After a long and brutally divisive election season, federal lawmakers now return to Capitol Hill for the final weeks of the 118th Congress – the “lame-duck session.” After a historically unproductive two years, their to-do list remains long. However, a looming Dec. 20 deadline to pass legislation to continue to fund the government presents an opportunity to incorporate a variety of other pieces of legislation. There are three proposals in particular that The New England Council believes are critical to economic prosperity and quality of life in the region and remain our top legislative priorities for the remainder of 2024.
Extending telehealth flexibilities. Congress recognized the critical role of telehealth in health care delivery by expanding coverage during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Most recently, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 extended several Medicare telehealth flexibilities through Dec. 31, 2024. Among these was a provision allowing patients to use telehealth regardless of where they are located. These short-term extensions have been important to expand access and ensure continuity of care. We know that telehealth has been particularly beneficial in ensuring access to much-needed behavioral health services and has enabled patients in rural and underserved areas to receive quality health care services. However, without congressional action, these flexibilities will expire at year’s end. Fortunately, the House Energy & Commerce Committee has advanced bipartisan legislation that will extend these flexibilities for another two years. The New England Council supports this extension and encourages Congress to consider making these flexibilities permanent.
Affordable Connectivity Program. Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in late 2021, the Affordable Connectivity Program aims to ensure all Americans have access to high-speed internet, which has become vital to economic success in the 21st century. Administered by the Federal Communications Commission, the program provided a monthly subsidy of $30 for eligible households to use for broadband internet. It also provided a one-time $100 benefit toward the purchase of a tablet, laptop, or other device that facilitates internet access.
Since its launch in December 2021, the ACP helped more than 23 million American households gain access to affordable broadband, including more than 83,000 here in Rhode Island, and more than 800,000 across the entire New England region. Unfortunately, funding for the program ran out in April. Bipartisan legislation has been introduced to infuse another $7 billion into the program, and we are hopeful that this provision will be included in any year-end spending package so that we do not lose ground in the effort to ensure digital equity for all Americans.
E-delivery. A third top priority for the lame-duck session is the passage of legislation that would make electronic delivery – or “e-delivery” – of financial statements and disclosures the default method of delivery to investors. Bipartisan legislation passed the House earlier this year as part of a larger capital-markets package, but it has languished in the Senate. Not only is e-delivery more environmentally friendly, as it decreases paper usage and waste, but it is also a much more secure and efficient method for delivering sensitive financial information to investors – particularly amid widespread reports of postage delays and thefts. Perhaps most importantly, e-delivery is preferred by consumers. A July 2022 survey conducted by the Securities Information and Financial Markets Association found that 79% of retail investors already participate in e-delivery programs, and 85% are comfortable with e-delivery being the default. Congress should heed their constituents and include this practical update in any year-end package.
All three of these proposals represent common sense solutions, and perhaps more importantly, they all have strong bipartisan support. We believe that including these three proposals in any year-end legislative package will have a tremendous positive impact on individual New Englanders, as well as our region’s economic well-being.
James T. Brett is the CEO and president of The New England Council, a regional alliance of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and health and educational institutions supporting economic growth and quality of life in New England.
