H.R. 3055

Highlights

This bill provides continuing FY2020 appropriations to federal agencies through December 20, 2019, and extends several expiring authorities and programs.

It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and prevents a government shutdown that would otherwise occur if the FY2020 appropriations bills have not been enacted when the existing CR expires after November 21, 2019.

The bill also provides a pay raise for the military, repeals a rescission of state highway funding, and modifies the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

Full Summary

Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Further Health Extenders Act of 2019

DIVISION A--FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020

Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020

(Sec. 101) This section provides continuing FY2020 appropriations to federal agencies through December 20, 2019.

It funds most programs and activities at the FY2019 levels with several exceptions that provide funding flexibility or additional appropriations for

• the 2020 Census;
• the Indian Health Service;
• Ebola preparedness and response activities;
• the Commodity Supplemental Food Program;
• a 3.1% pay raise for the military;
• the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program; and
• a death gratuity to Maya M. Rockeymoore, the widow of the late Congressman Elijah E. Cummings.

This section also has the effect of further extending through December 20, 2019, several authorities and programs that were extended in the existing CR, including the

• the National Flood Insurance Program,
• several authorities related to immigration,
• the Calfed Bay-Delta Authorization Act,
• the Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity,
• the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and
• the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

DIVISION B--HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES EXTENDERS AND OTHER MATTERS

TITLE I--PUBLIC HEALTH EXTENDERS

(Sec. 1101) This title extends (1) the Community Health Center Fund, which provides enhanced funding for community health centers and the National Health Service Corps; and (2) payments to teaching health centers that operate graduate medical education programs.

(Sec. 1102) The title also extends the Special Diabetes Program, which is administered by the National Institutes of Health, and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, which is administered by the Indian Health Service.

TITLE II--OTHER HEALTH EXTENDERS

(Sec. 1201) This title extends funding for sexual-risk avoidance education.

(Sec. 1202) The title also extends funding for personal-responsibility education.

TITLE III--MEDICAID EXTENDERS

(Sec. 1301) This title extends the Medicaid demonstration program for certified community behavioral health clinics.

(Sec. 1302) The title also continues to apply an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for U.S. territories under Medicaid.

(Sec. 1303) The title delays certain reductions to Medicaid disproportionate-share hospital allotments.

TITLE IV--MEDICARE EXTENDERS

(Sec. 1401) This title extends funding for certain Medicare quality-measurement activities.

(Sec. 1402) The title also extends funding for state health insurance programs, area agencies on aging, aging and disability resource centers, and technical assistance related to outreach and enrollment.

(Sec. 1403) The title delays termination of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund, which supports comparative clinical effectiveness research and related efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate and disseminate such research.

TITLE V--HUMAN SERVICES EXTENDERS

(Sec. 1501) This title extends demonstration projects addressing health-professions workforce needs.

(Sec. 1502) The title also extends Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program grants to states and related assistance grants to U.S. territories.

TITLE VI--MISCELLANEOUS POLICIES

(Sec. 1601) This title extends a provision that prohibits the Indian Health Service from disbursing funds for health care services to any Alaska Native village or Alaska Native village corporation that is located within the area served by an Alaska Native regional health entity.

(Sec. 1602) The title also reduces funding available to the Medicaid Improvement Fund beginning in FY2025 for state activities relating to mechanized claims systems.

TITLE VII--OTHER MATTERS

United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund Clarification Act

(Sec. 1701) This section authorizes a third round of payments from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund to compensate two new categories of claimants: (1) spouses and dependents of 9/11 victims, and (2) victims of the Iran hostage crisis who were held hostage for less than 444 days.

(Sec 1702) This section repeals a provision in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) that would permanently rescind $7.569 billion in highway funding from the states in FY2020.

(Sec. 1703) This section extends certain provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that address authorities for wiretaps and accessing business records during foreign intelligence and terrorism investigations.

TITLE VIII--BUDGETARY EFFECTS

(Sec. 1801) This section exempts the budgetary effects of this division from (1) the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010, (2) the Senate PAYGO rule, and (3) certain budget scorekeeping rules.

It also requires any debit on the statutory PAYGO scorecard for 2020 that remains at the end of the first session of the 116th Congress to be moved to the scorecard for 2021.