Gus Bilirakis: “I thank the chairman for doing an outstanding job this year passing all 12 appropriations bills. Mr. Speaker, I support…”

“I thank the chairman for doing an outstanding job this year passing all 12 appropriations bills. Mr. Speaker, I support passage of this CR which includes three provisions of mine. It will reauthorize the Community Health Center program, providing $3.6 billion per year for the next 2 years. Community health centers have a proven track record of providing high-quality, cost-efficient healthcare to approximately 25 million Americans and have long enjoyed bipartisan support because they are a prime example of what is working in our healthcare system. The CR updates the civil and criminal penalties in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Many haven't been updated in over 20 years. It also repeals the Medicare therapy cap. This will ensure that patients who need physical, speech, or occupational therapy services can receive them without fear of losing their benefits if they hit an arbitrary cap. This is so important to our seniors, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.”