KATHERINE CRUZ

Draft Higher Education Act Reauthorization Issues: Support affordable income driven repayment plans for borrowers. Oppose cuts to graduate/professional student loan and repayment plans, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and elimination of GradPLUS loans. H.R.4985/S.3175 - Expanding Medical Education Act Issue: Support grants to create, expand, and support medical schools and regional medical campuses, including minority serving institutions (MSIs). Draft Pathway to Practice Act Issue: Support Pathway to Practice medical school scholarships and graduate medical education (GME) positions for underrepresented students. Draft National Medical Corps Act Issue: Support improving the pathway from community college to careers in medicine. Issue: Educate Congress and the administration on the impact of medical education debt on career decisions like specialty choice. Issue: Educate Congress on the role academic medicine can serve with the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys. Issue: Support the elimination of taxes on non-tuition student scholarship and grant aid. H.R.6585 - Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act Issue: Oppose limiting financial aid access for students at institutions subject to the endowment tax. H.R.6077 - Protecting Our Students by Terminating Graduate Rates that Add to Debt (POST GRAD) Act Issue: Support reinstating graduate student eligibility for Federal Direct Subsidized Loans. H.R.6951 - College Cost Reduction Act Issue: Oppose elimination of GradPLUS loans and other limitations on graduate/professional borrowing. Support eliminating student loan origination fees and interest capitalization. H.R.7725/S.4115 - Embracing anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula, and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act Issue: Oppose policies that prohibit graduate medical schools from receiving federal financial assistance if they or accrediting associations adopt certain policies and requirements relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. S.4031 - Providing Resources and Opportunities for Health Education and Learning (PRO-HEAL) Act Issue: Support HRSA grants to expand provider pipeline programs to create pathways to health care careers. H.R.7258/S.3968 - Community Training, Education, and Access for Medical Education, and Access for Medical Students (TEAMS) Act Issue: Support enhanced community-based training opportunities for medical students, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas, and fostering long-term sustainable physician practices in high-need communities. H.R.7153 - Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act Issue: Support ability of HRSA to implement evidenced-based practices for preventing suicide and improving mental health and resiliency among health care professionals, and for training health care professionals in appropriate strategies to address substance use disorders.

H.R.3046/S.1403 - Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2023 Issue: Support grants for primary care training in medically under-resourced communities. Draft Social Determinants Accelerator Act Issue: Support grants to address social determinants of health. Draft Health Equity and Accountability Act Issue: Support programs to improve health equity and address social determinants of health. S.2333 - Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Response Act H.R.4420 - Preparedness and Response Reauthorization Act H.R.4421 - Preparing for All Hazards and Pathogens Reauthorization Act H.R.4697 - Protecting PAHPA Act of 2023 Issues: Support the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act with increased funding authorization levels. Issue: Support authorities to strengthen CDCs and ASPRs ability to prevent and respond to existing and emerging threats. S.1995 - Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act Issue: Support investments in core public health infrastructure. Issue: Educate Congress on how the 340B Drug Pricing Program helps safety-net providers to fulfill their missions and care for patients and communities. Support measures to preserve and strengthen the 340B Drug Pricing Program and oppose efforts to reduce the scope of the program, restrict the use of contract pharmacies, define patient in the context of the program, and impose additional reporting requirements on 340B hospitals. H.R.2534 - Preserving Rules Ordered for the Entities Covered Through 340B Act of 2023 (PROTECT 340B Act) Issue: Support measures to prevent pharmacy benefit managers and commercial insurers from imposing discriminatory reimbursement policies on 340B covered entities. H.R.3290 - To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to ensure transparency and oversight of the 340B drug discount program. Issue: Oppose efforts to impose additional reporting requirements on 340B hospitals. Draft Supporting Underserved and Strengthening Transparency, Accountability, and Integrity Now and for the Future of 340B (SUSTAIN 340B) Act Issue: Support efforts to prohibit pharmaceutical and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) discrimination against covered entities. Oppose efforts to define patient in the context of the program. Oppose efforts to impose additional administrative and reporting requirements on 340B hospitals. Issue: Educate Congress about the impacts of drug shortages on academic medical centers and the patients they serve. Support measures to address drug shortages and strengthen the pharmaceutical supply chain. Issue: Oppose insurance plans that do not meet Affordable Care Act requirements. Issue: Support policies to improve maternal health outcomes through expanded Medicaid coverage, enhanced data collection, and improved access to behavioral health care during the perinatal period. H.R.3838/S.2415 - Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act Issue: Support continued federal funding for state-based maternal mortality review committees. H.R.2369 - Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act of 2023 Issue: Educate Congress on development of laboratory developed tests (LDTs) at academic medical centers and oppose policies that would increase burdensome regulations and negatively impact patients access to care by allowing FDA regulation of the development of LDTs at academic medical centers. Issue: Educate Congress on the medical education and training continuum, the annual residency Match, and the role of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in medical education and residency. Issue: Provide guidance on the implementation of the No Surprises Act (P.L.116-260). Issue: Educate Congress and the administration on the role of academic medicine in the provision of mental and behavioral health care, including initiatives to respond to the opioid epidemic. Support policies to strengthen the behavioral health workforce, promote the uptake of integrated behavioral health models, advance mental health research, and ensure access to coverage and care. Issue: Educate Congress about the financial challenges facing academic medical centers, including reimbursement challenges, workforce challenges, inflation, and others. Issue: Educate Congress and the administration about the impact of the unwinding of the COVID-19 public health emergency on the academic medicine community and the patients they serve. H.R.3887 - Childrens Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2023 H.R.3841 - To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the program of payments to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs Issue: Support clean reauthorization of the Childrens Hospital GME program. Issue: Express concern regarding actions to inappropriately undermine FDA regulatory authority. Issue: Educate Congress and the administration about medical education on nutrition, hunger, and health; reproductive health; substance use disorders; medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders; trans health; preventing fraud and abuse; diversity, equity, and inclusion; menopause management; health care for people with disabilities; and maternal health. Issue: Educate Congress on resident expectations related to clinical practice and oppose so-called physician service mandates. H.R.7855 - Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2024 Issue: Support codification of HRSAs rural residency planning and development program. Issue: Educate Congress on vaccine safety.

H.R.4942/S.665 - Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act H.R.4875 - Doctors in our Borders Act Issue: Support expansion of the Conrad 30 program and improvements to physician immigration. Issue: Educate Congress on policies allowing undocumented students to attend U.S. medical schools and graduate medical education. S.3211 - Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act Issue: Support reduction of green card backlogs for health professionals.

P.L.118-47 - Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. S.2624 - Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 H.R.5894 - House FY 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies spending bill Issues: Support increased funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Childrens Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hospital Preparedness Program, and biodefense, emerging special pathogens and public health preparedness programs. Support mandatory funding for public health preparedness. Oppose limitations on facilities and administrative reimbursement and on salary support. Maintain NIH salary cap at Executive Level II. Support animal research and oppose efforts to increase burden on researchers unnecessarily. Ensure investment in Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) does not supplant NIH funding. Oppose arbitrary restrictions on specific types and sites of research. Support reproductive health training, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Support funding for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) workforce programs. Support funding for CDC Social Determinants of Health program (SDOH), Prevention Research Centers, hospital-based and community violence interventions, data modernization, advanced molecular detection, outbreak forecasting, and climate and health, and gun violence prevention research. Support funding to combat the opioid epidemic. Support ongoing investment in public health infrastructure. Support funding for maternal health. Support expansion of CDC-supported genomic sequencing. Support robust 302(b) allocation and funding for non-defense discretionary programs. Support funding for Hepatitis-C proposal. P.L.118-42 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 H.R.5893 - House FY 2024 Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Spending Bill S.2321 - Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 Issue: Support funding for the National Science Foundation. P.L.118-42 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 H.R.4366/S.2127 - Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 Issue: Support funding for the VA medical and prosthetic research program. P.L.118-42 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 H.R.4821/S.2605 - Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 Issue: Support funding for Indian Health Service workforce programs, including graduate medical education partnerships with academic medical centers. P.L.118-42 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 Issue: Support extension of funding for Teaching Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps. P.L.118-5 - Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 Issue: Oppose cuts to discretionary spending. Issue: Ensure robust non-defense discretionary spending levels. S.862 - Restoring Americas Health Care Workforce and Readiness Act Issue: Support extension of National Health Service Corps funding. Issue: Support providing discretionary funds for rural teaching hospitals to expand their residency programs. P.L.118-15 - Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act P.L.118-22 - Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Issue: Support continuation of federal funding. FY 2025 Presidents Budget Request on Health and Human Services Draft House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Bills Issue: Support increased funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Childrens Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hospital Preparedness Program, and biodefense, emerging special pathogens and public health preparedness programs. Support mandatory funding for public health preparedness. Oppose limitations on facilities and administrative reimbursement and on salary support. Maintain NIH salary cap at Executive Level II. Ensure investment in Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) does not supplant NIH funding. Support funding for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII and VIII workforce programs. Support funding for CDC Social Determinants of Health program (SDOH), Prevention Research Centers, hospital-based and community violence interventions, data modernization, advanced molecular detection, outbreak forecasting, and climate and health, and gun violence prevention research. Presidents Request on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Draft House and Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bills Issue: Support increased funding for the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program. H.R.485 - Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023 Issue: Preserve funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund S.2840 - Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act Issue: Oppose cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund. Support workforce investments and extension of National Health Service Corps funding.

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES