| In its budget reconciliation proposal markup this afternoon, the House Ways and Means Committee officially recommended that the House Budget Committee include the Elder Justice Reauthorization and Modernization Act of 2021 (EJRMA) in the House’s budget reconciliation package. In his opening remarks, Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) referenced the Elder Justice Coalition’s support for this legislation. This vote is a very important first step toward getting the Elder Justice Act (EJA) reauthorized and toward securing continuing funding for the Act’s programs. The budget proposal will next be considered by the House Budget Committee, which will decide whether or not to include the EJRMA in its final package, which will then be presented to the full House for a vote. The Senate must also include the EJRMA in its final budget reconciliation package in order for the reauthorization to pass. We do not yet have an initial reconciliation proposal from the Senate. The original House bill, H.R.4969, was authored by Neal with primary co-sponsor Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, co-chair of the House Elder Justice Caucus. The Senate version was authored by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the EJA and its programs in the Senate. |