THE DAILY WHIP: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

H.Res. 444 – Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3495 – Women’s Public Health and Safety Act (Rep. Duffy – Energy and Commerce) (One hour of debate).  The Rules Committee has recommended a closed Rule that provides for one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees.  The Rule allows one motion to recommit and waives all points of order against the legislation.

The Rule also Waives clause 6(a) of rule XIII, the requirement of a two-thirds vote to consider a rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules Committee, against any resolution reported from the Rules Committee through the legislative day of October 1, 2015.

The Rules Committee rejected a motion by Ms. Slaughter of New York to consider H.R. 3495 under an open Rule. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

H.R. 3495 – Women’s Public Health and Safety Act (Rep. Duffy – Energy and Commerce) (One hour of debate).  The bill would further impede women from receiving quality health care by permitting states to deny Medicaid reimbursements for non-abortion related health care.  H.R. 3495 would allow states to prohibit providers, such as Planned Parenthood, from participating in state Medicaid programs based on their involvement in abortion.  H.R. 3495 was so hastily and broadly written that the language could apply far beyond Planned Parenthood; for example, it could apply to a health care provider in an entirely different medical field who has supported organizations like Planned Parenthood personally, but not professionally.  Such applications could potentially be found to violate the First Amendment. 

H.R. 3495 continues the Republican assault on women’s health care. It would undermine the right of a woman to choose her provider and severely limit her options.  This bill would make it difficult for women, especially low-income women, to receive mammograms, pap smears, and other potentially lifesaving services at local health clinics.  Although this bill would affect many providers, it would severely hamper Planned Parenthood directly. In one-fifth of the counties throughout the United States in which Planned Parenthood operates, they are the sole women's reproductive health clinic serving low-income women.  If H.R. 3495 were to become law, health care providers and individuals associated with such health clinics would have to choose between supporting a women’s right to choose or providing critical health services to low-income women.

Additionally, Republicans have self-executed an amendment through the Rules Committee by Rep. Blackburn which would gut the longstanding Medicaid “freedom of choice” provision which protects Medicaid enrollees by allowing them to receive health care services from qualified providers that they trust.‎

In the Statement of Administration Policy, the President said he would veto this bill. After already taking one vote to defund Planned Parenthood in the House, and after it has become clear that there are not enough votes in the Senate to defund it, Republicans should stop wasting time on this issue. Instead, the House needs to take action on pressing issues with bipartisan support, including providing certainty to American businesses by reauthorizing the Export-Import bank, developing a long-term solution to create a solvent Highway Trust Fund that supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and showing that our country is fiscally responsible by ensuring our nation can pay its bills.

Bill Text for H.R. 3495:
PDF Version

 Suspension (1 bill)

1. S. 2082 – Department Of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2015 (Sen. Isakson – Veterans’ Affairs)