House of Representatives
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Dennis Kucinich
U.S. House: Representative
Democratic
Next Election Year: 2010
Education:
MA, Speech Communications, Case Western Reserve University, 1974
BA, Speech Communications, Case Western Reserve University, 1973
Profession:
Consultant, Publicly Owned Electric Systems, 1979-present
President, Marketing and Communications Firm, 1985-1995
Instructor, Communications and Political Science, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University, 1991-1994
Professor, Political Science, Case Western Reserve University, 1982-1992
Communications Entrepreneur, Software and Public Relations, 1982-1992
Clerk of Courts, Cleveland Municipal Court, 1976-1977
Sportswriter
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(2009) HR 3961 Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO
Outcome: Bill Passed (243/183)
Summary: -Updates the single conversion factor for 2010 to equal 1.2 percent, equal to the percentage increase in the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) (Sec. 2).
-Rebases the Sustainable Growth Rate for 2011 and later years by making 2009 allowed expenditures equal to the amount of actual expenditures for physician's services for 2009 and by using 2009 (or, if later, the first day of the fifth year before the year involved) for future update adjustments (Sec. 2).
-Separates physician services into two general general categories, (1) evaluation, management, and preventive services and (2) all other services, and applies separate conversion factors for each service category (Sec. 2).
-Reinstates the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) budget rule, a rule that applies to bills or joint resolutions that affect direct spending or revenue relative to the baseline and that requires such bills to be budget-neutral (Sec. 102, 103).
-Requires PAYGO legislation to make reference to the bill's estimated budgetary effects, as shall be provided by the Congressional Budget Office, before it is voted on (Sec. 104).
-Requires the Office of Management and Budget to maintain and make public on every piece of PAYGO legislation two sets of scorecards, which shall measure the budgetary effects of such legislation over 5 years and over 10 years (Sec. 104).
-Requires the Office of Management and Budget at the end of every Congressional session to publish and make public a PAYGO report, which shall include the following (Sec. 105):-Current PAYGO scorecards on all PAYGO legislation;
-Any current policy adjustments;
-Information about any emergency legislation;
-Sequestration orders that show how direct spending will be adjusted to offset any costs shown on PAYGO scorecards; and
-Other data that would "enhance public understanding" of the above items. -Requires the Office of Management and Budget to calculate the uniform percentage of funds that are to be seized in order to balance spending, and specifies that any uniform percentage exceeding 4 percent shall result in Medicare spending reductions of 4 percent, as well as spending reductions in other nonexempt direct spending programs (Sec. 106).
-Resolves that unique PAYGO scoring rules will apply to one of the four budget areas (Sec. 107):-Legislation that amends or supersedes Medicare physician fee schedules;
-Legislation that amends portions of the United States Tax Code governing estate and gift taxes;
-Legislation that affects the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT); and
-Legislation affecting certain provisions of the Economic Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 or the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, as well as certain provisions of later statutes amending the aforementioned Acts. -Lists several other federal programs and activities that would be exempt from payment reductions, including Social Security Benefits and Tier I Railroad Retirement Benefits, Veterans Programs, and Refundable Income Tax Credits (Sec. 111). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2009) HR 3962 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments
Outcome: Bill Passed (220/215)
Summary: Public Option and Health Insurance Exchange
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a public health insurance option that includes basic, enhanced, and premium benefit plans beginning in 2013, and specifies that enrollment in the public health insurance option is voluntary (Secs. 321 & 329).
-Appropriates $2 billion for the purpose of establishing the public health insurance option, and requires the amount be repaid over a 10-year period beginning in 2013 (Sec. 322).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish geographically adjusted premium rates for the public health insurance option that are consistent with the premium rules established by the Health Choices Commissioner and at a level sufficient to finance the administrative costs and health benefits provided by the public health insurance option (Sec. 322).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate payment rates for the public health insurance option that are not lower than rates under Medicare and not higher than the average rates paid by other entities offering health benefit plans (Sec. 323).
-Establishes a national Health Insurance Exchange program for the purpose of facilitating access to a variety of health benefit plans, and requires the Commissioner of the Health Choices Administration to do the following (Sec. 301):-Negotiate and enter into contracts with entities offering health benefit plans to participate in the Health Insurance Exchange;
-Establish standards for entities offering health benefit plans through the Health Insurance Exchange;
-Perform outreach and enrollment in such plans of Exchange-eligible individuals and employers;
-Establish a risk pooling mechanism and consumer protections; and
-Perform other required activities related to the Health Insurance Exchange. -Specifies that all individuals are eligible for coverage through the Health Insurance Exchange, unless he or she is enrolled in a health plan through an employer or has some form of "acceptable coverage" (Sec. 302).
-Defines "acceptable coverage" as the following (Sec. 302):-Coverage under a qualified health benefit plan;
-Grandfathered health insurance coverage, meaning coverage that is offered and effective before the effective date of the Health Insurance Exchange, or coverage under an existing group health plan;
-Medicare or Medicaid coverage;
-Coverage for members of the armed forces and dependents (including Tricare);
-Coverage under the Veteran's Health Care Program; and
-Other health benefits coverage, including a State health benefits risk pool, that is recognized by the Health Choices Commissioner, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, as being "acceptable coverage." -Requires the Health Choices Commissioner to solicit bids from entities to offer health benefit plans through the Health Insurance Exchange, and requires the Commissioner to negotiate the premiums and affordability of such plans and deny any "excessive" premiums and premium increases (Sec. 304).
-Specifies that individuals without coverage through an employer or through Medicare or Medicaid shall be eligible to enroll in the Health Insurance Exchange Program beginning in 2013, and business shall be eligible to enroll in the Exchange according to the following schedule (Sec. 302):-2013: small businesses with up to 25 employees;
-2014: small business with up to 50 employees; and
-2015 and subsequent years: small businesses with up to 100 employees, and larger employers meeting standards set by the Health Choices Commissioner. -Establishes the Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund for the purpose of funding the Health Insurance Exchange, and requires that the revenue from the following taxes be deposited into the Fund (Sec. 307):-Taxes on individuals without "acceptable coverage";
-Taxes on employers who do not elect to provide coverage to employees; and
-Excise taxes on employers who elect to provide coverage to employees and fail to meet coverage requirements. -Authorizes 2 or more states to form a Health Care Choice Compact that would allow individuals to purchase health insurance offered in other states beginning January 1, 2015 (Sec. 309).
-Requires the Health Choices Commissioner to establish a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) program for the purpose of providing grants and loans to non-profits that establish health insurance cooperatives that provide insurance through a federal or state health insurance exchange program, and appropriates $5 billion for this purpose for the period of fiscal year 2009-2010 through fiscal year 2013-2014 (Sec. 310).
-Specifies that health care providers participating in Medicare are participating providers in the public health insurance option, unless they opt out in a process established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services with the following minimum guidelines (Sec. 323):-Providers must be able to opt out 1 year prior to the effective date of the public option;
-No provider will be penalized for opting out;
-Providers who chose to opt out must be given information on how they may opt back in; and
-Providers can decide if they would like to participate or opt out during an annual enrollment period. -Specifies that individuals currently enrolled in an Exchange-participating health benefits plan may be eligible for "affordability credits" that can be applied against the premium and as a reduction in cost sharing, and establishes the following eligibility requirements for the credit (Secs. 342-343):-The individual is not enrolled in their employer's Exchange-participating health benefits plan;
-The individual has a modified adjusted gross income below 400 percent of the Federal poverty level;
-The individual is not eligible for Medicaid;
-The individual does not have acceptable health coverage"; and
-The individual can provide verification of their legal right to reside in the United States, and requires anyone applying for such credits to sign a declaration to this effect. -Specifies that "affordability credits" for premiums for the year of 2013 shall be calculated on a sliding scale as follows (Sec. 343):-For incomes between 0 percent and 150 percent, a premium percentage between 1.5 percent and 3 percent, and an out-of-pocket limit of $500;
-For incomes between 150 percent and 200 percent, a premium percentage between 3 percent and 5.5 percent, and an out-of-pocket limit of $1,000;
-For incomes between 200 percent and 250 percent, a premium percentage between 5.5 percent and 8 percent, and an out-of-pocket limit of $2,000;
-For incomes between 250 percent and 300 percent, a premium percentage between 8 percent and 10 percent, and an out-of-pocket limit of $4,000;
-For incomes between 300 percent and 350 percent, a premium percentage between 10 percent and 11 percent, and an out-of-pocket limit of $4,500; and
-For incomes between 350 percent and 400 percent, a premium percentage between 11 percent and 12 percent, and an out-of-pocket limit of $5,000. -Requires the Commissioner to adjust the premium percentages for the "affordability credits" beginning in 2014 (Sec. 343).
Insurance Regulations
-Prohibits health insurers from rescinding coverage unless there is an occurrence of fraud (Secs. 103 & 212).
-Prohibits health benefits plans from excluding individuals from coverage due to preexisting conditions or providing only limited or conditional coverage because of health status, medical condition, claims experience, receipt of health care, medical history, genetic information, evidence of insurability, disability, source of injury, or "any similar factors" (Sec. 211).
-Prohibits insurers in individual and groups health care markets from imposing lifetime limits on benefits payable under their coverage (Sec. 109).
-Establishes the following minimum services to be covered by a health benefits plan (Sec. 222):-Hospitalization;
-Outpatient hospital and clinic services, including emergency department services;
-Professional services of physicians and other health professionals;
-Services, equipment, and supplies incident to the aforementioned professional services;
-Prescription drugs;
-Rehabilitative and habilitative services;
-Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatments;
-Preventive services;
-Maternity care;
-Well-baby and well-child care and oral health, vision, and hearing services, equipment, and supplies for children under 21 years of age; and
-Durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and related supplies. -Requires health insurers to offer coverage for children of an insured individual who are under 27 and are not enrolled in any other health insurance coverage beginning January 1, 2010 (Secs. 105 & 216).
-Requires that insurers offering health coverage in small or large group markets to maintain a medical loss ratio of no less than 85 percent, and applies the same limit to coverage offered in the individual insurance market, unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that this would destabilize the existing individual market (Sec. 102).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with the states to establish a process for the annual review of premium increases for health insurance coverage beginning in 2010, requires insurers to submit a justification for premium increases prior to their implementation, and requires public disclosure of information related to such increases and their justifications (Sec. 104).
-Limits variation in premium rates based on age so that the ratio of the highest age-based premium to the lowest age-based premium does not exceed 2 to 1 (Sec. 213).
-Prohibits group health plans from reducing benefits for a covered individual after the individual's retirement if the reductions do not also apply to covered individuals who are not retired, unless the employer can "reasonably" demonstrate that meeting the requirement would impose an "undue hardship" (Sec. 110).
-Extends COBRA continuation coverage for individuals receiving such coverage on the effective date of this Act until the individual becomes eligible for "acceptable coverage" or for coverage through a federal or state health insurance exchange, whichever occurs first (Sec. 113).
-Requires all health care and related services covered by this bill to be provided without regard to individual characteristics that are not related to the "provision of high quality health care or related services" (Sec. 252).
-Prohibits employers from discharging or otherwise discriminating against any employee with regards to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because the employee engaged in one of the following actions (Sec. 253):-Providing, causing to be provided, or intending to provide to the employer, the federal government, or the attorney general of a state information relating to any real or perceived violation of any provision of this bill;
-Testifying or intending to testify in a proceeding concerning such a violation;
-Assisting, participating, or intending to assist or participate in such a proceeding; or
-Objecting to or refusing to participate in any activity, policy, practice, or task that is "reasonably" believed to violate a provision of this Act. -Repeals the exemption of federal antitrust laws for health insurers and medical malpractice insurers, and specifies that this provision shall not apply to the following (Sec. 262):-Collecting, compiling, classifying or disseminating historical loss data;
-Determining a loss development factor applicable to historical loss data; or
-Performing actuarial services if doing so does not involve a restraint of trade. -Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a temporary national high-risk pool program to provide health benefits to eligible individuals beginning in 2010 and ending when the Health Insurance Exchange is established (Sec. 101).
-Specifies that the following individuals are eligible for coverage under the high risk pool program (Sec. 101):-Individuals not eligible for benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, or SCHIP, or an employment-based health plan (not including a COBRA continuation provision), but who is eligible under existing laws guaranteeing coverage for certain individuals with prior group coverage (U.S. Code Title 42, § 300gg- 41) or is determined to be medically eligible, meaning the following:-During the 6 months prior to application for the high-risk program, the individual was denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or health status;
-During the 6 months prior to application for the high-risk program, the individual was offered coverage under terms that limit coverage for a preexisting condition or at a premium rate that is above that of the high risk pool coverage; or
-The individual has an eligible medical condition as defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services; -The spouse of an individual who meets the above requirements;
-Individuals that have not had health insurance coverage for at least 6 months prior to application for the high-risk program; or
-Individuals that on or after October 29, 2009 had employment-based retiree health coverage with an annual increase in premiums that exceeds the threshold set by the Secretary of Health and Human Services as being excessive. -Appropriates $5 billion for the high risk pool program, and authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make adjustments such as reducing benefits, increasing premiums, or establishing waiting lists if the amount of funds proves to be insufficient during any fiscal year (Sec. 101).
-Prohibits funds authorized or appropriated by this bill from being used to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of a health plan that includes abortion coverage, unless the woman would be placed in danger of death without the performance of an abortion or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest (Sec. 265).
Employer and Individual Mandates
-Establishes a 5.4 percent surcharge tax on income that exceeds the following (Sec. 551):-$1 million for individuals (not corporations); or
-$500,000 for married individuals not filing a joint return. -Establishes an excise tax on the first taxable sale of medical devices equal to 2.5 percent of the sales price (Sec. 552).
-Requires employers who elect to offer health insurance to provide coverage for the employee and employees' family, and if the employee elects to use their employer's health benefits plan, then employers must contribute 72.5 percent of the premium of the lowest cost individual coverage offered and 65 percent of the premium of the lowest cost family coverage offered (Secs. 411 & 412).
-Specifies that for each employee who declines employer based coverage and instead enters the Health Insurance Exchange, employers must contribute a percentage of the average wages paid during the employee's enrollment to the Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund as follows (Sec. 413):-0 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is $500,000 or less;
-2 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $500,000 but no more than $585,000;
-4 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $585,000 but no more than $670,000;
-6 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $670,000 but no more than $750,000; or
-8 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $750,000. -Requires employers that choose not to provide health insurance coverage for their employees to pay an excise tax equal to the following percentages of wages paid (Sec. 512):-0 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is $500,000 or less;
-2 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $500,000 but no more than $585,000;
-4 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $585,000 but no more than $670,000;
-6 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $670,000 but no more than $750,000; or
-8 percent of wages paid when annual payroll is more than $750,000. -Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to asses a $100 fine for each day an employer purposefully fails to provide health coverage, provided that the employer elected to provide health care cover to their employees (Secs. 421 & 423).
-Specifies that employers electing to provide health coverage but have failed to do, but are found to have exercised "reasonable diligence" and could not have known employees were not covered, will receive the following (Secs. 421 & 423):-A written notification from either the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of the Treasury, or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, of a failure to provide health coverage to employees; and
-If resolved within 30 days of discovering that such failure existed, no penalty will be incurred; or
-If failures "due to reasonable cause" are not resolved within 30 days, a penalty not exceeding 10 percent of the total amount paid or incurred by the employer (or former employer) during the preceding 1-year period for group health plans or $500,000, whichever is less, in addition to any excise taxes the employer may already owe. -Specifies that individuals who do not obtain an "acceptable" form of health care coverage must pay a tax of 2.5 percent of the excess of the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income over the amount of the taxpayer's gross income, an amount that cannot exceed the national average premium for self or family coverage (Sec. 501).
-Specifies that dependents, documented non-resident immigrants, citizens living outside of the U.S., individuals living in U.S. territories, and citizens from recognized religious sects with conflicts of "religious conscience" shall not be required to pay an excise tax for failure to obtain "acceptable coverage" (Sec. 501).
-Requires individuals to report on their tax returns, in addition to other required information, the names, addresses, and taxpayer identification numbers of each individual covered under the taxpayer's health care policy, and the length of time each individual has been covered under such policy (Sec. 501).
-Provides certain small business owners with a health coverage credit of up to 50 percent of the employer's qualified employee health coverage expenses for the taxable year for 2 years (Sec. 521).
-Increases the penalty for a non-qualified withdrawal from an individual's health savings account from 10 to 20 percent of the payment withdrawn (Sec. 533).
-Specifies that the following medical services provided to Native Americans shall be excluded from gross income (Sec. 545):-Health services or benefits provided or purchased either directly or indirectly by the Indian Health Service;
-Medical care provided by a Native American tribe or tribal organization to a Native American;
-The value of accident or health plan coverage provided by a Native American tribe or tribal organization for medical care to a Native American; and
-Any other medical care provided by a Native American tribe that supplements, replaces, or substitutes programs and services provided by the federal government. Medicare and Medicaid
-Eliminates the coverage gap under Medicare Part D that separates the limit on initial coverage and the coverage for catastrophic care ("donut hole") by 2019 as follows (Sec. 1181):-2010: $500 increase in the initial coverage limit;
-2011: initial coverage limit shall be increased 8.25 percent times the out-of-pocket gap amount;
-2012: initial coverage limit shall be increased 4.5 percent times the out-of-pocket gap amount;
-2015: initial coverage limit shall be increased 6 percent times the out-of-pocket gap amount;
-2017: initial coverage limit shall be increased 7.5 percent times the out-of-pocket gap amount;
-2018: initial coverage limit shall be increased 8 percent times the out-of-pocket gap amount; and
-2019: initial coverage limit shall be increased 8 percent times the out-of-pocket gap amount, or other percentage as may be necessary to close the gap entirely. -Requires drug manufacturers to provide Medicare drug rebates for any covered Part D drug to individuals for which payment was made by a Prescription Drug Plan Sponsor under Part D or a Medicare Advantage Organization under Part C, including payments made through low-income and reinsurance subsidies (Sec. 1181).
-Requires drug manufacturers to provide individuals subject to the Medicare Part D coverage gap with a discount of 50 percent on specific drugs beginning January 1, 2010 (Sec. 1182).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with manufacturers regarding the prices of Part D drugs, including discounts, rebates, and other price concessions (Sec. 1186).
-Increases the maximum amount of resources that an individual or married couple filing jointly may have in order to be eligible for the Medicare Savings Program or the Part D Low-Income Subsidy Program ("assets test") from $10,000 to $17,000 for singles, and from $20,000 to $34,000 for married couples filing jointly (Sec. 1201).
-Prohibits Medicare Part D cost-sharing for full-benefit dual eligible individuals that are receiving care under a home and community based waiver who would otherwise require the level of care provided in a hospital, nursing facility, or intermediate care facility for the mentally disabled (Sec. 1202).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reduce Medicare rates of payment to hospitals by specific amounts based upon their rates of "excess readmission" for 3 conditions selected by the Secretary with readmission measures that are endorsed by the National Quality Forum beginning in fiscal year 2010-2011, and requires the Secretary expand the number of conditions beginning in fiscal year 2012-2013 (Sec. 1151).
-Eliminates cost sharing, including co-insurance and deductibles, for preventative services covered by Medicare, including, but not limited to, the following (Sec. 1305):-Prostate and colorectal cancer screenings;
-Diabetes screenings;
-Diabetes outpatient self-management training services;
-Glaucoma screenings;
-Medical nutrition therapy services;
-Initial preventative physical examinations;
-Cardiovascular screening blood tests;
-Ultrasound screenings for abdominal aortic aneurysm;
-Federally approved and recommended vaccines;
-Mammography screenings;
-Pap smear and pelvic exam screenings;
-Bone mass measurements; and
-Kidney disease education services. -Reduces Medicare Advantage rates of payment over the course of 3 years until they are equal to traditional Medicare fee-for-service levels beginning in 2011 (Sec. 1161).
-Extends the authorization of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to adjust Medicare Advantage rates of payment to reflect differences in coding patterns between Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Part A and Part B plans for each year after 2010, whereas existing law only authorized the Secretary to do so through 2010 (Sec. 1162).
-Expands Medicare Part B coverage to include all federally approved and recommended vaccinations that are covered by Medicare Part D (Sec. 1310).
-Repeals the 36-month limitation on Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant patients beginning January 1, 2012 (Sec. 1232).
-Expands Medicare coverage to include voluntary advanced care planning consultations between enrollees and practitioners no more than once every 5 years, unless there is a significant change in the health or health-related condition of the individual, and specifies that such consultation may include, but is not limited to, the following (Sec. 1233):-Explanation of advance care planning, including a review of key questions and considerations, advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses;
-Explanation of the role and responsibility of a health care proxy and of the continuum of end-of- life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice, and benefits for such services and support; and
-Explanation of physician orders regarding life sustaining treatment or similar orders in States where such orders exist. -Expands Medicaid eligibility to include individuals under 65 years of age with incomes that do not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level, including adults without children or a disability, and specifies that the federal government will compensate the States for 100 percent of the costs of covering these individuals in 2013 and 2014, and 91 percent of the costs in 2015 (Sec. 1701).
-Prohibits States from adopting eligibility standards, methodologies, or procedures for their Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that are a more restrictive than than the eligibility standards, methodologies, or procedures that are effective on June 16, 2009 (Sec. 1703).
-Repeals the CHIP Program on January 1, 2014 (Sec. 1703).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress by December 31, 2011 that includes recommendations that are necessary to ensure that procedures are in effect for the enrollment of CHIP beneficiaries into a qualified health benefits plan offered through the Health Insurance Exchange or other coverage without interruption of coverage or a written plan of treatment (Sec. 1703).
-Requires State Medicaid programs to cover, without cost-sharing, preventive services that are recommended with a grade A or B by the Task Force for Clinical Preventive Services, vaccines recommended by the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and other preventative services deemed necessary by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for individuals eligible for Medicaid assistance beginning July 1, 2010 (Sec. 1711).
-Increases Medicaid rates of payment to primary care practitioners to 80 percent of Medicare rates in 2010, 90 percent of Medicare rates in 2011, and 100 percent of Medicare rates in 2012 and subsequent years (Sec. 1721).
-Specifies that all newborn children who otherwise do not have "acceptable coverage" are Medicaid eligible and shall receive such coverage until insured by another plan (Sec. 305).
Public Health and Workforce Development
-Establishes the Public Health Investment Fund to support specific public health programs, and appropriates $33.9 billion to this Fund for fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 2002).
-Authorizes an additional $12 billion in appropriations to community health centers for fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 2101).
-Increases the amount a member of the National Health Service Corps can receive in loan repayment benefits from $35,000 to $50,000 (and provides for annual increases to reflect inflation beginning in fiscal year 2011-2012, and authorizes Corps members to serve part-time if such members agree to 1 of the following contracts (Sec. 2201):-Double the period of time necessary to fulfill service requirements; or
-Serve a minimum of 2 years and accept 50 percent of the waiver awarded to full time service members. -Authorizes the appropriation of $349 million to the National Health Service Corps program for fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 2202).
-Authorizes additional appropriations of $1.40 billion to the National Health Service Corps Scholarships and Loan Repayment Program fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 2202).
-Establishes the Frontline Health Providers Loan Repayment Program to increase the number of health professionals in areas with a high need for health services and doctors, and specifies that an individual must serve for at least 2 years and must specialize in a health discipline that meets the designated area's needs in order to receive awards under the program (Sec. 2211).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish primary care training and capacity building programs that provide grants to accredited schools of medicine, especially for institutions with a record of training individuals from "disadvantaged backgrounds," institutions with a record of training a high percentage of individuals seeking to practice primary care medicine, institutions that have a record of placing graduates in under-served areas, and institutions that support teaching programs that address the health needs of "vulnerable populations" (Sec. 2213).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create programs that increase grants to students of general medicine, pediatric medicine, public health dentists and dental hygienists, and for medical residents in community-based settings (Secs. 2214 & 2215).
-Authorizes additional appropriations of $1.33 billion to carry out the grant programs specified in sections 2213, 2214, and 2215 (noted above) for fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 2216).
-Increases the limits on loan reimbursement payments for nursing students, including an increase in the limit on the aggregate of loans from all academic years for students from $13,000 to $17,000, removes the limit on awards for nursing students working towards a doctoral degree, and authorizes appropriations of $638 million for nursing programs for fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 2221).
- Establishes the Public Health Workforce Corps for the purpose of "ensuring an adequate supply of public health professionals throughout the Nation" and authorizes the appropriation of $283 million for the Corps for fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Secs. 2231 & 2235)
-Establishes a public health workforce training and enhancement program to plan, develop, operate, and provide financial assistance to public health training programs, especially those that train individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, those that train individuals in specialties experiencing public health professional shortages, those that train a high percentage of people serving in federal, state, local, or tribal government, and those that train a high percentage of people practicing in "underserved communities" (Sec. 2232).
-Increases the limit on educational loan funding for individuals from "disadvantaged backgrounds" training to serve as health professionals who agree to serve as faculty at eligible health professions schools from $20,000 to $35,000 per year (Sec. 2241).
-Establishes the Prevention and Wellness Trust to fund the national strategy adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for improving the Nation's health through evidence-based clinical and community prevention and wellness activities, and authorizes the appropriation of $15.4 billion for the Trust for fiscal year 2010-2011 through fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 2301).
-Requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to post nutritional information of menu items, including calorie content, on the menu (Sec. 2572). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2009) H Amdt 509 Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services
Outcome: Amendment Adopted (240/194)
Summary: |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2009) H Amdt 510 Substitute Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments
Outcome: Amendment Rejected (176/258)
Summary: Insurance Regulations
-Requires states to have operational health care reinsurance programs or qualifying high-risk pool programs by January 1, 2010, and appropriates $15 billion for fiscal years 2009-2010 through 2018-2019 and an additional $10 billion for fiscal years 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 for this purpose (Sec. 101).
-Defines a "qualified State reinsurance program" as a program operated by a state that provides reinsurance for coverage offered in the small group market on a prospective or retrospective basis, or on a basis that protects health insurers against annual aggregate spending of their enrollees and purchase protection against individual catastrophic costs (Sec. 101).
-Defines a "qualifying high-risk pool" as a program that meets the following requirements (Sec. 101):-Provides at least 2 coverage options, 1 of which must be a high deductible health plan coupled with a health savings account;
-Funded by a "stable funding source";
-Eliminates any waiting lists so that all eligible residents can receive coverage through the pool;
-Allows for coverage of individuals who would be eligible for Medicare if the 24 month disability waiting period was not applied;
-Limits pool premiums to no more than 150 percent of the average premium in that state;
-Provides for education and outreach initiatives; and
-Covers preventive services and disease management for chronic diseases. -Specifies that only U.S. citizens and nationals are eligible to participate in a state high-risk pooling program, and requires states to provide certification that such requirement is being met in order to receive federal funding (Sec. 101).
-Prohibits health insurers from placing annual or lifetime spending caps on any health insurance coverage or plan (Sec. 103).
-Authorizes individuals to obtain an independent, third party review of a cancellation or nonrenewal of coverage due to allegations of fraud, and specifies that coverage shall remain in effect until the third party determines that the coverage may be cancelled or not renewed (Sec. 104).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish programs that make payments to states that have reduced their average health care premiums per capita in the small group and individual markets, adjusting for inflation and demographic considerations over time and based partially on the state's historic premium growth rate, and appropriates $35 billion over a nine-year period for this purpose (Sec. 111).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish programs that make payments to states that reduce the number of uninsured nonelderly persons, adjusted for unexpected fluctuations in population and excluding undocumented immigrants, and appropriates $15 billion over a nine-year period to this purpose (Sec. 111).
-Authorizes states, no later than 12 months after the enactment of this Act, to contract with a private entity to develop and operate a plan finder website to provide information on the available health insurance coverage within the state, and specifies that a state may not operate a plan finder itself (Sec. 112).
-Authorizes a private entity to operate a multi-state health plan finder in the same manner as a plan finder would be operated in a single state (Sec. 112).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to adopt a single set of operating rules for each of the following transactions (Sec. 113):-Health claims or equivalent encounter information;
-Health claims attachments;
-Enrollment and disenrollment in a health plan;
-Eligibility for a health plan;
-Health care payment and remittance advice;
-Health plan premium payments;
-First report of injury;
-Health claim status;
-Referral certification and authorization; and
-Electronic funds transfers. -Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to rely on the recommendations of a qualified nonprofit entity when developing the aforementioned operating rules, and specifies that this nonprofit entity must meet the following requirements (Sec. 113):-Mission focus on administrative simplification;
-Demonstrates an established multi-stakeholder and consensus-based process for development of operating rules, including participation from health care providers, vendors, relevant Federal agencies, and other standard development organizations;
-Established public set of guiding principles that ensure that the operating rules and process are "open and transparent";
-Coordinates with the HIT (Health Information Technology) Policy Committee and the HIT Standards Committee, and complements the efforts of the Office of the National Healthcare Coordinator and its related health information exchange goals;
-Incorporates national standards, including the transaction standards issued under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996;
-Supports nondiscrimination and conflict of interest policies that demonstrate a commitment to open, fair, and nondiscriminatory practices; and
-Authorizes public review and updates of the operating rules. -Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, no later than April 1, 2014 and annually thereafter, to assess a penalty fee against health insurers for failing to certify and document compliance with the applicable standards and operating rules, and specifies that the fee shall start at $1 per covered life per day that the plan is not in compliance (Sec. 113).
-Specifies that the non-compliance penalty fee shall increase annually based on the percentage increase in total national health care expenditures (Sec. 113).
-Specifies that the non-compliance penalty fee shall be double the amount otherwise imposed if the health plan misrepresents information in a statement of certification or documentation (Sec. 113).
-Specifies that the non-compliance penalty fee shall be limited each year to no more than $20 per covered life or $40 per covered life in the event that the plan has misrepresented information (Sec. 113).
Expanding Access to Coverage
-Authorizes the establishment of Association Health Plans, beginning 1 year after the enactment of this Act, meaning a group health plan whose sponsor meets the following requirements (Sec. 201):-Established constitution and bylaws, provides for periodic meetings, and is organized and maintained as a bona fide trade association, bona fide industry association, bona fide professional association, or bona fide chamber of commerce for substantial purposes other than that of obtaining or providing medical care;
-Established a permanent entity that receives active support from members and requires payment of membership dues; and
-Does not condition membership, dues, payments, or coverage on health status-related factors or on group health plan participation. -Specifies that participants in Association Health Plans may be located in different states (Sec. 201).
-Requires dependents be covered under a beneficiary's health plan at least through the dependent's 25th birthday and until the end of the coverage year on which that birthday occurs (Sec. 211).
-Prohibits states from preventing employers from establishing auto-enrollment of health care coverage, as long as the employee is given notice and subsequently has the option to decline such coverage (Sec. 212).
-Authorizes individuals to purchase health insurance coverage in another state and establishes interstate regulations pertaining to such purchases (Sec. 221).
-Specifies that medical expenses incurred prior to the establishment of an individual's Health Savings Account are expenses that qualify for reimbursement through such account if the expense was incurred within 60 days of the effective date of the individual's health plan (Sec. 234).
Medical Liability Regulations
-Requires individuals to file a medical liability lawsuit within 3 years of an injury or within 1 year of discovering the injury, whichever occurs first, unless one of the following conditions apply (Sec. 301):-Proof of medical fraud;
-Intentional concealment of information; or
-The presence of a foreign body in the injured individual that has no therapeutic or diagnostic purpose. -Specifies that there is no limit on the amount economic damages that may be awarded in a medical liability lawsuit (Sec. 302).
-Defines "economic damages" as "objectively verifiable monetary losses" incurred by the plaintiff in a medical liability lawsuit (Sec. 307).
-Limits non-economic damages awarded in medical liability lawsuits to a maximum of $250,000, regardless of the number of parties against whom the action was filed, and establishes a "fair share rule" in which liable parties are only responsible for paying damages in direct proportion to the party's percentage of responsibility (Sec. 302).
-Defines "non-economic damages" as damages awarded for physical and emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, mental anguish, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of society and companionship, loss of consortium, hedonic damages, injury to reputation, and all other non-pecuniary losses (Sec. 307).
-Limits punitive damages awarded in medical liability lawsuits to a maximum of $250,000 or twice the amount of economic damages awarded, whichever is greater (Sec. 305).
-Defines "punitive damages" as damages awarded for the purpose of punishment or deterrence, and not solely for compensatory purposes (Sec. 307).
-Prohibits plaintiffs from demanding punitive damages upon initial filing of a medical liability lawsuit, but authorizes the plaintiff to file an amended plea for punitive damages if the court determines that there is a "substantial probability" that the plaintiff will be awarded such damages (Sec. 305).
-Limits punitive damages to cases in which it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with "malicious intent to injure" the plaintiff or "deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury" that the defendant knew the plaintiff was "substantially certain" to endure (Sec. 305).
-Limits the factors in determining the amount of punitive damages awarded in a medical liability lawsuit to the following (Sec. 305):-Severity of the harm caused by defendant's conduct;
-Duration or any concealment of such conduct by the defendant;
-Profitability of the defendant's conduct;
-Number of products sold or medical procedures rendered for compensation by the defendant of the kind that caused the plaintiff harm;
-Criminal penalties imposed on the defendant as a result of the complaint; and
-Civil fines imposed on the defendant as a result of the complaint. -Limits contingent fees charged by attorneys representing plaintiffs in medical liability lawsuits to the following limits (Sec. 303):-40 percent of the first $50,000 awarded;
-33.33 percent of the next $50,000 awarded;
-25 percent of the next $500,000 awarded; and
-15 percent of any amount awarded in excess of $600,000. -Authorizes states to enact greater procedural or substantive protections for health care providers and health care organizations from liability, loss, or damages than those established by this Act (Sec. 309).
-Authorizes states to enact laws that authorize compensatory or punitive damages in a medical liability lawsuit that are greater or lesser than the limits established by this Act (Sec. 309).
Various Other Provisions
-Specifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed to interfere with the relationship between a doctor and patient (Sec. 401).
-Repeals Section 804 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("stimulus bill") that established the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (Sec. 402).
-Authorizes health insurers to vary premiums and cost sharing of group health plans by up to 50 percent of the value of the benefits under the coverage based on participation in a standards-based wellness program (Sec. 501).
-Appropriates $300 million to programs funded by the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account beginning in fiscal year 2009-2010, and appropriates $100 million to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services for fraud prevention under Medicare and Medicaid for fiscal years 2009-2010 through 2018-2019 (Sec. 601).
-Prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortions or cover any part of a health plan that includes abortion coverage, unless the woman is at risk of death without the performance of an abortion or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest (Sec. 602).
-Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose mandatory background checks on new Medicare providers or suppliers, charge an application fee, provide oversight over new providers or suppliers during an initial provisional approval period, and impose penalties for false statements (Sec. 604).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to track providers and suppliers that have been banned from participating in the Medicare program due to activities in one state in order to ensure that they do not begin participating in Medicare in another state (Sec. 605).
-Authorizes individuals to submit an application to license a biological product that is biosimilar to another product, provided that the individual submits the following information (Sec. 701):-Data based on clinical studies, analyses, and animal studies that demonstrates that the product is biosimilar to a reference product;
-Evidence the biosimilar product works in the same way as the reference product;
-Evidence that the biosimilar product will produce the same clinical results that had been previously approved for use in the reference product;
-Documentation that the dosage form, route of administration, and strength of the biosimilar product are the same as those approved for the reference product; and
-Documentation that the facility where the biosimilar product was manufactured, processed, packed, or held meets standards that ensure the product's safety, purity, and potency. |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2009) HR 2749 Food Safety Regulation Amendments
Outcome: Bill Passed (283/142)
Summary: -Institutes an annual registration fee for each facility in order to pay for "food safety activities," and specifies that the fee shall be $500 for fiscal year 2010 and shall be adjusted for inflation in each subsequent fiscal year (Sec. 101).
-Limits the total aggregate registration fee liability for an owner or operator of multiple facilities to no more than $175,000 for any fiscal year (Sec. 101).
-Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to suspend the registration of any facility for violating this bill in a manner that could cause "adverse health consequences or death" to humans or animals, and allows the Secretary to cancel a registration that was not properly updated, a registration that contains false, incomplete, or inaccurate information, or a registration for which the fee has not been paid within 30 days after the due date (Sec. 101).
-Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to stop the distribution of foods found to pose "serious adverse health consequences or death" to humans or animals, and permits the Secretary to take the further step of ordering a recall of such food after allowing an opportunity for the distributor of the food to participate in an informal hearing (Sec. 111).
-Categorizes facilities according to risk and assigns the following schedules for random inspection (Sec. 105):-a 'high-risk' facility is category 1 and must be inspected at least every 6 to 12 months;
-a 'low-risk' facility is category 2 and must be inspected at least every 18 months to 3 years; and
-a facility that holds food is category 3 and must be inspected at least every 5 years. -Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish preventive control regulations or guidelines for the purpose of preventing unintentional contamination throughout the supply chain and requires all facilities to keep records of their efforts to comply with these regulations or guidelines (Sec. 102).
-Provides that those who "knowingly" violate food safety provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act may be fined up to $50,000 per violation and up to $100,000 in a single proceeding for individuals, and up to $500,000 per violation and up to $7.5 million in a single proceeding for corporations and other entities (Sec. 135).
-Provides that violators of food safety provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (other than those who have been found to have "knowingly" violated such provisions) may be fined up to $20,000 per violation and up to $50,000 in a single proceeding for individuals, and up to $250,000 per violation and up to $1 million in a single proceeding for corporations and other entities (Sec. 135).
-Requires food importers to pay registration fees and allow for periodic inspections, and requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create regulations to ensure that food importers are in compliance with the provisions of this bill (Sec. 204).
-Exempts from the requirements of this bill certain meats, poultry, eggs, alcohol and other food products that are regulated by an authority other than the Food and Drug Administration, as well as the facilities that produce such products (Sec. 5). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2009) HR 2346 2008-2009 Supplemental Appropriations
Outcome: Conference Report Adopted (226/202)
Summary: -Supplements and rescinds appropriations for the Department of Defense (includes Department of Defense-Civil), totaling $80.93 billion in supplemental funding, including, but not limited to, the following (Titles III, IV & X):-$29.51 billion for operation and maintenance (includes rescissions of appropriations under prior defense appropriation Acts), including, but not limited to:-$3.61 billion for the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund; and
-$400 million for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund; -$25.3 billion for Procurement (includes rescissions of appropriations under prior defense appropriation Acts);
-$18.73 billion for military personnel;
-$2.87 billion for military construction;
-$1.12 billion for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund;
-$1.06 billion for the Defense Health Program; and
-$534.4 million for payments to members of the Armed Forces who, at any time during the period of September 11, 2001 through September 30, 2009, served on active duty while the members' enlistment or period of obligated service was extended. -Appropriates $9.7 billion for the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, and other agencies for costs associated with international assistance, including, but not limited to, the following (Title XI):-$4.65 billion for bilateral economic assistance, including, but not limited to, $2.97 billion for the Economic Support Fund;
-$2.18 billion for international security assistance, including, but not limited to, $1.29 billion for the Foreign Military Financing Program;
-$1.94 billion for Diplomatic and Consular Programs; and
-$721 million for international peacekeeping activities. -Appropriates $7.73 billion in supplemental funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, including, but not limited to, $7.65 billion for costs associated with preparation for and response to the influenza pandemic (Title VIII).
-Appropriates $4.97 billion to increase the U.S. quota in the International Monetary Fund (Title XIV).
-Appropriates $1 billion for the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program ("Cash for Clunkers"), of which $50 million is available for administration (Title XIII).
-Prohibits funds from being used to transfer a prisoner detained at the Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the U.S., unless the prisoner is being transferred for the purposes of prosecution or detainment during legal proceedings and the President has submitted a plan to Congress that includes the following (Sec. 14103):-Findings of an analysis regarding any risk to the national security of the U.S. that is posed by the transfer of the prisoner and a plan for the mitigation of such risk;
-Costs associated with transferring the prisoner;
-Legal rationale and associated court demands for transfer; and
-Copy of a notification sent to the Governor of the State to which the individual will be transferred or, in the case of the District of Columbia, a copy of a notification sent to the the Mayor. -Prohibits funds from being used to establish permanent military bases in Iraq or Afghanistan or exercise U.S. control over the oil resources of Iraq (Secs. 314-315).
-Requires the President to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees no later than the date of submission of the fiscal year 2010-2011 budget assessing the extent to which the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan are demonstrating the necessary commitment, capability, conduct and unity of purpose to warrant the continuation of the President's policy. The report must include the following (Sec. 1116):-Level of political consensus and unity of purpose across ethnic, tribal, religious and political party affiliations;
-Level of government corruption;
-Actions taken by security forces and appropriate government entities in developing a counterinsurgency capability;
-Actions taken by intelligence agencies in cooperating with the U.S. on counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations;
-Ability of the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to effectively control and govern territory within their respective borders; and
-Ways in which U.S. assistance has contributed, or failed to contribute, to achieving the stated goals. -Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress no later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act and every 90 days thereafter through September 30, 2010 on the current reduction and eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq by August 31, 2010. The report must include the following (Sec. 316):-Troop draw down status and goals;
-Month-by-month description of the transition of U.S. military forces and contractors out of Iraq;
-How the Government of Iraq is assuming the responsibility for reconciliation initiatives;
-How the draw down plan complies with the President's planned withdrawal of combat brigades; and
-The roles and responsibilities of remaining contractors in Iraq. |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2009) HR 1256 FDA Oversight of Tobacco Products
Outcome: Bill Passed (298/112)
Summary: -Grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate tobacco products (Sec. 101).
-Requires tobacco product manufacturers to disclose all ingredients in its products, the form and delivery method of nicotine, and any research into the health, toxicological, behavioral, or physiologic effects of tobacco products to the FDA and notify the FDA of any future changes to any of the above (Sec. 101).
-Requires tobacco manufacturers to release all marketing research documents to the FDA (Sec. 101).
-Requires tobacco manufacturers to notify the FDA of any future changes to the ingredients of their products (Sec. 101).
-Requires all owners and operators of companies manufacturing or processing tobacco products to register with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and to be inspected once every two years (Sec. 101).
-Prohibits the FDA from banning existing tobacco products or requiring that they eliminate nicotine (Sec. 101).
-Requires FDA review of new tobacco products before they can go to market unless they are similar to products marketed before February 15, 2007 (Sec. 101).
-Bans companies from promoting products as lower-risk alternatives to traditional tobacco unless the FDA certifies that its sale is likely to improve public health (Sec. 101).
-Establishes a mechanism to assess fees on tobacco companies and traders to finance FDA oversight of the industry (Sec. 101).
-Orders a study on the public health implications of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products (Sec. 104).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a plan relating to enforce restrictions on the advertising and promotion of menthol and other cigarettes to minors (Sec. 105).
-Mandates larger, more varied, and more prominent warning labels on tobacco products (Secs. 201, 204). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2009) HR 1 Appropriations, Tax Law Amendments, and Unemployment Benefit Amendments ("Stimulus Bill")
Outcome: Conference Report Adopted (246/183)
Summary: -Allows an income tax credit of up to $400 for individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $70,000 or $800 for joint returns for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $140,000 (Div. B, Sec. 1001).
-Rescinds taxes on up to $2,400 of unemployment benefits (Division B, Sec. 1007).
-Extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act to December 31, 2009 and increases benefits by $25 per week (Division B, Sec. 2001, 2002).
-Provides COBRA assistance for coverage beginning after the enactment of this bill of up to 35 percent of the premium amount (Div. B, 3001).
-Increases the credit percentage for taxpayers with three or more children to 45 percent and reduces the marriage tax by changing the formula for the amount of credit allowed (Div. B, Sec. 1002).
-Extends the first-time homebuyer's tax credit to December 1, 2009 and increases the maximum amount of the tax credit to $8,000 or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately (Div. B, Sec. 1006).
-Extends tax credits for electricity produced from wind facilities until 2013, and from other renewable resource facilities such as biomass, geothermal, solar energy, landfill gas, trash combustion, and qualified hydropower facilities until 2014 (Div. B, Sec. 1101).
-Establishes the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to oversee appropriated funds and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse (Div. A, Title XV).
-Establishes the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to allow for the electronic use and exchange of information that secures and protects patient health information, improves health care quality, reduces medical errors and health disparities, reduces costs from inefficiency, medical errors, inappropriate or duplicate care, and incomplete information, and improves coordination of care between hospitals, laboratories, and physician offices (Div. A, Title XIII).
-Increases the Hope Scholarship credit by making up to $2,000 of education expenses deductible, plus 25% of such expenses that exceed $2,000 but not $4,000 dollars (Div. B, Sec. 1004).
-Grants qualified school construction bonds for up to $11 billion in 2009 and $11 billion in 2010 (Div. B, Sec. 1521).
-Requires states to periodically verify if documented immigrants receiving benefits still maintain legal immigrant status (Div. B, Sec. 1853).
-Appropriates $4.7 billion for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (Div. A, Titles II).
-Appropriates $650 million to extend the digital to analog converter box program (Div. A, Title II).
-Appropriates $16.8 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy (Div. A, Title IV).
-Appropriates $100 million for border security, fencing, infrastructure and technology (Div. A, Title VI).
-Appropriates $13 billion for education of the disadvantaged, $12.2 billion for special education, and $15.84 billion for student financial assistance, including Pell Grants (Div. A, Title VIII).
-Appropriates $27.5 billion for highway, rail, and port infrastructure construction and repair (Div. A, Title XII). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2009) HR 1 Appropriations, Tax Law Amendments, and Unemployment Benefit Amendments ("Stimulus Bill")
Outcome: Bill Passed (244/188)
Summary: -Allows an income tax credit of up to $500 for individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 or $1,000 for joint returns for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $150,000 (Division B, Sec. 1001).
-Requires projects funded by this bill to use only iron and steel produced in the United States, unless it is inconsistent with public interest, there are insufficient quantities produced in the United States, or it would increase the cost of the overall project by over 25 percent (Division A, Sec. 1110).
-Increases the credit percentage for taxpayers with three or more children to 45 percent and reduces the marriage tax by changing the formula for the amount of credit allowed (Division B, Sec. 1101).
-Prohibits funds appropriated in this Act from being used to enter into contracts with businesses that do not participate in the E-verify program for their employees (Division A, Sec. 1114).
-Increases the Hope Scholarship credit to allow a 100% deduction for the first $2000 spent on tuition and related expenses and a 25% deduction for another $4000 (Division B, Sec. 1201).
-Grants qualified school construction bonds for up to $11 billion in 2009 and $11 billion for 2010 (Division B, Sec. 1511).
-Extends tax credits for electricity produced from wind facilities until 2013, and from other renewable resource facilities such as biomass, geothermal, solar energy, landfill gas, trash combustion, and qualified hydropower facilities until 2014 (Division B, Sec. 1601).
-Extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act to December 31, 2009 (Division B, Sec. 2001).
-Provides COBRA assistance for coverage beginning after the enactment of this bill of up to 35 percent of the premium amount (Division B, Sec. 3002).
-Allows temporary Medicaid coverage for individuals who currently receive unemployment benefits or who were receiving but have exhausted unemployment benefits on or after July 1, 2008 (Division B, Sec. 3003).
-Establishes the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to allow for the electronic use and exchange of information that secures and protects patient health information, improves health care quality, reduces medical errors and health disparities, reduces costs from inefficiency, medical errors, inappropriate or duplicate care, and incomplete information, and improves coordination of care between hospitals, laboratories, and physician offices (Division B, Title IV).
-Establishes the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop a broadband map of the United States to identify the availability of broadband service from commercial or public providers in each state (Division B, Sec. 6001).
-Authorizes grants for any non-recurring costs related to building broadband infrastructure (Division B, Sec. 6002).
-Provides financial assistance of up to 50 percent of costs for electric "smart grid" system demonstration projects to increase reliability, security, and efficiency while meeting future growth demands of energy (Division B, Sec. 7002).
-Expands the definition of low income families eligible for weatherization assistance to include families whose income is 200 percent of the poverty level and increases the assistance per household from $2,500 to $5,000 (Division B, Sec. 7004).
-Appropriates $67.79 billion for the Department of Education, including $1.34 billion for Pell Grant funding (Division A, Title IX). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2009) HR 2 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization and Expansion
Outcome: Bill Passed (289/139)
Summary: -Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance under CHIP for pregnant women whose income is at least 185 percent of their state's poverty level or at least 200 percent of the poverty level for children under 19 years of age (Sec. 111).
-Phases out coverage of non-pregnant childless adults by prohibiting the approval or renewal of waivers after September 30, 2009, unless a state requests a one year extension (Sec. 112).
-Limits the matching rate given to states that cover children whose family income exceeds 300% of the poverty line (Sec. 114).
-Expands coverage to children of legal immigrants and pregnant legal immigrants (Sec. 211).
-Increases the federal excise taxes on tobacco products, including raising the cigarette tax by $0.61 to $1 per pack, in order to fund CHIP (Sec. 701). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 1108 FDA Regulation of Tobacco
Outcome: Bill Passed (326/102)
Summary: -Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reduce or eliminate additives, constituents, or other components of tobacco products if he or she finds that those ingredients are harmful to the public health (Sec. 101).
-Prohibits the FDA from banning all tobacco-related products or requiring the elimination of nicotine yields in tobacco products (Sec. 101).
-Prohibits the FDA from raising the minimum legal age of tobacco use to an age higher than 18 (Sec. 101).
-Mandates that 3 months after the enactment of this bill, a cigarette or any of its components may not contain herbs, spices, or artificial or natural flavors other than tobacco or menthol (Sec. 101).
-Requires that all tobacco packages and advertisements of tobacco products contain one of the following warning labels:
-WARNING: Cigarettes are addictive.
-WARNING: Tobacco smoke can harm your children.
-WARNING: Cigarettes cause fatal lung disease.
-WARNING: Cigarettes cause cancer.
-WARNING: Cigarettes cause strokes and heart disease.
-WARNING: Smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby.
-WARNING: Smoking can kill you.
-WARNING: Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in nonsmokers.
-WARNING: Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health (Sec. 201).
-Requires warning labels on tobacco packages to be composed of at least 30 percent of the front and back sides of the package and warning labels on tobacco advertisements to be at least 20 percent of the advertisement (Sec. 201).
-Authorizes the Secretary to require the warning label area to be up to 50 percent of the front and back sides of the tobacco packages (Sec. 202).
-Requires that all smokeless tobacco packages and advertisements contain one of the following warning labels:
-WARNING: This product can cause mouth cancer.
-WARNING: This product can cause gum disease and tooth loss.
-WARNING: This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
-WARNING: Smokeless tobacco is addictive (Sec. 204).
-Prohibits the sale of tobacco products labeled as "light," "mild," or "low," or products featuring a similar description, unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services issues an order allowing such sale because the product has been demonstrated to significantly reduce the risk of tobacco-related disease and benefit the health of the population as a whole (Sec. 101).
-Mandates the issuance of a report and recommendation on the impact of the menthol cigarettes on public health (Sec. 101).
-Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require tobacco product manufacturers to disclose to the public the tar and nicotine yields of a tobacco product via packages and advertising and other ingredient levels via means other than labeling on advertising or packages (Sec. 206).
-Establishes user fees on each manufacturer and importer of tobacco products to be used for paying the costs of the FDA for regulating tobacco products (Sec. 101). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis
Outcome: Concurrence Vote Passed (303/115)
Summary: -Establishes a plan to prevent 12 million new HIV infections worldwide, provide support care for 12 million who are already infected with HIV/AIDS including 5 million orphans and children, and help countries reach 80 percent of the targeted group with counseling, testing, and treatment (Sec. 101).
-Allows individuals with AIDS to receive a visa to travel into the United States (Sec. 305).
-Provides assistance for counseling, testing, and treatment to prevent the transmission of HIV among men who have sex with men and by providing male and female condoms (Sec. 301).
-Requires "balanced funding" for sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS prevention (Sec. 403).
-Requires the HIV/AIDS Response Coordinator in the U.S. Department of State to work with host countries to link HIV/AIDS programs with programs to deter prostitution and human trafficking (Sec. 102).
-Adds Vietnam to the list of countries that are guaranteed funding under the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 (Sec. 102).
-States that if host countries use less than 50 percent of their AIDS targeted funding for behavioral change programs (such as abstinence, monogamy, and partner reduction), the Coordinator of U.S. Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally must file a report justifying this decision (Sec. 403).
-Provides additional nutritional support, health care, and safe drinking water assistance to individuals with HIV/AIDS (Sec. 301).
-Provides that $5 billion of the funding authorized in this bill shall be for combating malaria and $4 billion shall be for combating tuberculosis (Sec. 302, 303).
-Provides that assistance shall be given to postsecondary institutions in host countries to improve their health infrastructure, with collaboration from historically black colleges and universities in the United States (Sec. 204).
-Provides that organizations receiving assistance to combat HIV/AIDS are not required to engage in programs or methods that they find religiously or morally objectionable (Sec. 301).
-Establishes the Emergency Fund for Indian Safety and Health and allocates $2 billion to it for the 5-year period beginning in 2008 (Sec. 601). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 6331 Medicare Bill
Outcome: Veto Override Passed (383/41)
Summary: -Increases annually the amount covered by Medicare of health care costs associated with mental, psychoneurotic, and personality disorders until 100% of related costs are covered in 2014 (Sec. 102).
-Prohibits Medicare Advantage marketing from conducting direct soliciting via telemarketing, door-to-door marketing, in health care settings, at educational activities, and from attempting to sell non-health related products at events related to Medicare Advantage plans (Sec. 103).
-Makes available an additional $100 million to aid states in giving assistance to low-income Medicare beneficiaries through September 30, 2008, and makes available a total of $600 million through December 31, 2009 (Sec. 111).
-Makes available $48.9 million for low income Medicare subsidies and Medicare Savings Program administrative costs (Sec. 113).
-Removes life insurance policy values from being factored into determining an individual’s income eligibility for Medicare low-income subsidies (Sec. 116).
-Allocates $7.5 million in federal funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs based on the number of eligible individuals and the number of rural beneficiaries to be used for Medicare and Medicaid services and to implement outreach programs to enroll eligible low-income individuals(Sec. 119).
-Authorizes $210 million for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give grants to states to increase mental health and other health services to veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas (Sec. 121).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish programs for increasing health care access and quality in rural areas (Sec. 123).
-Extends payments to physicians for treating Medicare patients at a higher rate than would otherwise be used until 2010 (Sec. 131).
-Delays the beginning of competitive acquisition programs for durable medical supplies until 2011(Sec. 154).
-Extends the deadline for Medicare coverage of ambulance services until 2010 (Sec. 146).
-Establishes the Medicare Improvement Fund to make improvements to Medicare fee-for-service programs and authorizes $19.9 billion during fiscal years 2014 through 2017 (Sec. 188). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 6331 Medicare Bill
Outcome: Bill Passed (355/59)
Summary: -Increases annually the amount covered by Medicare of health care costs associated with mental, psychoneurotic, and personality disorders until 100% of related costs are covered in 2014 (Sec. 102).
-Prohibits Medicare Advantage marketing from conducting direct soliciting via telemarketing, door-to-door marketing, in health care settings, at educational activities, and from attempting to sell non-health related products at events related to Medicare Advantage plans (Sec. 103).
-Makes available an additional $100 million to aid states in giving assistance to low-income Medicare beneficiaries through September 30, 2008, and makes available a total of $600 million through December 31, 2009 (Sec. 111).
-Makes available $48.9 million for low income Medicare subsidies and Medicare Savings Program administrative costs (Sec. 113).
-Removes life insurance policy values from being factored into determining an individuals income eligibility for Medicare low-income subsidies (Sec. 116).
-Allocates $7.5 million in federal funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs based on the number of eligible individuals and the number of rural beneficiaries to be used for Medicare and Medicaid services and to implement outreach programs to enroll eligible low-income individuals(Sec. 119).
-Authorizes $210 million for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give grants to states to increase mental health and other health services to veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas (Sec. 121).
-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish programs for increasing health care access and quality in rural areas (Sec. 123).
-Extends payments to physicians for treating Medicare patients at a higher rate than would otherwise be used until 2010 (Sec. 131).
-Delays the beginning of competitive acquisition programs for durable medical supplies until 2011(Sec. 154).
-Extends the deadline for Medicare coverage of ambulance services until 2010 (Sec. 146).
-Establishes the Medicare Improvement Fund to make improvements to Medicare fee-for-service programs and authorizes $19.9 billion during fiscal years 2014 through 2017 (Sec. 188). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill)
Outcome: Veto Override Passed (317/109)
Summary: -Grants $37 million in technical assistance to specialty crop producers (Sec. 3203).
-Prohibits persons with adjusted gross non-farm income of over $500,000 or adjusted gross farm income of over $750,000 from receiving certain types of subsidies (Sec. 1604).
-Reauthorizes the Federal Food and Nutrition Program, the Commodity Distribution Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects through 2012 (Sec. 4406).
-Establishes a table of market assistance loan rates for 19 commodities including corn, wheat, barley, oats, and soybeans (Sec. 1202).
-Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to spend $991 million during 2008-2012 (and $206 million each subsequent fiscal year) for the purchase of fruits, vegetables, and nuts for nutritious foods in domestic nutrition assistance programs and an additional $250 million during 2008-2012 for fruits and vegetables for schools (Sec. 4404).
-Establishes a mandatory labeling of countries of origin for goat meat, chicken, ginseng, pecans, and macadamia nuts, and changes the designation criteria for United States country of origin labeling and allows multiple countries to be listed on labels for beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and goat meat (Sec. 11002).
-Supports the price of dairy products by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to buy cheddar cheese, butter, and nonfat dry milk made from milk produced in the United States (Sec. 1501).
-Extends the Dairy Export Incentive Program, the Dairy Indemnity Program, and the Dairy Promotion and Research Program through 2012 (Secs. 1503, 1505, 1507).
-Lowers the income tax credit for ethanol producers during 2009 and 2010 for a blender amount from 51 cents to 45 cents and for a low-proof blender amount from 37.78 cents to 33.33 cents (Sec. 15331).
-Extends the alcohol fuels credit to cellulosic biofuel (Sec. 15321).
-Establishes the Biomass Research and Development Initiative to award grants and financial assistance for the research of biofuels and biobased products (Sec. 9001).
-Provides assistance for landowners who have lost non-industrial private forestland due to wildfires, hurricanes, excessive winds, drought, ice storms, blizzards, or floods (Sec. 8203).
-Increases loan rates for sugar producers (Sec. 1401).
-Offers incentive payments for the production of oil seeds that reduce the need for hydrogenated oil (Sec. 1605).
-Extends the Conservation Reserve Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program through the 2012 fiscal year (Secs. 2101, 2203).
-Renames the Food Stamp Program to the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" and replaces coupons used for the Food Stamp Program with electronic benefit transfer cards (EBTs) which can be used at any retail food store (Secs. 4001 and 4115).
-Requires pilot programs to reduce obesity in the United States (Sec. 4141).
-Authorizes $25 million for each fiscal year from 2008 through 2012 for loans to broadband internet service providers in rural areas that currently have two or fewer providers in the area and have at least 25 percent of the area serviced by not more than one provider (Sec. 6110).
-Eliminates priority status for food aid for countries that demonstrate the potential to become markets for competitively priced U.S. agricultural commodities (Sec. 3005). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill)
Outcome: Veto Override Passed (316/108)
Summary: -Prohibits persons with adjusted gross non-farm income of over $500,000 or adjusted gross farm income of over $750,000 from receiving certain types of subsidies (Sec. 1604).
-Reauthorizes the Federal Food and Nutrition Program, the Commodity Distribution Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects through 2012 (Sec. 4406).
-Establishes a table of market assistance loan rates for 19 commodities including corn, wheat, barley, oats, and soybeans (Sec. 1202).
-Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to spend $991 million during 2008-2012 - and $206 million each subsequent fiscal year - for the purchase of fruits, vegetables, and nuts for nutritious foods in domestic nutrition assistance programs and an additional $250 million during 2008-2012 for fruits and vegetables for schools (Sec. 4404).
-Establishes a mandatory labeling of countries of origin for goat meat, chicken, ginseng, pecans, and macadamia nuts, and changes the designation criteria for United States country of origin labeling and allows multiple countries to be listed on labels for beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and goat meat (Sec. 11002).
-Supports the price of dairy products by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to buy cheddar cheese, butter, and nonfat dry milk made from milk produced in the United States (Sec. 1501).
-Extends the Dairy Export Incentive Program, the Dairy Indemnity Program, and the Dairy Promotion and Research Program through 2012 (Secs. 1503, 1505, 1507).
-Lowers the income tax credit for ethanol producers during 2009 and 2010 for a blender amount from 51 cents to 45 cents and for a low-proof blender amount from 37.78 cents to 33.33 cents (Sec. 15331).
-Extends the alcohol fuels credit to cellulosic biofuel (Sec. 15321).
-Establishes the Biomass Research and Development Initiative to award grants and financial assistance for the research of biofuels and biobased products (Sec. 9001).
-Provides assistance for landowners who have lost non-industrial private forestland due to wildfires, hurricanes, excessive winds, drought, ice storms, blizzards, or floods (Sec. 8203).
-Increases loan rates for sugar producers (Sec. 1401).
-Offers incentive payments for the production of oil seeds that reduce the need for hydrogenated oil (Sec. 1605).
-Extends the Conservation Reserve Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program through the 2012 fiscal year (Secs. 2101, 2203).
-Renames the Food Stamp Program to the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" and replaces coupons used for the Food Stamp Program with electronic benefit transfer cards (EBTs) which can be used at any retail food store (Secs. 4001 and 4115).
-Requires pilot programs to reduce obesity in the United States (Sec. 4141).
-Authorizes $25 million for each fiscal year from 2008 through 2012 for loans to broadband internet service providers in rural areas that currently have two or fewer providers in the area and have at least 25 percent of the area serviced by not more than one provider (Sec. 6110).
-NOTE: Due to a clerical error, this bill was sent to the President without Title III (concerning trade), and therefore, the veto override votes by the House and Senate are on the bill without this title. On 5/22/2008 the House passed H.R. 6124, a new bill containing 15 farm bill titles. |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill)
Outcome: Conference Report Adopted (318/106)
Summary: -Grants $37 million in technical assistance to specialty crop producers (Sec. 3203).
-Prohibits persons with adjusted gross non-farm income of over $500,000 or adjusted gross farm income of over $750,000 from receiving certain types of subsidies (Sec. 1604).
-Reauthorizes the Federal Food and Nutrition Program, the Commodity Distribution Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects through 2012 (Sec. 4406).
-Establishes a table of market assistance loan rates for 19 commodities including corn, wheat, barley, oats, and soybeans (Sec. 1202).
-Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to spend $991 million during 2008-2012 (and $206 million each subsequent fiscal year) for the purchase of fruits, vegetables, and nuts for nutritious foods in domestic nutrition assistance programs and an additional $250 million during 2008-2012 for fruits and vegetables for schools (Sec. 4404).
-Establishes a mandatory labeling of countries of origin for goat meat, chicken, ginseng, pecans, and macadamia nuts, and changes the designation criteria for United States country of origin labeling and allows multiple countries to be listed on labels for beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and goat meat (Sec. 11002).
-Supports the price of dairy products by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to buy cheddar cheese, butter, and nonfat dry milk made from milk produced in the United States (Sec. 1501).
-Extends the Dairy Export Incentive Program, the Dairy Indemnity Program, and the Dairy Promotion and Research Program through 2012 (Secs. 1503, 1505, 1507).
-Lowers the income tax credit for ethanol producers during 2009 and 2010 for a blender amount from 51 cents to 45 cents and for a low-proof blender amount from 37.78 cents to 33.33 cents (Sec. 15331).
-Extends the alcohol fuels credit to cellulosic biofuel (Sec. 15321).
-Establishes the Biomass Research and Development Initiative to award grants and financial assistance for the research of biofuels and biobased products (Sec. 9001).
-Provides assistance for landowners who have lost non-industrial private forestland due to wildfires, hurricanes, excessive winds, drought, ice storms, blizzards, or floods (Sec. 8203).
-Increases loan rates for sugar producers (Sec. 1401).
-Offers incentive payments for the production of oil seeds that reduce the need for hydrogenated oil (Sec. 1605).
-Extends the Conservation Reserve Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program through the 2012 fiscal year (Secs. 2101, 2203).
-Renames the Food Stamp Program to the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" and replaces coupons used for the Food Stamp Program with electronic benefit transfer cards (EBTs) which can be used at any retail food store (Secs. 4001 and 4115).
-Requires pilot programs to reduce obesity in the United States (Sec. 4141).
-Authorizes $25 million for each fiscal year from 2008 through 2012 for loans to broadband internet service providers in rural areas that currently have two or fewer providers in the area and have at least 25 percent of the area serviced by not more than one provider (Sec. 6110).
-Eliminates priority status for food aid for countries that demonstrate the potential to become markets for competitively priced U.S. agricultural commodities (Sec. 3005). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2008) HR 5522 Requiring OSHA to Establish Combustible Dust Safety Standards
Outcome: Bill Passed (247/165)
Summary: -Requires the Secretary of Labor to implement an interim final standard to regulate combustible dusts that applies to manufacturing, processing, blending, conveying, repackaging, and handling of particulate solids and their dusts, with the exception of processes already covered by OSHA's standards for grain facilities (Sec. 3).
-Requires the interim final standard to include hazard assessment, a written program with provisions for hazardous dust inspection, engineering controls and other procedures to control dust emissions and ignition sources, housekeeping to prevent accumulation of combustible dust in places of employment, employee participation in hazard assessment, and written safety and health information with annual training to employees (Sec. 3).
-States that the interim final standard shall be issued within 90 days of the enactment of the bill and shall take effect 30 days after it is issued, and a final standard shall be implemented within 18 months of enactment of the bill (Sec. 3). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 5613 Medicaid Extensions and Changes
Outcome: Bill Passed (349/62)
Summary: -Prevents certain Medicaid regulations from being changed until April 1, 2009, including regulations for the Children's Health Insurance Program, graduate medical education, optional case management services, outpatient hospital services, and provider taxes (Sec. 2).
-Requires states to set up an asset verification program to determine the eligibility of an individual for medical assistance (Sec. 5).
-Reduces the amount available in 2013 for the physician assistance and quality initiative fund to $3.79 billion from $4.96 billion and extends the fund through 2014 with an additional $3.69 billion available for that year (Sec. 6). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 5719 Amending Tax Code Provisions and IRS Practices
Outcome: Bill Passed (238/179)
Summary: -Repeals the authority of the IRS to enter into debt collection contracts with private organizations (Sec. 14).
-Requires that amounts paid out of a health savings account must be substantiated in order to be exempt from income tax (Sec. 17).
-Requires that foreign persons or companies working under a U.S. government contract be treated as U.S. employers for tax purposes (Sec. 18).
-Removes cellular phones from the list of items an employee must include as income if the employee utilizes them for personal use (Sec. 3).
-Delays the application of a law requiring a withholding of three percent from the payment of any U.S. government contract from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 (Sec. 4).
-Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to notify a taxpayer of any suspected identity theft or criminal charges of identity theft (Sec. 13).
-Requires that, in cases where a taxpayer may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit but has not previously filed for it, the Secretary of the Treasury must notify the taxpayer that they may be eligible (Sec. 8). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis
Outcome: Bill Passed (308/116)
Summary: -Amends a provision in U.S. law that required one-third of assistance to be used for abstinence education programs so that it now reads "balanced funding for prevention activities for sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS" are required (Sec. 403).
-Requires the HIV/AIDS Response Coordinator in the U.S. Department of State to work with host countries to link HIV/AIDS programs with programs to deter prostitution (Sec. 102).
-Adds Vietnam, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Malawi, Swaziland, and Lesotho to the list of countries that will receive funding under this program (Sec. 102).
-Provides that that strategy to prevent HIV/AIDS infection among women and youth shall include the ABC model: "Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms" (Sec. 313).
-States that if host countries use less than 50 percent of their AIDS targeted funding for behavioral change programs (such as programs promoting abstinence, monogamy, and partner reduction), then the Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally must file a report with Congress justifying this decision (Sec. 403).
-Provides that the plan to combat HIV/AIDS will make family planning clinics available for testing and education (Sec. 101).
-Authorizes $2 billion for assistance to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria (Sec. 202).
-Provides that treatment and care of individuals with HIV/AIDS includes providing safe drinking water and nutrition (Sec. 301).
-Provides that $5 billion of the funding authorized in this bill shall be for combating malaria and $4 billion shall be for combating tuberculosis (Sec. 302, Sec. 303)
-Provides that assistance shall be given to post-secondary institutions in host countries to improve their health infrastructure, with collaboration from historically black colleges and universities in the United States (Sec. 205).
-Provides that organizations receiving assistance to combat HIV/AIDS are not required to engage in programs or methods that they find morally objectionable (Sec. 301). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) H Amdt 972 Substitute Amendment for the House Budget Resolution
Outcome: Amendment Rejected (157/263)
Summary: -Sets the following new budget authorities for 2008 through 2013 in major funding categories:
- $3.56 trillion for National Defense
- $2.79 trillion for Medicare
- $2.48 trillion for Income Security
- $2.33 trillion for Net Interest
- $2.02 trillion for Health
- $803.43 billion for Allowances
- $584.75 billion for Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services
- $582.64 billion for Veteran's Benefits and Services
- $466.65 billion for Transportation
- $290.57 billion for Administration of Justice
- $216.63 billion for International Affairs
- $205.96 billion for Natural Resources and Environment
- $172.85 billion for General Science, Space and Technology
- $160.96 billion for General Government
- $155.31 billion for Social Security
- $132.48 billion for Agriculture
- $95.75 billion for Community and Regional Development
- $56.15 billion for Commerce and Housing Credit
- $23.11 billion for Energy
-Establishes a moratorium on the consideration of bills containing earmarks in the House of Representatives for the remainder of 2008. (Sec. 301).
-Establishes the Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform (composed of members appointed by the Senate Majority Leader, the House of Representatives and Senate Minority Leaders, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives) which will be charged with completing a study of the practices of the House, Senate, and executive branch regarding earmarks and providing a report of the findings of the study to the House of Representatives and Senate no later than six months after the adoption of H Con Res 312 (Sec. 302).
-Calls for the pursuit of medical liability reform as a means to endeavor towards domestic entitlement reform involving limiting the growth of Medicare and Medicaid "to ensure their long-term viability" (Sec. 413).
-Calls for the phasing out of the Alternative Minimum Tax (Sec. 416).
-Prohibits the consideration of any bill, joint resolution, or conference report that would increase the budget deficit (Sec. 701). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2008) H Con Res 312 Concurrent Budget Resolution
Outcome: Resolution Passed (212/207)
Summary: -Recommends the following new budget authorities for specific departments in fiscal years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013:
-$3.38 trillion for National Defense
-$2.79 trillion for Medicare
-$2.49 trillion for Income Security
-$2.02 trillion for Health
-$581.64 billion for Veterans Benefits and Services
-$469.24 billion for Transportation
-$155.31 billion for Social Security
-Allows the chairman of the Committee on the Budget to increase appropriations for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), veterans and military personnel health care and disability benefits, renewable energy production, affordable housing, Medicare, and other programs, provided that they do not increase the budget deficit (Sec. 301-317).
-Allows the chairman of the House Committee on the Budget to revise budget levels for increases in tax reductions and credits for middle-income families and taxpayers, including extension of the child tax credit, reductions in the tax rate for married couples, and the elimination on most estate taxes and states that the policy of this resolution is to "minimize fiscal burdens on middle-income families" (Sec. 306, 501).
-States that overseas military operations funding should not be included in emergency supplemental requests, implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendation to fund nuclear nonproliferation programs should be a high priority, TRICARE fees should not be increased, missile defense should be funded at an "adequate but lower level," and the Department of Defense should address the recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office and investigate money not accounted for (Sec. 502). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2008) HR 1424 Mental Health Coverage Bill
Outcome: Bill Passed (268/148)
Summary: -Requires health insurance plans that provide mental health coverage to provide the same coverage limits and benefits to mental health and substance abuse treatment that are applied to medical and surgical health care (Division A, Sec. 102).
-States that any health coverage plan that provides mental health coverage must include benefits to any mental health or substance abuse condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association (Division A, Sec. 102).
-Prohibits health insurers from adjusting their premiums based on genetic information (Division B, Sec. 101 and 102)
-Prohibits health insurers in the individual market from establishing eligibility restrictions based on genetic information (Division B, Sec. 102).
-Prohibits employers from refusing to hire, from firing, or from otherwise reducing compensation or privileges based on genetic information (Division B, Sec. 202).
-States that labor organizations and employment agencies may not refuse to hire or refuse membership to people based on genetic information (Division B, Sec. 203, 204).
-Requires employers, employment agencies, and labor organizations to place any acquired genetic information into confidential medical records (Division B, Sec. 206). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 3963 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP)
Outcome: Veto Override Failed (260/152)
Summary: -Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance for targeted low-income pregnant women if the minimum eligibility level is at least 185 percent of the poverty level or at least 200 percent of the poverty level for children under 19 years of age (Sec. 111).
-Prohibits the approval, extension, or renewal of CHIP waivers to parents of targeted low-income children and nonpregnant childless adults (Sec. 112).
-Prohibits payments for providing child heath assistance for children whose family income would exceed 300 percent of the poverty line unless a waiver is granted by the state (Sec. 114).
-Appropriates $100.00 million through 2012 for outreach and enrollment grant programs designed to increase the enrollment and participation of eligible children in CHIP (Sec. 201).
-Requires states to submit the names and social security numbers of children eligible for CHIP and to make a "reasonable effort" to address any inconsistencies in social security numbers and the declaration of citizenship or nationality while continuing to provide medical assistance until the problem is resolved, and allows state programs to enter an agreement with the Commissioner of Social Security to provide for the electronic submission of documents (Sec. 211).
-Appropriates $25.00 million from the U.S. Treasury Department for programs designed to reduce child obesity (Sec. 401).
-Restates that Federal payments for Medicaid or CHIP cannot be made to people who are not legal residents (Sec. 605).
-Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 52.988 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar (Sec. 701 [a]).
-Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $105.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand (Sec. 701 [b]).
-Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.0122 to $0.0313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.0244 to $0.0626 per fifty tubes (Sec. 701 [c-d]).
-Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound (Sec. 701 [e]).
-Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound (Sec. 701 [f-g]). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 2768 S-MINER Act
Outcome: Bill Passed (214/199)
Summary: -Requires coal mines to use an electronic tracking system that will show the locations of people underground (Sec. 4).
-Requires miners to wear coal dust monitors and prohibits miners from being forced to work in air where the coal dust concentration exceeds 1.00 milligrams per cubic meter of air averaged over ten hours (Sec. 7).
-Provides that the Secretary of Labor may fine mine operators $50,000 to $250,000 for a pattern of safety violations in addition to any other authorized penalties (Sec. 5).
-States that the Mine Safety and Health Administration will have a full-time employee that will serve as liaison to families of miners trapped, injured, or killed in a mining accident (Sec. 6).
-Creates a Miner Ombudsman office to receive reports of safety concerns and review the responses of the Secretary of Labor for such reports (Sec. 5).
-Requires an independent investigation whenever a mining accident is responsible for multiple serious injuries, deaths, or entrapments (Sec. 6).
-Bans "belt air" ventilation systems (Sec. 4).
-Adds regulations to pillar extraction plans, otherwise known as "retreat mining," including requiring mine operators to submit these plans to a designated representative of the miners for comment and then submitting the plans and comments to the Secretary of Labor (Sec. 4).
-Permits the Secretary of Labor to shut down mines that do not pay fines or are in a pattern of violating safety regulations (Sec. 5).
-Allows the Secretary of Labor to establish a program to test miners for substance abuse and provide rehabilitation (Sec. 8).
-Increases regulation of seals used to protect miners from gases and explosions (Sec. 4).
-Requires conveyor belts to conform to the most recent recommendations of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to minimize smoke and flammability (Sec. 4).
-States that if the Mine Safety and Health Administration is involved in a rescue operation, the mine operator must follow the administration's requests (Sec. 6). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 1585 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
Outcome: Conference Report Adopted (370/49)
Summary: -Increases the basic monthly pay for members of the uniformed services by 3.5 percent (Sec. 601).
-Permits veterans who are 100 percent disabled to receive all of both their retirement pay and their disability pay (Sec. 642).
-Requires the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish an electronic system through which the two departments can share and coordinate the use of personal health care information (Sec. 1635).
-Provides that drugs prescribed under the TRICARE pharmaceutical program will be treated as a part of the Department of Defense procurement, and that these drugs are then subject to the pricing restrictions applicable to the procurement of drugs by federal agencies (Sec. 703).
-Establishes the National Security Personnel System as a human resources management system for the Department of Defense, and requires that this system allows employees to practice collective bargaining through labor organizations of their own choosing (Sec. 1106).
-Establishes additional Congressional oversight at various stages of major defense acquisitions (Sec. 813).
-Prohibits the Department of Defense from awarding most lead systems integrator contracts after the start of the 2010 fiscal year (Sec. 802).
-Provides that the Inspector General of the Department of Defense and Inspectors General for Iraq Reconstruction and Afghanistan Reconstruction shall develop plans for auditing contracts made by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies (Sec. 842).
-Authorizes $187.14 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan operations. |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2007) HR 3043 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Outcome: Veto Override Failed (277/141)
Summary: -Provides that Iraqi and Afghan immigrants who are granted special immigrant status are eligible for up to six months of resettlement assistance and entitlement programs available to refugees (Sec. 525).
-Prohibits funds in the bill from being used to implement a totalization agreement between the Social Security programs of the United States and Mexico (Sec. 526).
-$13.63 billion for the Department of Labor, including $3.37 billion for training and employment services, $3.47 billion for state unemployment insurance and employment service operations, and $1.65 billion for the office of the Job Corps
-$480.03 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, including $30.01 billion for the National Institutes of Health, $401.41 billion for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and $27.32 billion for the Administration for Children and Families
-$63.58 billion for the Department of Education, including $16.38 billion for student financial assistance, $15.93 billion for education for the disadvantaged, and $12.36 billion for special education
-$53.98 for related agencies, including $51.81 billion for the Social Security Administration, $1.35 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service, and $420.00 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting |
Kucinich's Vote
- |
(2007) HR 3043 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Outcome: Concurrence Vote Passed (274/141)
Summary: -Provides that Iraqi and Afghan immigrants who are granted special immigrant status are eligible for up to six months of resettlement assistance and entitlement programs available to refugees (Sec. 525).
-Prohibits funds in the bill from being used to implement a totalization agreement between the Social Security programs of the United States and Mexico (Sec. 526).
-$13.63 billion for the Department of Labor, including $3.37 billion for training and employment services, $3.47 billion for state unemployment insurance and employment service operations, and $1.65 billion for the office of the Job Corps
-$480.03 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, including $30.01 billion for the National Institutes of Health, $401.41 billion for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and $27.32 billion for the Administration for Children and Families
-$63.58 billion for the Department of Education, including $16.38 billion for student financial assistance, $15.93 billion for education for the disadvantaged, and $12.36 billion for special education
-$53.98 for related agencies, including $51.81 billion for the Social Security Administration, $1.35 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service, and $420.00 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 3920 Trade and Globalization Act of 2007
Outcome: Bill Passed (264/157)
Summary: -Allows service sector workers and public workers to be covered by trade adjustment assistance (TAA) (Sec. 101-102, 141).
-Increases the amounts that can be appropriated for training under TAA from $220.00 million to $440.00 million for the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years, and to $660.00 million for all subsequent fiscal years (Sec. 127).
-Increases the income tax credit a TAA recipient can claim on payments for health coverage from 65 percent of the amount paid by the individual to 85 percent of the amount paid by the individual (Sec. 141).
-Declares that to be eligible for the health insurance tax credit in the year 2010 and afterwards, an individual must be continuously eligible starting in December 2009 or earlier (Sec. 141).
-Extends the TAA program until 2012 (Sec. 167).
-Delays until 2010 the scheduled 2007 decrease of the federal unemployment tax paid by employers from 6.2 percent to 6.0 percent (Sec. 403).
-Provides incentives for businesses to invest in areas designated as manufacturing redevelopment zones (Sec. 501).
-Increases the notice employers must give before closing a manufacturing plant from 60 days to 90 days (Sec. 602). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 3963 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP)
Outcome: Bill Passed (265/142)
Summary: -Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance for targeted low-income pregnant women if the minimum eligibility level is at least 185 percent of the poverty level or at least 200 percent of the poverty level for children under 19 years of age (Sec. 111).
-Prohibits the approval, extension, or renewal of CHIP waivers to parents of targeted low-income children and nonpregnant childless adults (Sec. 112).
-Prohibits payments for providing child heath assistance for children whose family income would exceed 300 percent of the poverty line unless a waiver is granted by the state (Sec. 114).
-Appropriates $100.00 million through 2012 for outreach and enrollment grant programs designed to increase the enrollment and participation of eligible children in CHIP (Sec. 201).
-Requires states to submit the names and social security numbers of children eligible for CHIP and to make a "reasonable effort" to address any inconsistencies in social security numbers and the declaration of citizenship or nationality while continuing to provide medical assistance until the problem is resolved, and allows state programs to enter an agreement with the Commissioner of Social Security to provide for the electronic submission of documents (Sec. 211).
-Appropriates $25.00 million from the U.S. Treasury Department for programs designed to reduce child obesity (Sec. 401).
-Restates that Federal payments for Medicaid or CHIP cannot be made to people who are not legal residents (Sec. 605).
-Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 52.988 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar (Sec. 701 [a]).
-Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $105.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand (Sec. 701 [b]).
-Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.0122 to $0.0313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.0244 to $0.0626 per fifty tubes (Sec. 701 [c-d]).
-Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound (Sec. 701 [e]).
-Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound (Sec. 701 [f-g]).
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Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 976 State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization
Outcome: Veto Override Failed (273/156)
Summary: -Appropriates $9.13 billion for fiscal year 2008, $10.68 billion for fiscal year 2009, $11.85 billion for fiscal year 2010, and $13.75 billion for fiscal year 2011 for CHIP (Sec. 101).
-Creates an incentive pool for states whose CHIP enrollment numbers exceed baseline projections (Sec. 104).
-Prohibits the issuance of CHIP waivers to non-pregnant childless adults after passage, and terminates existing waivers on September 30, 2008 (Sec. 112).
-Allows a state to apply for Medicaid waivers to continue coverage for non-pregnant childless adults whose waivers have been terminated (Sec. 112).
-Allows states to continue providing child health assistance to parents of eligible children under an existing waiver through 2012 and provides additional funding for states meeting certain outreach and coverage benchmarks (Sec. 112).
-Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance to targeted low-income pregnant women if they have a Medicaid eligibility level for pregnant women that is at least 185 percent above the poverty level, among other requirements (Sec. 111).
-Appropriates $100 million for grants to eligible private or public entities to conduct outreach efforts designed to increase CHIP enrollment among eligible children and sets aside 10 percent of the allocated money for the administration of a national CHIP enrollment campaign (Sec. 201).
-Permits states to verify citizenship or nationality as a requirement for inclusion in Medicaid and CHIP programs, and requires that no funds in this act may go towards payments for individuals who are not legal residents. (Sec. 211).
-Requires employers to allow 26 work weeks of leave for certain family members responsible for the care of a recovering member of the armed services, and forbids employers from denying the family member employment, promotion or benefits. (Sec. 621-622).
-Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 52.988 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar (Sec. 701 [a]).
-Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $105.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand (Sec. 701 [b]).
-Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.0122 to $0.0313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.0244 to $0.0626 per fifty tubes (Sec. 701 [c-d]).
-Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound (Sec. 701 [e]).
-Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound (Sec. 701 [f-g]). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 976 State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization
Outcome: Concurrence Vote Passed (265/159)
Summary: -Appropriates $9.13 billion for fiscal year 2008, $10.68 billion for fiscal year 2009, $11.85 billion for fiscal year 2010, and $13.75 billion for fiscal year 2011 for CHIP (Sec. 101).
-Creates an incentive pool for states whose CHIP enrollment numbers exceed baseline projections (Sec. 104).
-Prohibits the issuance of CHIP waivers to non-pregnant childless adults after passage, and terminates existing waivers on September 30, 2008 (Sec. 112).
-Allows a state to apply for Medicaid waivers to continue coverage for non-pregnant childless adults whose waivers have been terminated (Sec. 112).
-Allows states to continue providing child health assistance to parents of eligible children under an existing waiver through 2012 and provides additional funding for states meeting certain outreach and coverage benchmarks (Sec. 112).
-Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance to targeted low-income pregnant women if they have a Medicaid eligibility level for pregnant women that is at least 185 percent above the poverty level, among other requirements (Sec. 111).
-Appropriates $100 million for grants to eligible private or public entities to conduct outreach efforts designed to increase CHIP enrollment among eligible children and sets aside 10 percent of the allocated money for the administration of a national CHIP enrollment campaign (Sec. 201).
-Permits states to verify citizenship or nationality as a requirement for inclusion in Medicaid and CHIP programs, and requires that no funds in this act may go towards payments for individuals who are not legal residents. (Sec. 211).
-Requires employers to allow 26 work weeks of leave for certain family members responsible for the care of a recovering member of the armed services, and forbids employers from denying the family member employment, promotion or benefits. (Sec. 621-622).
-Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 52.988 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar (Sec. 701 [a]).
-Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $105.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand (Sec. 701 [b]).
-Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.0122 to $0.0313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.0244 to $0.0626 per fifty tubes (Sec. 701 [c-d]).
-Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound (Sec. 701 [e]).
-Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound (Sec. 701 [f-g]). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2007) H Amdt 734 Prescription Drug Imports
Outcome: Amendment Rejected (146/283)
Summary: |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2007) HR 3162 State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization
Outcome: Bill Passed (225/204)
Summary: - Requires state CHIP plans to provide a 12-month continuous eligibility option for low-income children whose family income is below 200% of the federal poverty level, effective January 1, 2008 (Sec 115).
- Allows states the option of covering temporary and permanent documented immigrants under the states CHIP (Sec. 132).
- Prohibits coverage of undocumented immigrants (Sec. 135).
- Increases the tax on cigarettes from $19.50 to $42 per thousand on cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds, and from $40.95 to $88.20 per thousand on cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds (Sec. 1001 [a-b]).
- Increases the tax on cigars that weigh less than 3 pounds per thousand from $1.828 to $42 per thousand (Sec. 1001).
- Increases the tax on cigars weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand from 20.719 percent to 40 percent of the sale price, limited to $1 a cigar (Sec. 1001 [c-d]).
- Increases the tax on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.42 per pound (Sec. 1001 [h]).
- Dictates that federal payments for states for the fiscal year 2008 will be the greater of either the state projection of federal payments or the federal payment from 2007 multiplied by the allotment increase factor for per capita growth or child population growth (Sec. 101).
- Allows unused federal payments under the Social Security Act to be redistributed to address state shortfalls (Sec. 103).
- Requires state CHIP plans to cover dental care, federally qualified health centers, and rural health centers (Sec 121).
- Provides a 30-day grace period for premiums on state child health plans (Sec. 123).
- Extends states' optional coverage for children from age 19 to age 21 (Sec. 131).
- Provides states with the option to cover pregnant women as long as the income eligibility level is at least 185 percent of the federal poverty level (Sec. 133).
- Provides coverage for preventative services including prostate cancer screening tests, colorectal cancer screening tests, diabetes outpatient self management, glaucoma screening, medical nutrition therapy, physical examinations, cardiovascular screening blood tests, diabetes screenings, abdominal aneurysm screenings, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines, hepatitis B vaccine administration, mammography screenings, pap smears and pelvic exam screenings, and bone mass measurement (Sec. 201).
- Appropriates $300 million for fiscal years 2008-2010 to create the Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research to conduct, support, and synthesize research to determine the outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care services (Sec. 904).
- Authorizes the appropriation of $50 billion for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to provide abstinence education, mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence from sexual activity (Sec. 910). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill)
Outcome: Bill Passed (231/191)
Summary: -Grants $38 million in technical assistance to specialty crop producers (Sec. 3007).
-Allocates $1 million each year from 2008-2012 for loans to broadband internet providers in rural areas that currently have fewer than two providers in the area (Sec. 6023).
-Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to spend $991 million for the purchase of fruits, vegetables and nuts to provide nutritious foods in domestic nutrition assistance programs (Sec. 10103).
-Requires that the amount of taxes on payments to a subsidiary that would be subjected to a withholding tax cannot be less than the tax amount that would be owed had the payments been made directly to the foreign parent corporation (Sec. 12001).
-Establishes a table of market assistance loan rates for 20 commodities including corn, wheat, barley, oats and soybeans (Sec. 1202).
-Offers incentive payments for the production of oil seeds that reduce the need for hydrogenated oil (Sec. 1211).
-Supports the price of dairy products by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to buy cheddar cheese, butter and nonfat dry milk made from milk produced in the United States (Sec. 1401)
-Renames the Food Stamp Program to the "Secure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" and replaces coupons used for the Food Stamp Program with electronic benefit transfer cards (EBTs) which can be used at any retail food store (Secs. 4001, 4011)
-Develops the "Initiative to Address Obesity Among Low-Income Americans" by providing $10 million a year until 2012 to implement programs designed to lower the obesity rate in the United States (Sec. 4023).
-Allocates $125 million for the Secretary of Agriculture to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for public schools, provided that the funding is used to buy locally grown produce wherever possible as part of the "Buy American" statutes (Sec. 4301).
-Provides grants up to $50,000 for landowners who have lost private forest land due to wildfires, hurricanes, drought, windstorms, insect and disease, ice storms or invasive species to help with reforestation (Sec. 8102).
-Provides $420 million for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, to award grants and financial assistance for the research of biobased fuels and products (Sec. 9006).
-Grants $20 million to universities for studying the use of sweet sorghum and switchgrass as alternatives to corn in the production of ethanol fuel (Sec. 9020).
-Appropriates $50 million for grants of up to $10,000 a year for farmers who convert their farms into organic farms (Sec. 10303). |
Kucinich's Vote
- |
(2007) H Amdt 674 State and Federal Medical Marijuana Law Enforcement and Implementation
Outcome: Amendment Rejected (165/262)
Summary: |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 3043 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Outcome: Bill Passed (276/140)
Summary: -Increases the maximum Pell Grant for which a college student is eligible from $4,310 during the 2007-2008 award year to $4,700 during the 2008-2009 award year [Title III].
-Prohibits funding in this Act from being used for the transportation of teachers or students in order to overcome a racial imbalance or carry out a racial desegregation plan in any school or school system [Title III (sec. 301)].
-Prohibits funding in this Act from being used to require a student to attend a school other than the school which is nearest to the student's home, except in the case of a student requiring special education [Title III (sec. 302)].
-Prohibits funding in this Act from being "used to prevent the implementation of programs of voluntary prayer and meditation in the public schools" [Title III (sec. 303)].
-Prohibits funds appropriated in this Act from being used to perform abortions or to provide health benefits coverage that includes the coverage of abortion [Title V (sec. 507)].
-Prohibits the expenditure of funds appropriated to the Department of Labor in the procurement of goods produced by forced or indentured child labor [Title I (sec. 102)].
-Requires the Secretary of Labor to issue a full monthly transit subsidy of at least $110 to each of its employees in the National Capital Region beginning September 30, 2007 [Title I (sec. 103)].
-Authorizes up to $20 million in grants to states "to address the gap in health care coverage faced by trade adjustment assistance participants and dislocated workers" [Title I (sec. 107)].
-Allows the Director of the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the Office of AIDS Research to transfer up to 3 percent of the total amount of funding among institutes for the purpose of research relating to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [Title II (sec. 208)].
-$10.25 billion for the Department of Labor.
-$478.54 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, including $29.65 billion for the National Institutes of Health and $400.98 billion for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
-$64.94 billion for the Department of Education, including $16 billion for education for the disadvantaged and $12.3 billion for special education.
-$43.76 billion for related agencies, including $41.80 billion for the Social Security Administration.
- $63.54 million to establish the Medicare rural hospital flexibility grants program, $35 million for grant adjustments for existing community health centers, and $310.91 million for voluntary family planning projects, not to be expended for abortions.
- $2.66 billion for low-income home energy assistance, $3.95 billion for child support enforcement and family support programs, $2.14 billion for child care assistance for low-income families, $6.96 billion to fund the Head Start Act through September 30, 2009, and $136.7 million to provide abstinence education. |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) S 1701 Extension of Funding for Transitional Medical Assistance and Abstinence Education
Outcome: Bill Passed (291/126)
Summary: |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 4 Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act
Outcome: Bill Passed (255/170)
Summary: |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
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