WASHINGTON, DC - The House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced four bipartisan public health bills that would help newborns, trauma patients, and veterinarians. The committee approved H.R. 1281, “The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act," H.R. 3548, “The Improving Trauma Care Act," H.R. 4080, “The Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act," and H.R. 1528, “The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act." One amendment was offered to H.R. 1281, online here, that will accelerate the approval process for the screening of new diseases and encourage the use of best practices.
“We have a proud record this Congress of working together, and the results to prove it with a number of public health bills that have been signed into law by President Obama," said full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “I am especially pleased that as we kick off today’s markup, committee member Gregg Harper is at the White House in the Oval Office for the signing of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act."
H.R. 2181, “The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act," introduced by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), would reauthorize the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2008 to continue federal activities that assist states in improving their newborn screening programs, supporting parent and provider newborn screening education, and ensuring laboratory quality and surveillance. The bill would also continue research on newborn screening at the National Institutes of Health.
H.R. 3548, “The Improving Trauma Care Act," introduced by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), would amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the definition of trauma by including injuries caused by thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive force. These injuries are commonly treated by burn centers.
H.R. 4080, “The Trauma systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act," introduced by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Rep. Gene Greene (D-TX), would reauthorize Trauma Care Systems Planning Grants, which support state and rural development of trauma systems. It would also reauthorize pilot projects to implement and assess regionalized emergency care models.
H.R. 1528, “The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act," introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), would amend the Controlled Substances Act to clarify that a veterinarian who has registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration may transport, administer, and dispense controlled substances, in the regular course of veterinary practice, without having to obtain separate registrations for each activity. This bill would allow veterinarians to dispense substances in the usual course of veterinary practice at a site other than their registered principal place of business, as long as the veterinarian is licensed in each state in which they practice.
