Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

Monday, December 08, 2008

Capitol Hill Watch

      Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) announced Friday that he will step down from his seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 111th Congress to concentrate on health care reform, CQ HealthBeat reports. "As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I expect to lead a very full agenda in the next Congress, including working with [President-elect] Obama to guarantee affordable health care, at long last, for every American," Kennedy said. A top aide said health care overhaul will be "priority one, two and three" for Kennedy.

CQ HealthBeat reports that Kennedy has been coordinating with the Obama team on potential health care reform plans and has worked with other Democrats, such as Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.). According to CQ HealthBeat, Kennedy and Baucus are planning to introduce health care overhaul legislation early in the 111th Congress, either separately or under a "one bill" approach pushed by Kennedy.

Kennedy currently is chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. According to an aide, Kennedy will keep his seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and will continue to be chair of its Seapower subcommittee (Armstrong/Perine, CQ HealthBeat, 12/5). The Boston Globe's "Political Intelligence" blog reports that Kennedy's action honors a request made last month by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for Democratic caucus members to relinquish some of their committee assignments to allow for opportunities for the eight new Democrats elected to the Senate (Smith, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 12/5).

Kennedy expects to return to the Senate full-time in January after an absence following his diagnosis of brain cancer in May (CQ HealthBeat, 12/5). A Judiciary Committee spokesperson said it is too early to know who will replace Kennedy on the committee (Friedman, CongressDaily, 12/5).