Political Quotes

“The House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, includes many important provisions. Among them is Section 203 of Title II, Division BB, based on H.R. 7539, the Strengthening Behavioral Health Parity Act--an important step forward in improving the effective enforcement of mental health parity laws that govern group and individual health plans and coverage. I am pleased to see this legislation advance as part of our continuing efforts to ensure the promise of parity is realized for all. As Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, which has legislative jurisdiction over employee health benefit plans (including provisions of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act or ERISA) as well as oversight jurisdiction over the United States Department of Labor, I would like to provide additional clarification for the record regarding the interactions between this legislation and existing enforcement and compliance efforts by the Secretary of Labor. First, no provision of Section 203 in any way restricts, alters, or otherwise interferes with the existing enforcement and oversight authority of the Secretary of Labor, including the Secretary's authority to investigate, audit, and seek equitable or other relief to enforce any requirements of federal law.…”