Sam Cooke sang it best
Change is gonna come. Step up
Make it what you want
Publication Notice: Congress is expected to recess for the month of October through the November elections – so our newsletter will also take a pause. We expect to resume our regular publication schedule the week of November 4th with coverage of the likely impact of the results of the congressional and presidential elections.
Get out and participate!
The Rundown
- Congress passes continuing resolution and heads back home for the election season
- Dates to know for the 2024 elections
- Resource for 2024 election activity
- What’s up, NC delegation?
- The latest from our desks
- Join the Duke Health Advocacy Network!
Federal Updates
The lights stay on! But dim until November
And just like that, Congress is gone until November. If it seems to you that they just got back, you wouldn’t be wrong. It was a quick three weeks, with a few fireworks, but it ultimately ended up where we all expected it to: a continuing resolution (CR) funding the federal government at current spending levels through mid-December.
On Wednesday, both the House and Senate easily cleared the short-term spending bill, kicking the ongoing debate over federal spending to after the November elections with the lame-duck session of Congress. December will be a busy time in Congress as they attempt to tackle this government funding, extend the farm bill, and approve the annual defense authorization bill, all while dealing with the ramifications of the November elections. Seems doable, right?
While a CR keeps the government funded, operating under a CR provides uncertainty to federal agencies that rely on discretionary funding, including agencies at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Our team will continue to urge swift passage of final spending bills. If you have any questions about the guidance HHS provides under a CR, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office.
Congress will return with a long to-do list and not a lot of time to get it all done. This includes a possible longer-term funding deal, a potential fix to proposed Medicare physician pay cuts, extension of telehealth flexibilities, an attempt at privacy legislation, and tackling the expirations of a number of key federal initiatives, including pandemic preparedness. Typically, Congress comes together in a lame duck session to pass one or two larger, omnibus pieces of legislation to help clear the decks for the next session – but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has warned that his Republican majority will not take up the usual holiday season omnibus. It’s easy to say that in September before the elections – and the results will play a role in what comes next. We’ll be ready.
It's all about those dates
There are 40 days until Election Day (November 5) and we want to make sure you have all the information you need to participate. Here are some key dates for you to be aware of:
Voter Registration:
- October 11 – Deadline to register to vote in person on Election Day in North Carolina
- Can also register and vote on the same day during Early Voting
Early Voting:
- October 17 – November 2
- October 29 — NC Absentee Ballot Request Deadline
- November 5 — NC Absentee Ballot Return Deadline
During early voting:
- you can vote at any polling location in the county where you are registered;
- same day registration is available during the early voting period and you can also make updates to your registration (excluding party affiliation changes).
Early voting locations in counties across North Carolina can be found on the State Board of Elections website. Durham County voters can cast their ballots during early voting at Karsh Alumni Center on Duke’s campus. Karsh is NOT an Election Day polling location.
Voter ID
North Carolina voters are now required to show a valid form of photo identification at the polls. Acceptable IDs include an NC driver’s license, US Passport or Passport Card, NC voter photo ID card issued by a county board of elections, and an out of state driver’s license if you registered to vote within 90 days of the election.
Voting, Political Activity, and Engagement with Government Officials
As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, Duke must abide by federal and state laws regarding political activities. Duke employees are prohibited from using Duke facilities, funds, services, or other resources to support or oppose individuals or organizations campaigning for public office. All groups and individuals should consult with Duke’s government relations offices when planning events or engagements involving government officials.
For more information, view Duke’s policy here. Please reach out to us with any questions at govrelations@dm.duke.edu.
What’s Up NC Delegation
Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) introduced the Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2024, which would add medical laboratory professionals to the National Health Service Corps and provide grants to accredited institutions to train more clinical lab staff. This legislation would support patients by helping to address the current national shortage of clinical lab professionals. A press release about the legislation is available here.
From our desk(s): Duke Health GR this week
Our team participated in the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) Government Relations Representatives (GRR) meeting and the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Government Relations Officers Network meeting to discuss legislation affecting teaching hospitals and medical schools and to connect with congressional staff on key policy issues.
Our office met with government relations/policy staff for the American College of Emergency Physicians to learn more about their advocacy priorities and areas of common interest. We also participated in the monthly call of the National Association of ACOs to hear advocacy updates on issues impacting accountable care organizations.
A few weeks ago, Johnson & Johnson announced its decision to replace upfront 340B discounts with a retrospective rebate model for certain drugs purchased by disproportionate share hospitals (DSH) like Duke University Hospital. Our team urged members of the NC congressional delegation to sign a letter circulating in the US House asking HHS to take action to prevent this model from taking effect. At our team’s request, Reps. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04) and Kathy Manning (R-NC-06) signed onto the bipartisan letter.
Join the Duke Health Advocacy Network!
Looking for more opportunities to connect with fellow advocates and professionals interested in public policy across the health system? Join the Duke Health Advocacy Teams Channel! We’re growing leaps and bounds and hope you’ll consider joining us!
Managed and moderated by Duke Health Government Relations and Duke State Relations, the purpose of the platform is for you to connect with your colleagues throughout the health system who are engaged and/or interested in public policy advocacy. We hope the channel will be used as a space for sharing ideas, collaboration, and engaging with the government relations teams on the issues most important to your work.
We encourage you to explore the channel, as we will post relevant news items, policy updates, questions, advocacy resources, and opportunities for engagement. As importantly, this is your space to do the same and to help grow the community.
Click to Join
(Note: This is only open to Duke Health employees. By joining this teams channel, you acknowledge that the platform and your participation are intended for information sharing and connections/relationship building and is not an inducement by Duke Health Government Relations and Duke State Relations, or the channel’s participants, to act as an unauthorized advocacy and/or lobbying representative of Duke Health or Duke University).