Rep. Pallone Praises House Passage of Build Back Better Act

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on Nov. 18, 2021, praising the House passage of the Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376):

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"The House passed once-in-a-generation legislation that invests in the American people, responds to the great challenges of our time, and builds a better future for generations to come.

"At a time when American families are struggling to make ends meet, the Build Back Better Act builds on our efforts to make health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans, including millions unfairly caught in the Medicaid coverage gap.

"It also makes prescription drugs more affordable by finally giving Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies. Seniors will also pay no more than $2,000 a year in out-of-pocket costs for their drugs, and the legislation penalizes Big Pharma companies that unfairly raise prices.

"We expand health care access for children, mothers, and seniors by permanently reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program, improving maternal health care, and providing, for the first time, comprehensive hearing benefits under Medicare Part B. The legislation also makes a historic commitment to home- and community-based care so seniors and people with disabilities can get the care they need in their homes.

"The Build Back Better Act also aggressively tackles the worsening climate crisis. It makes historic investments to move us toward a clean energy economy while also producing millions of good paying American jobs.

"The new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will accelerate innovation in low- and zero-emission technologies, while also prioritizing the needs of environmental justice communities. Rebates for homeowners to electrify and make their houses more efficient will save them money and reduce emissions. Investments in a 21st century electric grid will get more renewable energy online.

"The legislation will also drive down pollution from the oil and gas industry through a new Methane Emissions Reduction Program. Substantial investments in electric vehicle charging stations and clean heavy-duty vehicles, like school buses, will serve the dual purpose of slashing our carbon emissions while helping American manufacturing stay globally competitive. We simply cannot wait any longer to combat the climate crisis - bold action is needed now.

"The Build Back Better Act will provide significant financial relief to American families well into the future while also creating millions of good paying American jobs as we transition to a clean energy economy. I'm thrilled we are one step closer to seeing this legislation signed into law."

As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Pallone led efforts on key provisions of the legislation that advanced out of the Committee in September and are included in the bill that passed the House today.

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Read the fact sheet of key Committee provisions below:

Prepared by the Committee on Energy and Commerce

November 2021

Fact Sheet on Key Provisions of the Committee's Portion of the Build Back Better Act

The Build Back Better Act makes historic investments in families, in workers, and in the middle class. The Energy and Commerce Committee's provisions in the Build Back Better Act will lower costs for American families, revitalize our economy, and combat the climate crisis.

Following, are some of the key provisions that are included in the legislation.

KEY HEALTH PROVISIONS:

The Build Back Better Act follows through on Democrats' commitment to expand access to health care for all Americans and make health care more affordable.

Medicaid Coverage Gap:

The Build Back Better Act expands coverage to millions of Americans who previously fell within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage gap. Beginning in 2022 through 2025, the legislation expands the ACA's premium tax credits to below 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) and provides enhanced cost-sharing assistance. Closing this coverage gap will allow 1.7 million uninsured Americans to gain access to coverage.

Medicare Hearing Coverage:

The Build Back Better Act makes historic investments in hearing coverage for seniors under Medicare. Currently, Medicare excludes coverage for hearing aids and examinations. The Build Back Better Act adds new comprehensive hearing benefits to Medicare Part B including coverage of hearing aids for individuals with moderately severe, severe, or profound hearing loss. It also expands the services audiologists may provide under Medicare to include treatment services and allows for hearing aid professionals to provide hearing assessment services.

Affordable Care Act Reinsurance Program:

The Build Back Better Act will lower health care costs by investing in programs that reduce health care premiums and deductibles for all Americans including through a reinsurance program. The legislation also allows states to use the funds to directly lower premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and deductibles for their state residents. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), individual market premiums would be 7 percent lower than under current law.

Home- and Community-Based Services:

The Build Back Better Act makes historic investments to allow more seniors and individuals with disabilities to receive the services they need in their homes, alongside their friends and family. The legislation invests $150 billion to expand access to quality home-based services and care for millions of older adults and people with disabilities. It will also strengthen the direct care workforce by improving provider payment rates and giving states the resources to improve their care infrastructure. The legislation also makes permanent the Money Follows the Person and the spousal impoverishment program, both successful Medicaid programs that help low-income older adults and individuals with disabilities receive home-based services.

Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid:

The Build Back Better Act includes funding to permanently extend the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which will ensure that low-income children will always have access to quality, affordable health insurance. Currently, 9.6 million children receive coverage through CHIP. It also helps children in both Medicaid and CHIP maintain a consistent source of health coverage by requiring state Medicaid and CHIP programs to keep children continuously enrolled in these programs for a 12-month period.

Maternal Health:

The Build Back Better Act will improve maternal health outcomes for vulnerable populations by ensuring that all pregnant women on Medicaid will keep their health insurance for the critical first year postpartum, while also making significant public health investments to reduce inequities in maternal health outcomes and strengthen the maternal health workforce. Currently, the United States ranks as the worst place in the developed world on maternal mortality, and Black women are 2.5 times more likely than White women to die due to complications resulting from childbirth.

Justice-Connected Populations:

The Build Back Better Act will address continuity of care and improve health outcomes for justice-connected individuals by ensuring that Medicaid coverage begins automatically 30 days prior to an individuals' release from incarceration. Studies have shown that earlier eligibility and access to health insurance coverage helps to minimize disruptions in access to care, including access to treatment for substance use disorders, when individuals transition back into the community.

9/11 Health:

The Build Back Better Act provides $2.86 billion in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program to ensure that the program can continue to fulfill the commitment to provide medical treatment and monitoring to more than 110,000 9/11 responders and survivors. While the program has been extended by Congress until 2090, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that this vital program will face a funding shortfall starting in 2025. The legislation will address this shortfall and provide stability for the thousands of individuals participating in the program. It also provides funding to cover the 10 percent match that New York City currently pays for this program.

Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce:

The Build Back Better Act invests in public health infrastructure and workforce by funding more than $9.5 billion in investments to support the construction and modernization of community health centers and the purchase or renovation of mobile clinics; to establish or expand schools of medicine and nursing in underserved areas; to expand capacity for training the next generation of primary health care providers, including in palliative care; and to provide additional support for mental and behavioral health needs.

Public Health Preparedness:

The Build Back Better Act builds on the American Rescue Plan and provides $10 billion in targeted investments for pandemic preparedness so our nation will be able to address any future public health emergencies, including providing critical resources to improve capacity at public health departments, shoring up the Strategic National Stockpile, strengthening our supply chains, supporting domestic and global manufacturing of vaccines, bolstering biosecurity, and investing in therapeutics.

KEY ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL PROVISIONS:

The Build Back Better Act follows through on Democrats' commitment to combat the climate crisis by creating a clean energy future that produces millions of good-paying American jobs.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund:

The Build Back Better Act invests $29 billion in nonprofit, state, and local climate finance institutions that support the rapid deployment of low- and zero-emission technologies, including zero-emission vehicle supply equipment. These financing entities will build on the successful track record of similar programs across the United States, leveraging public and private investment to help communities reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of air pollution. At least 40 percent of investments will be made in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

Investing in Clean Energy Innovation and Communities:

The Build Back Better Act invests more than $15 billion in multiple loan and grant programs at Department of Energy (DOE) to support development of innovative technologies and American manufacturing of zero emission transportation technologies. The legislation also provides the Secretary of Energy with resources to enable reinvestments in American energy communities while reducing electricity ratepayer costs.

Climate Pollution Reduction Grants:

The Build Back Better Act invests $5 billion through Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for states, municipalities, and Indian Tribes to develop and implement plans to reduce climate pollution. The legislation provides $250 million to develop plans and directs EPA to make planning grants to at least one recipient in each state. EPA will then competitively award $4.75 billion to implement the plans to reduce climate pollution.

Electric Transmission:

The Build Back Better Act invests $2.9 billion into creating a 21st Century energy grid capable of ensuring the reliable delivery of clean energy throughout the United States. The legislation funds grants to assist states with siting transmission projects, funds DOE's transmission planning and modeling capabilities, and provides grants and loans for constructing high priority transmission lines and modernizing critical grid infrastructure. These measures will reduce consumer costs, maintain the reliable delivery of electricity during extreme weather events, and are necessary to address the climate crisis.

Electric Vehicles:

The Build Back Better Act invests $1 billion in zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure to support development of an electric vehicle charging network and hydrogen fueling infrastructure to assist the transition to zero emissions vehicles. This funding will go toward construction of charging infrastructure in publicly accessible, underserved locations.

Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles:

The Build Back Better Act invests $5 billion in replacing certain heavy-duty vehicles, such as refuse trucks and school buses, with zero emission vehicles through a new grant program at the EPA. In addition to funding new clean vehicles, this program will provide funds for associated infrastructure and workforce development and training.

Appliance and Building Efficiency Rebates:

The Build Back Better Act invests $12.5 billion in home energy efficiency and appliance electrification rebates. Buildings account for some 30 percent of greenhouse gas pollution in the United States. Reducing energy usage and electrifying appliances is crucial to tackling the climate crisis.

Industrial Emissions Reductions:

The Build Back Better Act invests $4 billion for installing and implementing advanced industrial technology at energy intensive industrial and manufacturing facilities. These critical investments in the hard to decarbonize industrial sector will drive large emissions reductions, while protecting jobs, competitiveness, and demonstrating the global leadership of U.S. industries.

Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants:

The Build Back Better Act invests $3 billion to community-led projects that address environmental and public health harms related to pollution and climate change. This grant program provides direct funding to the communities most impacted by climate change and environmental injustice, funding local projects and solutions to decrease pollution and increase climate readiness.

Lead Pipe Replacement:

The Build Back Better Act invests $9 billion in EPA programs for replacement of lead service lines and reduction of lead in drinking water systems throughout the country, protecting public health, putting people to work in well-paying jobs, and making good on President Biden's commitment.

Healthy Ports:

The Build Back Better Act invests $3.5 billion to reduce air pollution at ports and in the communities that surround them. Ports are vital economic lifelines in the United States, but also significant sources of pollution that contribute to climate change and threaten public health. These grants will support the purchase and installation of zero-emission equipment and technology, as well as the development of climate action plans, at ports. At least 25 percent of investments will be made at ports in nonattainment areas.

Methane Emissions Reduction Program:

The Build Back Better Act establishes a Methane Emissions Reduction Program to control excess methane pollution from the oil and gas industry above specific waste emissions thresholds. The program builds on EPA's existing Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, recognizes the cleanest performers, holds individual companies responsible for their own leaks and excess methane pollution, drives innovation in the sector, creates good-paying jobs, and supports projects to protect American communities from the effects of the climate crisis.

KEY PUBLIC SAFETY, BROADBAND, MANUFACTURING, & PRIVACY PROVISIONS:

The Build Back Better Act follows through on Democrats' commitments to continue to provide relief to struggling families and to protect consumers.

Next Generation 9-1-1 Grant Funding:

The Build Back Better Act provides $470 million for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to offer grants that support Next Generation 9-1-1 services that will make 9-1-1 service more accessible, effective, and resilient. This service would protect first responders and save lives by allowing callers to send text messages, images, or videos to 9-1-1 to help responders better assess the nature of an emergency and reach people in need.

Broadband Affordability:

The Build Back Better Act appropriates $280 million to NTIA to establish a pilot program that will provide grants to public-private partnerships for projects that increase access to affordable broadband service in urban communities, including communities of color and to low- and middle-income consumers, through long-term solutions. It also appropriates $5 million to the NTIA for an "Affordable Urban and Suburban Broadband Advisory Committee" to advise the NTIA, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Congress on ways to make broadband more affordable for urban and suburban subscribers through long-term solutions.

Access to Devices:

The Build Back Better Act helps economically vulnerable Americans acquire tools for success by providing $475 million to the NTIA to provide grants for affordable connected device programs. The funding will provide eligible households with new or refurbished computers, laptops, or tablets for free, or at reduced rates.

Student Connectivity:

The Build Back Better Act continues President Biden's and Congressional Democrats' efforts to bridge the homework gap by providing an additional $300 million to the Emergency Connectivity Fund to ensure students, school staff, and library patrons have internet connectivity and devices at locations other than a school or library.

Broadband Affordability Outreach:

The Build Back Better Act provides $100 million to the FCC to provide information and outreach to the public about the broadband and communications affordability programs administered by the FCC, such as the Emergency Broadband Benefit and Lifeline, to help connect Americans pay for phone and internet service.

Consumer Privacy and Data Protection:

The Build Back Better Act protects consumers and businesses by providing the Federal Trade Commission with $500 million to create and operate a new bureau, including by hiring technologists and other experts, dedicated to stopping unfair and deceptive acts and practices related to privacy violations, data security incidents, identity theft, and other data abuses.

Manufacturing Supply Chains:

The Build Back Better Act provides the Department of Commerce $5 billion to monitor and identify critical manufacturing supply chain vulnerabilities that imperil our national security and economic vitality and support domestic companies and other domestic entities in closing those vulnerabilities.