In the News

Lawmakers have introduced a new bill that, if passed, would extend funding for electronic health records (EHRs) and other technologies to behavioral health providers.

President Biden speaks about expanding access to mental health care in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

Mental health and substance use treatment and care remain elusive for too many people, despite the overwhelming need. 

It's long been taken for granted that California, and Sacramento in particular, can't be competitive in attracting manufacturing jobs, with its high costs and expensive regulations.

But since the passage of the federal CHIPS Act spurred a boom in investment in the American microchip industry, Sacramento has done pretty well in attracting its share of that money.

Think CEOs have crazy schedules? Try being a member of Congress. The most carefully planned itinerary can be scrambled — or even scuttled — thanks to a call from the White House, an emergency vote, or urgent negotiations across the aisle. “We have to be flexible, and everyone else has to be flexible. That’s what’s different from being a CEO and running a company,” says Congresswoman Doris Matsui, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2005, when she ran to fill the vacancy left by her late husband, Rep. Robert Matsui, who died while in office.

The Senate Commerce Committee easily advanced the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (S-1669) Thursday, but the measure still faces hurdles to enactment, especially in the House.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed three bills to the House floor Thursday that will reauthorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, direct the agency to conduct a feasibility assessment of a trans-Atlantic fiber optic cable, and conduct a study on accountability measures for artificial intelligence.  

More than 100 federal lawmakers called on Biden’s administration on Monday to create a federal standard for addressing heat stress in the workplace as global temperatures rise.

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla and 20 California House members, including Reps. Ami Bera and Doris Matsui, signed a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor asking them to swiftly implement a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule on dealing with extreme heat.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA) urged Congress to fully fund the “Rip & Replace” reimbursement program.