Engagement
This month, Lobbyit on behalf of NEA met with Caroline Williams, a legislative assistant in the office of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to discuss the COMPETE Act and legislative momentum for STLDI reform. We discussed alternate approaches in the House, including Rep. Grothman’s COMPETE Act companion, and committees of jurisdiction that would shepherd the bills through. Caroline appreciated NEA’s support of the bill and added that they were looking to get Democrats on board as cosponsors to help move the bill through committee. She noted that, while Sen. Cruz didn’t sit on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, they had been speaking with committee staff and leadership utilizing his position on Senate Commerce to “grease the wheels.” In particular, she was eager to hear about our past engagement with CMS, adding that they hadn’t spoken directly with them but weren’t surprised that the regulatory folks were holding off until they saw legislative intent. She encouraged us to continue following up with our House and Senate contacts and to maintain the relationship with their office, while committing to flagging any relevant legislation that she saw in the future. In short, it was a very productive meeting.