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Call to Action – HR 1313 in Committee- Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act

March 11, 2017 2:06 pm

On 03/02/2017, HR 1313 – Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

full_Legislation alert Bill Summary: H.R. 1313 would allow employers to offer substantial health insurance premium rebates to workers who take part in company wellness programs that may include submitting to health risk assessments. Once enrolled an employee is enrolled in a wellness program, businesses are allowed to collect “information about the manifested disease or disorder of a family member” of participating employees. The bill, which was sponsored by Committee Chair Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC), does not require employees to enroll in such programs. But the bill notes that according to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, employers could reduce annual health insurance premiums by up to 50 percent for employees who did take part and not does not allow employers to require all their workers to submit to genetic testing.

Nancy J. Cox, PhD, ASHG president, in a letter to the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, provides a frightening overview: “If enacted, this legislation would undermine fundamentally the privacy provisions of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It would allow employers to ask employees invasive questions about their and their families’ health, as well as genetic tests they and their families have undergone. It would further allow employers to impose stiff financial penalties on employees who choose to keep such information private, thus empowering employers to coerce their employees into providing their health and genetic information.” from DNA Science Blog .

To Take Action:

Read the bill & sign up for alerts on this bill here or use GovTrack.us to get up-to-date information.
Contact the House Ways and Means Committee. This is your opportunity to give citizen testimony and lobby for/against a bill. Adding personal stories as to why or how a bill will affect average Americans is powerful and may sway committee members.
Follow the bill’s progress in the committee: Ways and Means Committee Hearing Schedule
Once the bill is out of committee and before the House vote, contact your Representative and tell them why you would like them to vote a certain way (for or against).

Worried about Bannon on the NSC? Lobby for H.R. 804 (141 Co-Sponsors)

February 23, 2017 8:54 pm

sq2_datg 2/1/17: US House Representative Stephanie Murphy (D-Fl) introduced bill H.R. 804. It’s been sent to three subcommittees for consideration. Click here to read the bill. No action has been taken by the committees and that’s NOT okay.

ANY citizen can call committee members and lobby for or against a bill. It’s only when a bill goes to the floor for a vote that constituents should call only their elected officials.

Link to House Armed Services committee members
Link to House Foreign Affairs committee members
Link to House Intelligence (permanent) committee members

It’s worth following up on a previous Call to Action post concerning Bannon. These are separate issues. The above is to lobby for a specific piece of legislation. Below, this is your opportunity to contact the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee to voice your concerns about Steve Bannon on the NSC.

2.5.17 – Call to Action: Updated Info to Get Bannon off the NSC

New information: Where do your congressional members stand on Bannon’s appointment to the National Security Council? Check this site (organized by houses, House of Representatives and Senate). Links to contact your congressional members in the table. Call their District/mobile offices first, then their DC office.

Call to Action # 1: Keep placing calls to the Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee’s main number (202-224-4751). If the mailbox is full, try again in a few hours. They empty the mailbox every day at noon EST (9:00 am PST) and every night. You can call repeatedly; no limit.

You can also email the Committee – use this the form from the Committee to contact them.

The folks over at the Daily Kos put together a list with contact information to the Committee Members. See below for the 15 members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and how to contact them directly. Just one call makes a difference and it takes just a few minutes.

Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) – Chairman