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The Senate passed legislation to advance the Keystone XL pipeline after three weeks of debate, while House Republicans continued their rocky start by pulling an immigration bill from the Floor. Homeland security and immigration funding expires in one month.
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Obama Backs Down on Tax-Free College Piggybanks
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President Obama quickly backtracked on his nascent plan to tax "529" savings accounts for higher education after an outcry from parents and both Democrats and Republicans, foreshadowing just how difficult meaningful tax reform will be this term. House leaders have vowed to bring a bill to the Floor next month to protect these accounts.
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On your mark! On Monday, President Obama signals the start of the annual spending marathon with the release of his Fiscal Year 2016 budget request. Early reports indicate Obama will formally call for an end to the sequester. This budget release is seen as particularly symbolic since Obama's initiatives—including the community college proposal previewed in the State of the Union—stand little chance of passage in a Republican-controlled Congress.
Keep an eye out for further details about the "precision medicine" initiative announced today, in which he calls on Congress to invest $215 million to support personalized medicine research. The initiative seeks to use cutting-edge technology—like genomics—to match patients with treatments in a personalized way.
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What's Important to You in the Budget?
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Each year, the University of Illinois President submits "programmatic request" letters to the Illinois Congressional delegation as part of the annual appropriations process. Programmatic requests signal support for the line items in the federal budget that support UI's education, research, health, or economic development missions. If there are particular funding streams in the federal budget that are significant for your campus, college, or unit, please be sure to contact our office no later than February 23 so that we may ensure your priorities are considered by university leadership.
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Rodney Davis Touts 4-H at UIS
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Rep. Rodney Davis, who now leads the House agriculture research subcommittee, was at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) last night to speak at the kickoff of the 4-H Scholastic Achievement Program. UIS and University of Illinois Extension have partnered with 4-H to host this 8-week program, which provides 6th to 8th graders in Sangamon County with an opportunity to learn and develop new life skills. The classes this semester are being taught by eight UIS students.
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UIC Alum Chosen to Lead Key Health Panel
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The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Informational Technology (ONC) has tapped Thomas Mason, a UIC College of Medicine alum, to serve as its new Chief Medical Officer. Part of the Department of Health & Human Services, ONC coordinates national efforts to deploy the most advanced health IT.
According to an e-mail from ONC National Health IT Coordinator Karen De Salvo, Mason—a board certified internist who comes from the Cook County Health and Hospitals System in Chicago—will "lead and champion clinical oversight of ONC programs and clinical coordination within ONC. He will also regularly engage with physician organizations."
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Thank you,
Jon Pyatt and Melissa Haas | OGR Federal Relations
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