A Bill is a proposal for new law or a change to existing law that is debated and voted on in Parliament. Once passed it is known as an Act of Parliament and is legally binding. Bills are drafted by Departments and MLAs and are considered at various stages. During each stage the Bill is open to amendments from members and stakeholders. Once the final version of the Bill is agreed it is sent to the reigning monarch (known as Royal Assent) and becomes a law.
Local Impacts
The bill contains key provisions that affect local governments, including preserving the municipal bond tax-exemption and restoring funding for the Federal Highway Administration’s surface transportation programs. The bill also expands state and local homeland security grants, including $10 billion for border security and $1 billion to support partnerships between local government and Border Patrol agencies to enhance security preparedness.
Health Provisions
The Senate bill includes a number of controversial changes to the Affordable Care Act, many of which would significantly increase costs for middle-income households and could leave 10 million Americans without insurance in 2034. It also includes a measure that could prevent workers who lose their jobs from collecting unemployment benefits and imposes work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries.
The bill also temporarily raises limits on state and local tax deductions for householders earning up to $500,000 per year, with phaseouts beginning at $50,000. It also modifies the requirement that states impose cost sharing for Medicaid expansion adults, excluding primary care, behavioral health clinicals, and rural health clinics from the list of cost-sharing services.