Along with roll call votes last week, the Senate also passed a bill (H.R. 1551), to modify the tax credit for production from advanced nuclear power facilities. There were no key votes in the House last week.

SENATE

PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS: The Senate passed the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act (S. 2554), sponsored by Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine. The bill would bar health insurance companies from preventing pharmacy providers from providing information about prescription drug out-of-pocket costs for people enrolled in a company’s insurance plan. There was no debate on the Senate floor. The vote, on Sept. 17, was 98 yeas to 2 nays.

YEAS: Susan Collins R-Maine, Angus King, I-Maine

OPIOID RESPONSE PROGRAMS: The Senate passed the Opioid Crisis Response Act (H.R. 6), sponsored by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., to modify Medicare and state Medicaid programs by introducing numerous measures designed to improve the prevention and treatment of opioid abuse by Medicaid enrollees. A supporter, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said: “This bill will provide the resources, capacities, and direction to state, local, and federal governments to better assist those who are in such great need right now.” The vote, on Sept. 17, was 99 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Collins, King

MILITARY SPENDING: The Senate agreed to the conference report with the House for reconciling the two chambers’ versions of the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act (H.R. 6157). The bill would authorize $675 billion of fiscal 2019 spending at the Defense Department and defense programs at the Energy Department, as well as $179 billion of spending at the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services. A supporter, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said that along with giving needed funding for the military, the bill “invests in national priorities, like fighting the opioid epidemic, expanding medical research, promoting college affordability, and strengthening our workforce.” The vote, on Sept. 18, was 93 yeas to 7 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King


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