The health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (H.R. 3590), was signed into law on March 23, 2010. While long supporting health care reform, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has criticized the final law as profoundly flawed in its treatment of abortion, conscience rights, and fairness to immigrants. Read More...

Bishops Encourage Vigilance that Health Care Legislation Protects Conscience, does not Fund Abortion. Applaud efforts to expand health care to all. Emphasize need to guarantee federal money does not go to abortion. Need to address flaws in health reform plan just passed. Read More...

As long-time advocates of health care reform, the U.S. Catholic bishops continue to make the moral case that genuine health care reform must protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. Health care reform should provide access to affordable and quality health care for all, and not advance a pro-abortion agenda in our country. Genuine health care reform is being blocked by those who insist on reversing widely supported policies against federal funding of abortion and plans which include abortion, not by those working simply to preserve these longstanding protections. Read More...

Session wrap-up: While some hoped the short session could end early, it lasted just about as long as it could; its end, "sine die", came on Saturday morning, March 13th. From the perspective of the ICC, the end came earlier in the week when the only matter that was holding up final passage of the few remaining bills was the unemployment tax issue and jobs stimulus issue. The remaining bills, which included the education funding bill, HB 1367, (with the language regarding the Scholarship Tax Credit removed), had been negotiated.
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HR 4247 Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act

Contact Representative Today or Tomorrow March 2

This bill is tentatively scheduled for a full vote by the House of Representatives on Thursday, March 4. Read More...

This week marks the end of the second phase of the session. Third reading deadline was Thursday. Bills had to pass third reading in each chamber. The original house then has the opportunity to concur with changes (if there were any) or to dissent. If the bills are agreed to they go to the Governor for signature; if there is a dissent, a conference committee is appointed to work out an agreement. The session is expected to end next week Friday. Hence, bills moved and many were amended to include bills passed in one house but not heard in the second. Others died in committee or on second reading. Read More...

The final full week of committee hearings is now concluded; only a couple of bills will be heard on Monday next week. All committee reports must pass the floor on Monday afternoon with third reading deadline for all bills on Thursday. The session is likely to end a week early; most expect it to conclude by March 5. Hence, many committees met this week passing only those bills that either had strong consensus agreement or were seen as necessary for political or state policy concerns. These major issues include school funding, lobbyist and legislative ethics, and township government reforms noted below. In addition, gaming expansion, unemployment taxes, and property reassessment are the other major issues facing the General Assembly. Read More...

Crossover has begun with only a few technical and consensus bills getting hearings this week. The more controversial bills and major bills were given further study before hearings are scheduled. Many will not be heard, which is customary, but this "short session" may become shorter. Committees are being asked to finish next week rather than the last week of February. The session could end in early March. Read More...