The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is launching a series of co-sponsored webinars on various aspects of the Omnibus HIPAA Rulemaking.  The 90-minute webinars are specifically designed for small health care providers, with a focus on practical strategies for implementing the Omnibus Rule changes within a small clinical... 

On February 12, the U.S. Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by a comfortable 78-22 margin.  The bill included comprehensive protections for Native American women, women in same-sex marriages, and illegal immigrants, features not included in the 2012 House version of the bill. Now, we are urging the House of Representatives to pass the same version of VAWA that the Senate passed earlier this month. ... 

On January 29, 2013 President Obama gave his “The Time is Now” speech which ushered in his administration’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislative initiative. A day earlier, a bipartisan group of four Republican and Four Democrats (the “gang of eight”) also announced that they will introduce comprehensive immigration legislation. Because the president received 70 percent of the Hispanic... 

In May, we updated you on the Senate’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Now, there is a possibility of the bill failing if the House and Senate are unable to reconcile differences between their two bills.  The House bill excludes members of the LGBT community and reduces protections for Native American women as well as immigrants.  It also requires an auditing procedure, which diverts funding... 

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event at the White House to see President Obama make a statement about student loan debt.  My invitation to the White House occurred because I reached out to the organization, Campus Progress, and volunteered to work at their Student Debt Day.  By volunteering, I was given the opportunity, along with other student interns, to go to Capitol Hill and advocate on behalf of a... 

The Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, has played a crucial role in the lives of women and families since its original passage in 1994.  We have seen both a sharp increase in the reporting of domestic violence, and significant decrease in the number of people harmed by an intimate partner.  Additionally, an increase in legal services has helped women who are victims of domestic violence, and VAWA has resulted in billions... 

Yesterday, the Senate passed its 6th short term continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the federal government running through April 8. The Senate action follows Tuesday’s passage of the bill by the House, and came one day before the current CR is set to expire. The CR would cut federal spending by roughly $6 billion from the current level.  While the new CR has no impact on NIH funding or the Administration for... 

Update from the White House Office of Public Engagement WEST WING UPDATE Dear Friends, It’s been an incredibly busy week as we continue to work with our allies in Congress and across the country to try to get the DREAM Act across the finish line. Here is a quick update. It looks like the House and Senate could take up the DREAM Act as early as this week. From the White House and Obama Administration we continue to... 

Political Climate The primary season began in earnest on Tuesday, May 18 and we learned several important lessons that night.  For one, voter turnout was not particularly high, defying the expectations of many observers who believed voter anger would voice itself loudly at the first opportunity.  Second, the night clearly went better for Democrats than it did for Republicans.  The hard fought special... 

Political Climate With the health care debate now behind us, Capitol Hill and the Obama Administration have moved on to other things.  Issues of great significance include a pending Supreme Court nomination, fluctuating news on employment, and several Congressional primary races that will give shape to the November general election.  At this point in the year, many Members of Congress are focused on both a wide...