Senate Agrees to House-Passed Bill with One-year Cap Solution; Still Work to be Done AOTA Language Improves Cap Solution in Conference Bill
The Senate passed the conference report on the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1932) in a 51-50 vote, with the tie breaking vote cast by Vice-President Dick Cheney early Wednesday, December 21. The bill is nearly identical to the House-passed Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that includes a proposal to allow a one-year fix for the cap on outpatient occupational therapy. Due to small changes to a provision related to Medicaid liability for hospitals, and the stripping of two small policy reports that have no budget impact, the amended budget reconciliation bill must now return to the House of Representatives to be passed again in its final form. The House must adopt the Senate-amended version before the president can sign it, as the two chambers must report out identical bills. As of press time, it is unclear as to when the House will vote on the bill again, since most members have returned home for the holidays. More details available online at: http://capwiz.com/aota/issues/alert/?alertid=8330551&type=CU -- Unsubscribe? [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com Help? [EMAIL PROTECTED]