Human Services & Education Policy Steering Committee

On November 14, the Public Health Funding Restoration Act (H. R. 10126/S. 5326) was introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. This legislation would address a pressing need to strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure through direct and flexible funding to local health entities. By restoring critical funding to the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), the bill aims to equip communities with the tools needed to tackle modern public health challenges, from chronic disease prevention to emergency response. 

On November 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule that, in a major advocacy win for counties, will improving access to Medicare for justice-involved individuals who are in pre-trial status or who are reentering the community. The CY 2025 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule reflects significant updates to Medicare’s “custody” definition and Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for formerly incarcerated individuals. 

On November 18, the White House submitted a $98.6 billion disaster relief funding request to Congress, outlining resources needed to address recent disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the Maui County wildfires and tornadoes in the Midwest. This funding request details what the White House is requesting, but the supplemental has only just begun the Congressional process for appropriation; final funding amounts are still uncertain. If approved, the funds would also address unmet needs from prior disasters, such as the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore City, Md.

On November 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, on a bipartisan 389-9 vote, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (H.R. 8371), known as the Dole Act. 

EPA announces proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.

On November 18, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow introduced the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, the Senate’s version of the 2024 Farm Bill.