Ana Mari Cauce.
Modified Travel Ban Takes Effect, Hawaii Files Suit
Lawyers for the State of Hawaii and an imam in Hawaii yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s partial ban that went into effect last evening. The lawsuit argues that the definitions being used by the government are narrower than what the Supreme Court allowed in its order.
Limited Travel Ban Becomes Effective This Evening
As a result of Supreme Court ruling earlier this week, a limited version of the travel ban proposed by the Trump Administration goes into effect this evening (8 PM EDT, 5 PM PDT).
The modified ban would impact individuals from six majority-Muslim nations: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. In order for individuals from those nations to enter the United States, they must have “bona fide” relationships with individuals or entities in the country.
Federal Relations will continue to monitor developments on this front.
No Vote This Week on Senate Healthcare Bill
On Tuesday, the Senate Republican leadership postponed a vote on its healthcare legislation until at least after the chamber returns from its week-long July 4th recess.