HCAOA Advocacy at Work: HCAOA VP and Lobbyist Meet with U.S. Senate Finance Committee

​Last week, HCAOA’s VP of Government Relations Eric Reinarman and HCAOA federal lobbyist Patrick Cooney met with Eva DuGoff and Drew Crouch of the United States Senate Committee on Finance to advocate for the passage of the EARN Act and the Homecare for Seniors Act, both of which have been HCAOA legislative priorities this year.

Lawmakers will soon head back to Washington, D.C. to finish out the “lame-duck session” - the legislative period between the midterm elections and the start of the new Congress, which begins January 3, 2023. While Congressional leadership has not released a specific agenda, HCAOA is hopeful that one or both bills will be combined with several other proposals and passed.
 
The EARN Act would permit retirement plans to distribute up to $2,500 per year for the payment of premiums for certain specified long-term care insurance contracts. One path to passage for this bill could be attachment to or inclusion within the House passed Secure 2.0, or in the Securing a Strong Retirement Act (H.R.2954). The Securing a Strong Retirement bill passed the House with a strong bipartisan vote of 414-5 in March, and contains many retirement-related provisions, making it a good candidate vehicle for attachment.
 
For the Homecare for Seniors Act, any number of tax bills or government funding bills could be vehicles for passage.
 
If neither bill is brought to the floor on its own, HCAOA remains hopeful that legislators will attach them to a must-pass bill this year, which could include a bill to fund the government.
 
In September, Congress passed a stopgap measure to fund the government’s 2023 fiscal year, which started October 1, and runs through December 16, 2023. Lawmakers would need to either pass a spending bill for the rest of the fiscal year or pass another short-term stopgap measure — or risk a government shutdown.
 
We strongly encourage you to email your legislators in support of these two bills by clicking below:
Support the EARN Act by clicking here!
Support the Homecare for Seniors Act by clicking here!

Efforts like these are made possible by your generous donation to the HCAOA Advocacy Fund. Please consider using your end of the year funds to make a donation to the Advocacy Fund. Donate by clicking here.