Congressional Record

Drug prices have continued to rise and become a concern for the American public. A report found that 13% of adults prescribed a diabetes medication skipped dosages, took lower dosages, or delayed filling a prescription due to the cost of insulin and other medications.

Policymakers have responded to these concerns at both the state and federal levels, with proposals from both sides of the aisle. This month, Democratic senators released legislative text on prescription drug pricing reforms that they intend to include in a revived reconciliation package.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/fy-23-reconciliation-drug-pricing-reforms

Elections are fundamental to the democratic process, but making elections work in the 21st century is becoming more and more complicated. While there are newer technologies for making the process more efficient, there are also new vulnerabilities and challenges.

In the wake of the January 6th attack on the Capitol and the effort to prevent the counting of electoral college ballots for the 2020 presidential election, reforming the Electoral Count Act of 1887 has become a priority for policymakers who think the law is unclear and vulnerable to misuse.

To dive deeper into the topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/reforming-the-electoral-count-act

In this episode, we speak with Ananda Bhatia, a congressional staffer on the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress about her recent efforts to innovate the flag request process in Congress.

The flag request process allows constituents to receive flags that have been flown on the Capitol for special occasions, but the flags can often get stuck in the process between offices. Ananda and the Modernization Staff Association have proposed a new solution for tracking these flags.

More young people are using social media than ever before. 90% of teens use social media, and 45% of teens report using social media every day. Now there is growing concern about how these sites manage young people’s private data.

Even though social media has been around for almost two decades, it still remains somewhat uncharted territory for government regulation and oversight. But concerns about how social media use is impacting youth mental health is pushing policymakers to propose reforms to current laws governing children’s privacy online.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/child-online-privacy

E-cigarettes have exploded in popularity over the last decade, but policymakers are unsure of how to address e-cigarettes' growing adoption by teens and young adults.

In March, Congress amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to give the Federal Drug Administration authority to regulate synthetic nicotine in the same way it regulates other tobacco products. Regulators hope to close the loophole that allowed companies to continue selling flavored e-cigarettes, which many say enticed teens and young adults, even after the FDA cracked down on flavored e-cigarettes back in 2020. Congress’s move to clamp down on flavored nicotine products is part of regulators and policymakers' larger push to deter rising nicotine use among teenagers.

In this episode, we speak with Taylor J. Swift of Demand Progress about the topic of congressional unionization.

In March, the House passed a resolution that would extend protections for legislative staff to unionize. As a result, staffers will soon be able to organize their offices. In this interview, Taylor answers questions about the history of unionization, the implications of this historic vote, and what staffers can and cannot bargain for.

For more information on congressional unionization, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/congressional-staff-union

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health concerns, especially in youth populations. The demand for high quality and accessible mental health care for children is at an all-time high, motivating members of Congress to take action.

For sources and more information on this episode, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/youth-mental-health-background-and-policy-issues

Rising inflation has been plaguing the Biden administration. Mounting pressure to address inflation has pushed the administration to reconsider the current tariffs on Chinese imports which were originally implemented by the Trump administration in 2018.

For more on this topic, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/revisiting-the-tariffs-on-chinese-imports

Stablecoins present a unique challenge for financial regulators and legislators. The digital currency has similarities with several existing regulated assets, meaning there are multiple ways in which stablecoin providers could be regulated. Legislators have taken an active role in examining the issue, with the House and Senate holding back to back hearings on a Treasury report on stablecoins.

For more information on this episode, check out this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/briefings/what-are-stablecoins-how-should-they-be-regulated

With student debt reaching record highs, Congress is considering ways to address the burden of student loans and the overarching problems the debt level brings. Presidents Trump and Biden extended temporary relief through the COVID pandemic, but that relief is set to expire in August. After months of rejecting calls to provide broad student loan forgiveness, President Biden has indicated that he may reverse course in the near future.

Learn more with this Prolegis Briefing:

- https://www.prolegis.com/public/briefings/student-loan-debt