HCAOA The Voice Winter 2020

9 Winter 2020 MEMBER NEWS Opportunities, Challenges for HCAOA with 117th Congress By Patrick Cooney President, The Federal Group, Inc. AS THE 116TH CONGRESS COMES TO A CLOSE THIS MONTH, we begin considering a home care agenda for the 117th Congress. While two Senate races in Georgia remain undecided until the runoff on January 5, what we know is that whichever party holds the majority will have a difficult task in moving legislation that does not have bipartisan support. In the House, the majority lost several seats to Republicans which will similarly require more compromise to get legislation done. President-Elect Joe Biden will have a difficult but not impossible task in working with Congress. His advantage is that he knows well how Congress works. He was sworn into office in the Senate at age 30 on January 3, 1973. He was re-elected six times, resigning on January 15, 2009. The following are policy focus areas for the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) in this upcoming Congress: COVID-19 Relief Efforts The 117th Congress will attempt to provide additional support to businesses, schools, and the general public as we continue testing for COVID-19 and distributing vaccines. The last COVID-19 relief bill signed into law was in April of 2020. HCAOA will be pushing to ensure home care is recognized along with other providers caring for seniors. Access to child care benefits and funding for small business loans will be important as will access to personal protective equipment as supply chain issues continue. continues on next page »