SOTU: 21st Century Cures Effort Gains Support

Healthopolis

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 | Roll Call Home »

SOTU: 21st Century Cures Effort Gains Support By Paul Jenks President Obama, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening urged a "precision medicine initiative" that would advance efforts to address cures for diseases like cancer and diabetes. While the president offered no specific details on the initiative, congressional reaction to the speech interpreted a likely intersection with ongoing development in the House Energy and Commerce Committee of a medical research and drug product approval process overhaul package. Full story Keeping Up on Unauthorized Appropriations  By Paul Jenks Every January, the Congressional Budget Office provides congressional committee's with a sort-of advance warning notice. The CBO report lists the various unauthorized appropriations and expiring authorizations which may need some legislative attention. Most legislation that streams through Congress largely updates, revises and renews various existing laws. Often, for budgetary reasons, program spending is given a discrete time frame and a specific expiration date. As a result programs are often face authorization renewals. Full story ICYMI: IRS Sets 2015 Coverage Mandate Tax Penalty Levels