[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 20109-20112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZE, ASSIST, INCLUDE, SUPPORT, AND ENGAGE FAMILY CAREGIVERS ACT 
                                OF 2017

  Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3759) to provide for the establishment and 
maintenance of a Family Caregiving Strategy, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3759

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Recognize, Assist, Include, 
     Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017'' or the 
     ``RAISE Family Caregivers Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Advisory council.--The term ``Advisory Council'' means 
     the Family Caregiving Advisory Council convened under section 
     4.
       (2) Family caregiver.--The term ``family caregiver'' means 
     an adult family member or other individual who has a 
     significant relationship with, and who provides a broad range 
     of assistance to, an individual with a chronic or other 
     health condition, disability, or functional limitation.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Health and Human Services.
       (4) Strategy.--The term ``Strategy'' means the Family 
     Caregiving Strategy set forth under section 3.

     SEC. 3. FAMILY CAREGIVING STRATEGY.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall develop 
     jointly with the Advisory Council and submit to the Committee 
     on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special 
     Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on Education 
     and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the 
     State agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver 
     programs, and make publicly available on the internet website 
     of the Department of Health and Human Services, a Family 
     Caregiving Strategy.
       (b) Contents.--The Strategy shall identify recommended 
     actions that Federal (under existing Federal programs), 
     State, and local governments, communities, health care 
     providers, long-term services and supports providers, and 
     others are taking, or may take, to recognize and support 
     family caregivers in a manner that reflects their diverse 
     needs, including with respect to the following:
       (1) Promoting greater adoption of person- and family-
     centered care in all health and long-term services and 
     supports settings, with the person receiving services and 
     supports and the family caregiver (as appropriate) at the 
     center of care teams.
       (2) Assessment and service planning (including care 
     transitions and coordination) involving family caregivers and 
     care recipients.
       (3) Information, education and training supports, referral, 
     and care coordination, including with respect to hospice 
     care, palliative care, and advance planning services.
       (4) Respite options.
       (5) Financial security and workplace issues.
       (6) Delivering services based on the performance, mission, 
     and purpose of a program while eliminating redundancies.
       (c) Duties of the Secretary.--The Secretary, in carrying 
     out subsection (a), shall oversee the following:
       (1) Collecting and making publicly available information 
     submitted by the Advisory Council under section 4(d) to the 
     Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the 
     Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on 
     Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, 
     and the State agencies responsible for carrying out family 
     caregiver programs, including evidence-based or promising 
     practices and innovative models (both domestic and foreign) 
     regarding the provision of care by family caregivers or 
     support for family caregivers.
       (2) Coordinating and assessing existing Federal Government 
     programs and activities to recognize and support family 
     caregivers while ensuring maximum effectiveness and avoiding 
     unnecessary duplication.
       (3) Providing technical assistance, as appropriate, such as 
     disseminating identified best practices and information 
     sharing based on reports provided under section 4(d), to 
     State or local efforts to support family caregivers.
       (d) Initial Strategy; Updates.--The Secretary shall--
       (1) not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, develop, publish, and submit to the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special 
     Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on Education 
     and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the 
     State agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver 
     programs, an initial Strategy incorporating the items 
     addressed in the

[[Page 20110]]

     Advisory Council's initial report under section 4(d) and 
     other relevant information, including best practices, for 
     recognizing and supporting family caregivers; and
       (2) biennially update, republish, and submit to the 
     Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the 
     Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on 
     Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, 
     and the State agencies responsible for carrying out family 
     caregiver programs the Strategy, taking into account the most 
     recent annual report submitted under section 4(d)(1)--
       (A) to reflect new developments, challenges, opportunities, 
     and solutions; and
       (B) to review progress based on recommendations for 
     recognizing and supporting family caregivers in the Strategy 
     and, based on the results of such review, recommend priority 
     actions for improving the implementation of such 
     recommendations, as appropriate.
       (e) Process for Public Input.--The Secretary shall 
     establish a process for public input to inform the 
     development of, and updates to, the Strategy, including a 
     process for the public to submit recommendations to the 
     Advisory Council and an opportunity for public comment on the 
     proposed Strategy.
       (f) No Preemption.--Nothing in this Act preempts any 
     authority of a State or local government to recognize or 
     support family caregivers.
       (g) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
     construed to permit the Secretary (through regulation, 
     guidance, grant criteria, or otherwise) to--
       (1) mandate, direct, or control the allocation of State or 
     local resources;
       (2) mandate the use of any of the best practices identified 
     in the reports required under this Act; or
       (3) otherwise expand the authority of the Secretary beyond 
     that expressly provided to the Secretary in this Act.

     SEC. 4. FAMILY CAREGIVING ADVISORY COUNCIL.

       (a) Convening.--The Secretary shall convene a Family 
     Caregiving Advisory Council to advise and provide 
     recommendations, including identified best practices, to the 
     Secretary on recognizing and supporting family caregivers.
       (b) Membership.--
       (1) In general.--The members of the Advisory Council shall 
     consist of--
       (A) the appointed members under paragraph (2); and
       (B) the Federal members under paragraph (3).
       (2) Appointed members.--In addition to the Federal members 
     under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall appoint not more 
     than 15 voting members of the Advisory Council who are not 
     representatives of Federal departments or agencies and who 
     shall include at least one representative of each of the 
     following:
       (A) Family caregivers.
       (B) Older adults with long-term services and supports 
     needs.
       (C) Individuals with disabilities.
       (D) Health care and social service providers.
       (E) Long-term services and supports providers.
       (F) Employers.
       (G) Paraprofessional workers.
       (H) State and local officials.
       (I) Accreditation bodies.
       (J) Veterans.
       (K) As appropriate, other experts and advocacy 
     organizations engaged in family caregiving.
       (3) Federal members.--The Federal members of the Advisory 
     Council, who shall be nonvoting members, shall consist of the 
     following:
       (A) The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & 
     Medicaid Services (or the Administrator's designee).
       (B) The Administrator of the Administration for Community 
     Living (or the Administrator's designee who has experience in 
     both aging and disability).
       (C) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or the Secretary's 
     designee).
       (D) The heads of other Federal departments or agencies (or 
     their designees), including relevant departments or agencies 
     that oversee labor and workforce, economic, government 
     financial policies, community service, and other impacted 
     populations, as appointed by the Secretary or the Chair of 
     the Advisory Council.
       (4) Diverse representation.--The Secretary shall ensure 
     that the membership of the Advisory Council reflects the 
     diversity of family caregivers and individuals receiving 
     services and supports.
       (c) Meetings.--The Advisory Council shall meet quarterly 
     during the 1-year period beginning on the date of enactment 
     of this Act and at least three times during each year 
     thereafter. Meetings of the Advisory Council shall be open to 
     the public.
       (d) Advisory Council Annual Reports.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Advisory 
     Council shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special 
     Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on Education 
     and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the 
     State agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver 
     programs, and make publicly available on the internet website 
     of the Department of Health and Human Services, a report 
     concerning the development, maintenance, and updating of the 
     Strategy, including a description of the outcomes of the 
     recommendations and any priorities included in the initial 
     report pursuant to paragraph (2), as appropriate.
       (2) Initial report.--The Advisory Council's initial report 
     under paragraph (1) shall include--
       (A) an inventory and assessment of all federally funded 
     efforts to recognize and support family caregivers and the 
     outcomes of such efforts, including analyses of the extent to 
     which federally funded efforts are reaching family caregivers 
     and gaps in such efforts;
       (B) recommendations--
       (i) to improve and better coordinate Federal programs and 
     activities to recognize and support family caregivers, as 
     well as opportunities to improve the coordination of such 
     Federal programs and activities with State programs; and
       (ii) to effectively deliver services based on the 
     performance, mission, and purpose of a program while 
     eliminating redundancies, avoiding unnecessary duplication 
     and overlap, and ensuring the needs of family caregivers are 
     met;
       (C) the identification of challenges faced by family 
     caregivers, including financial, health, and other 
     challenges, and existing approaches to address such 
     challenges; and
       (D) an evaluation of how family caregiving impacts the 
     Medicare program, the Medicaid program, and other Federal 
     programs.
       (e) Nonapplicability of FACA.--The Federal Advisory 
     Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Advisory 
     Council.

     SEC. 5. FUNDING.

       No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act. This Act shall be carried out using funds 
     otherwise authorized.

     SEC. 6. SUNSET PROVISION.

       The authority and obligations established by this Act shall 
     terminate on the date that is 3 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Estes) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3759.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 3759, the Recognize, Assist, Include, 
Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017, otherwise known as 
the RAISE Family Caregivers Act.
  Mr. Speaker, not all Americans have the luxury of complete 
independence. They may struggle to dress themselves, manage their 
retirement, or take their medications adequately. When we think of 
these instances, we may think mostly of seniors, but that is not always 
the case. Veterans, Americans with physical and mental disabilities, 
wounded warriors, and even children with medical conditions rely on a 
family caregiver to help them live their daily lives.
  Though they may have physical or functional limitations or an illness 
or chronic health condition that impedes their ability to fully care 
for themselves, many are able to remain safe and comfortable in their 
homes due to the important role of the family caregiver.
  Nationwide, there are roughly 40 million family caregivers who 
provide physical and emotional care for parents, spouses, children, and 
other loved ones in need of assistance. These caregivers are unsung 
heroes who devote both their time and resources to the day-to-day 
activities that are necessary to provide a disabled loved one with 
care.
  These activities may be to drive their loved ones to doctor 
appointments, provide them with meals, assist in the management of 
their finances, and administer at-home nursing and care so that their 
loved ones may continue to live at home.
  Taking on the role of a family caregiver is a deeply personal 
decision,

[[Page 20111]]

characterized by selflessness and compassion for a relative in need. It 
is estimated that, on average, the Nation's caregivers dedicate about 
18 hours each week to carrying out their caregiver tasks, while almost 
a third provide over 60 hours a week of care. These activities provide 
an annual economic value of $470 billion each year.
  About 60 percent of caregivers have full- or part-time jobs in 
addition to their caregiving roles, leaving them to juggle their 
caregiving obligations with their work hours and their personal and 
family time.
  The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will direct the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to develop a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to 
make recommendations regarding best practices on recognizing and 
supporting family caregivers. The council will include members from the 
public and private sectors, family caregivers, elderly Americans and 
people living with disabilities, State and local officials, and 
healthcare providers. The Secretary will then publish the council's 
findings so that the family caregivers may be equipped with the 
information that they need to be successful in their roles.
  The council will provide information about streamlining Federal and 
State activities to maximize efficiency, and it will preserve the 
integrity of family rights and person-centered care. This is an 
opportunity to help improve the quality of life of millions of 
Americans who both provide and receive familial care.
  One important provision of the RAISE Family Caregivers Act ensures 
that the Secretary of Health and Human Services is prohibited from 
mandating best practices or expanding the Federal authority in any way.
  Additionally, the bill does not authorize any additional funds for 
the formation of the council and, after 3 years, the council and its 
related activities will sunset.
  The RAISE Family Caregivers Act is an important step we can take to 
recognize the essential role of family caregivers and share important 
information so that they can better care for others. This legislation 
fulfills a bipartisan recommendation of the Federal Commission on Long-
Term Care. The Senate passed this bill earlier this year by unanimous 
consent, and the House of Representatives now has the opportunity to 
have this bill signed into law.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation so that 
family caregivers are recognized for the important role they play in 
our communities.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague from Kansas (Mr. Estes) today and 
rise in support of H.R. 3759, the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, 
and Engage Family Caregivers Act. I want to congratulate all the 
cosponsors of this bill for their good work in terms of bringing this 
forward, and, again, it looks very promising that it will be passed and 
signed into law shortly.
  Mr. Speaker, the number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected 
to reach 70 million by 2030, roughly doubling the number that existed 
in 2005. As those Americans age and require assistance with their daily 
routines--taking medication, getting dressed, cooking, and attending 
medical appointments--family caregivers will step in to make sure that 
their loved ones are safe and cared for.
  This is difficult work. For an adult child, caring for an aging 
parent can quickly become a full-time job. Between juggling 
appointments, understanding medications, helping make informed medical 
decisions, a caregiver's own priorities can take a backseat. Most 
caregivers have jobs of their own, and many care simultaneously for an 
aging parent as well as their own children.
  But caregivers are not only providing care for older Americans or 
even younger Americans with developmental disabilities. They also serve 
those who have served our country.
  I recently met with a caregiver from my district, Jessica, who cares 
for her husband, a veteran who suffered serious traumatic brain injury 
during the battle of Fallujah. Her experience managing her husband's 
complex medical needs while also raising their children goes to show 
that ensuring caregivers are supported is a national priority.
  The bill under consideration today would recognize the contribution 
that family caregivers make toward the safety and health of older 
Americans. It would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to develop and maintain a strategy to support family caregivers by 
establishing an advisory body to bring together caregivers, older 
adults, persons with disabilities, veterans, employers, and State and 
local officials. This advisory council would make recommendations for 
how to support, assist, and engage family caregivers.
  Caregivers are needed to help Americans live independently in their 
homes and communities for as long as possible. In my home State of 
Connecticut, there are 459,000 family caregivers who provide an 
estimated $5.9 billion in unpaid care, annually. Supporting older and 
disabled Americans through caregiving and ensuring caregivers are 
equipped to take on this important role benefits all Americans. 
Evidence has shown that, when caregivers are supported, patients delay 
placement in a nursing home, continuing with lower-cost, long-term 
support in the home for much longer periods of time.
  Caregiving is foundational to our long-term care system in the United 
States. This legislation is an important step to ensure this work is 
recognized and supported.
  Again, as the gentleman pointed out, the Commission on Long-Term 
Care, which was actually created by this body in 2012 as part of one of 
the budget bills that passed that year, was a group of stakeholders 
from all across the country, in various sectors, that came together and 
issued a report that, unfortunately, I don't think has gotten the focus 
and attention it needs with the demographics that our country is 
experiencing right now: the aging of our society.
  However, this is one of those recommendations for which signs of 
intelligent life appeared in Congress, and we are taking up their call 
for passing legislation like the RAISE Act.
  So again, I want to congratulate all the sponsors for coming 
together, and I am looking forward to sending this bill to the 
President for his signature.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Mississippi (Mr. Harper).
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3759, the 
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act 
of 2017, or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act. This is a bipartisan and 
bicameral bill.
  I introduced the RAISE Act in the House along with Representative 
Kathy Castor as well as Representatives Stefanik and Lujan Grisham. 
There are now 107 cosponsors of the bill. An almost identical bill, S. 
1028, introduced by Senator Collins and Senator Baldwin, passed the 
House unanimously on September 26.
  The RAISE Act is supported by a broad coalition of over 60 
organizations, from AARP to United Cerebral Palsy. But I was 
particularly inspired to introduce the RAISE Act because, frankly, like 
many of our constituents, my wife and I are caregivers for our family, 
for our adult son, Livingston, who has fragile X syndrome.
  About 12 million people of all ages need the support of family 
caregivers today, and this number will more than double by the year 
2050. By supporting family caregivers, we can help people live at home, 
where they want to be, helping to delay or prevent costlier 
institutional care and unnecessary hospitalizations, saving taxpayer 
dollars.
  The bill creates an advisory council within the Department of Health 
and Human Services to identify and recommend actions that Federal, 
State, and local governments, communities, healthcare providers, long-
term services and support providers, and others are taking, or may 
take, to recognize and support those family caregivers. The idea is to 
enhance coordination of and implementation under existing programs.

[[Page 20112]]

  I appreciate the support we have received from the Education and the 
Workforce Committee on this legislation, particularly the chair, 
Virginia Foxx. My office has worked closely with the committee, AARP, 
as well as with Representative Castor, Senator Collins, and Senator 
Baldwin, to develop a bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation with 
broad coalition support that we could successfully bring to the floor.
  CBO has scored the bill at $1 million over 50 years, but it sunsets 
in 3 years, and no new funds are authorized to be appropriated.
  This bill gives hope and comfort to the large number of family 
caregivers across the country who are often struggling to look after 
their loved ones, whether a special-needs child, a loved one with 
traumatic brain injury, or an elderly parent or a spouse.
  It is important that the Congress and the administration send this 
message of caring and support for the family caregivers across our 
Nation. I ask that Members vote ``yes'' on this bill.
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), a cosponsor of the bill, a 
former member of the Education and the Workforce Committee; and even 
though she has migrated to other committees, her heart still is with 
the mission of the Education and the Workforce Committee, which is 
obviously shown by her cosponsorship of this legislation.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. 
Courtney, for yielding the time and for his advocacy on behalf of 
America's families.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 3759, the RAISE Family Caregivers 
Act, and I want to thank my good friend and colleague Congressman Gregg 
Harper for being my partner in this endeavor to bring more attention to 
the struggle of so many families across the country for more balance, 
more support, when they must take care of a sick family member or a 
friend.
  I would also like to thank Senator Susan Collins and Senator Tammy 
Baldwin, who have been tireless champions for caregivers and their 
families.
  Family caregiving has become the new normal in healthcare here in 
America because it is oftentimes astronomically expensive to hire a 
caregiver or to get a little respite. Some do, but for many families, 
the better decision is a tough one, oftentimes, to make a very 
significant personal sacrifice: quit your job or go part-time while 
they devote themselves to their loved one.
  All too often, caregivers are the only support system for their child 
with special needs or an aging family member, and they have little to 
no support for themselves.
  Many of America's veterans stay integrated in communities because of 
the sacrifices of their family members to make sure that they get out 
and about and get to their appointments and get the care and 
interaction that they need.

                              {time}  1645

  Family caregivers help with many basic activities, like eating, 
dressing, transportation, bathing; and sometimes they are called upon 
to do things that are a little more complicated, such as even a little 
bit of medical care or nursing care.
  Here are some of the shocking statistics: about 40 million family 
caregivers provide about $470 billion annually in unpaid care to their 
loved ones, and about 3.7 million family caregivers provide care to a 
child under the age of 18 due to a medical or behavioral condition or 
disability.
  Because of the massive commitment of time, many caregivers leave the 
workforce. Caregivers age 50 and older, who leave the workforce to care 
for a parent, lose, on average, nearly $304,000 in wages and benefits 
over their lifetime. Women are most often the main caregivers and their 
average is even higher, about $324,000 in lost benefits and wages.
  In my home State of Florida, there are almost 3 million caregivers at 
any given time and they provide over 2.6 billion hours of care.
  A closer look at the work-related effects, as well as the personal, 
financial, and emotional hardships, demonstrates an increasing need to 
come together to better understand the unique needs of our caregivers 
and what we can do to support them.
  That is why Congressman Harper and I introduced the bipartisanship 
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage--RAISE--Family 
Caregivers Act. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will create and 
maintain a common national family caregiver strategy led by the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services so that we can develop some 
additional support systems for the folks back home.
  Our bill will bring together a diverse spectrum of stakeholders, 
experts, folks who are working every day to take care of their loved 
ones to be a part of the advisory council that will help develop some 
additional recommendations, hopefully for this Congress.
  We must ensure that family caregivers have the resources and tools 
they need to face lost wages and the personal demands of taking care of 
their loved one while ensuring that their loved one does receive the 
best care.
  I would like to thank the AARP, the Alzheimer's Association, the 
Elizabeth Dole Foundation, the Family Caregiver Alliance, and so many 
more that have encouraged us on this important piece of legislation.
  As the complexity and intensity of family caregiving increases, I 
believe that this legislation will help boost families and allow us to 
be smart and efficient with our resources.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this important bipartisanship bill.
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the sponsors of 
this legislation and also just note that the Elizabeth Dole Foundation 
is a strong supporter. This is a group that has been formed to help 
wounded warriors in terms of getting the caregiving help that they need 
from other family members who are sometimes overlooked in terms of our 
country's appreciation for those who wear the uniform of this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I call for support for the bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, before I came to Congress in April, I served as the 
Kansas State treasurer. In that role, I had the opportunity to 
implement the ABLE Act, which was legislation that was passed here in 
the last few years.
  Talking with a lot of parents, as they were abled and concerned about 
how do they care for their disabled children, led to the creation of 
the ABLE Act. During that process, we also talked with a lot of other 
caregivers who cared for maybe senior citizens, maybe adult children 
who were in their home, and wanted to make sure that that burden that 
they faced in providing that family care was ameliorated and supported 
in any way that it could be.
  The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will help recognize the essential 
role of family caregivers and share important information so that they 
may better care for others.
  This legislation fulfills a bipartisanship recommendation from the 
Commission on Long-Term Care, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor 
of H.R. 3759.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3759, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________