Capitol Update, brought to you by the American Nurses Association
Capitol Update, a legislative newsletter for nurses
Volume 4/Issue 10 December 22, 2006
Article Photo 109th Adjourns Without Action on Funding: Wicker Rider Remains

The 109th Congress came to a close early in the morning of December 9, 2006 without finishing work on the remaining FY 2007 funding bills. At the moment, the Federal government is operating on a stop-gap funding measure that expires on February 15, 2007. Democratic leaders have vowed to pass a resolution continuing FY 2006 funding through October, 2007. This resolution will not remove the ANA-opposed Wicker rider prohibiting the fit-testing of respirators used to protect nurses from airborne biohazards.
Congress Ends With Flurry of Legislative Action

The U.S. Congress adjourned on Saturday, December 9, 2006. Thanks in part to your grassroots action, Congress approved a number of health care bills just as the Congress session came to an end. This article summarizes key provisions of legislative activities during the final days of the 109th Congress.
Q&A on the 110th Congress

On January 4th the new, 110th Congress will convene. Here is a quick Q&A on the make-up of the new Congress, and what we might expect to see when it begins its work next year.

CMS Publishes Final Rule on Patient Rights in Hospitals

On December 8, 2006, CMS published the final version of the hospital conditions of participation regarding patients' rights. The rule affects all Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals. It aims to assure the appropriateness of treatment and protection of patients by addressing the notice of rights to patients, the exercise of rights, privacy and safety, confidentiality of patient records, restraint for acute medical and surgical care, and seclusion and restraint for behavior management. It finalizes provisions from a July, 1999 interim final rule and includes revised standards regarding restraint and seclusion and sets new training requirements for staff who use restraints and seclusion when treating patients.

New Member on the ANA Government Affairs Team

As a new member to the ANA Government Affairs team, I want to introduce myself and tell CMA members how excited I am to be working with you in my new capacity as Associate Director for State Government Affairs. I am Janet Haebler, MSN, RN with more than thirty five years nursing experience, most recently with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).
copyright 2007, American Nurses Association
For more information contact:
gova@ana.org
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Nurses Win Big In Mid-Term Elections

On Tuesday, November 7, 2006, people around the United States elected 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 U.S. Senators. During this mid-term election, Democrats regained control of both houses of Congress for the first time in twelve years. Nurses' voices were heard and made the difference in the mid-term elections! Find out how YOU showed your political power in 2006!
Dems Take Over - Who's At the Helm Now?

With the Democrats making a clean sweep of both Houses of Congress, who is serving in the leadership now? And who will be chairing the committees important to ANA?
Big Changes coming to www.anapoliticalpower.org

It's been a few years, and it's time for an upgrade and facelift for http://www.anapoliticalpower.org/, ANA's Government Affairs website. ANA will begin the revitalization with some interim changes on January 1, and the full new site with easier log in, user-friendly layout and easier take action tools will be ready this spring.

Fast ANA-PAC Fact

This spring, ANA-PAC will accept new nominations from ANA's Constituent Member Associations (CMAs) for five elected PAC Board positions. A board of eleven Trustees oversees the work of the American Nurses Association Political Action Committee (ANA-PAC). These trustees are responsible for all aspects of maintaining and promoting ANA-PAC. Learn more about the PAC Board's responsibilities and how you could become a board member.
New Five Million Lives Campaign Launched

On December 12, 2006, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) launched a national campaign to dramatically reduce incidents of medical harm in U.S. hospitals, with support of key health care leaders including ANA President Rebecca Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR.