WASHINGTON, DC - The House of Representatives today passed four bipartisan Energy and Commerce Committee bills that will advance our public health efforts.
“These bipartisan bills will help ensure our communities, and country as a whole, maintain a skilled health workforce," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and #SubHealth Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX). “They will boost critical training and educational services, while also bolstering recruitment and retention of these specialized health professionals. Following today’s strong votes to advance these critical authorizations, we encourage our Senate colleagues to quickly follow suit."
Passing the House today was:
H.R. 3728, the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency Readiness (EMPOWER) Act, authored by #SubHealth Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN), passed the House by voice vote.
* H.R. 3728 will amend Title VII of the PHSA to reauthorize the health professions workforce programs that support loan repayment and provider training experiences in primary care, dentistry, rural or underserved areas, and in community-based settings. These programs include the Centers of Excellence, the Health Professions Training for Diversity Program, Primary Care Training and Enhancement grants, Training in General Pediatric and Public Health Dentistry grants, Area Health Education Centers, the National Center for Healthcare Workforce Analysis, and Public Health Workforce grants. H.R. 3728 will also restructure the geriatric health professional grant program to reflect changes that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has pursued to enhance outcomes for geriatric patients. H.R. 3728 was the subject of a September 2017 legislative hearing.
* H.R. 3728 passed the Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month, by voice vote.
H.R. 5385, the Dr. Benjy Frances Brooks Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2018, authored by #SubHealth Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX) and #SubHealth Chairman Burgess, passed the House by voice vote.
* H.R. 5385 will reauthorize the Children’s Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program for five years. H.R. 5385 was the subject of a May 2018 legislative hearing.
* H.R. 5385 passed the Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month, by voice vote.
H.R. 1676, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act, authored by Reps. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY), and Buddy Carter (R-GA), passed the House by voice vote.
* H.R. 1676 will direct HHS to award grants to improve the training of health professionals in palliative care. It will also increase education and awareness about the benefits and services of palliative care, and also enhances research on palliative care through leveraging existing authorities and funds at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The text of H.R. 1676 was the subject of a September 2016 (previous Congress) legislative hearing.
* H.R. 1676 passed the Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month, by voice vote.
H.R. 959, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017, authored by Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), passed the House by voice vote.
* H.R. 959 will amend Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to reauthorize nursing workforce development programs, which support the recruitment, retention, and advanced education of skilled nursing professionals. The bill also extends advanced education nursing grants to support clinical nurse specialists and clinical nurse leaders, defines nurse-managed health clinics, adds clinical nurse specialists to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education, and reauthorizes loan repayments, scholarships, and grants for education, practice, quality and retention. H.R. 959 was the subject of a September 2017 legislative hearing.
* H.R. 959 passed the Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month, by voice vote.
