WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Subcommittee on Health Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed four public health bills. The bills now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
H.R. 1222, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2017, authored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), passed the House by a vote of 355-7. H.R. 1222 first passed the House in February 2018 by a vote of 394-7. The Senate passed the bill, with an amendment, earlier this month by unanimous consent.
* H.R. 1222 reauthorizes congenital heart disease (CHD) research and surveillance activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and directs the National Institutes of Health to report on ongoing research CHD efforts.
S. 2076, the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, authored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), passed the House by a vote of 361-3. Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) introduced a companion bill in the House.
* S. 2076 amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for training and support services for Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
S. 2278, the State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018, authored by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), passed the House by a vote of 357-4. Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) introduced a companion bill in the House.
* S. 2278 amends the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to improve health care in rural areas.
H.R. 6615, the Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2018, authored by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), passed the House by a vote of 352-6. H.R. 6615 first passed the House last week by voice vote. The Senate passed the bill, with an amendment, yesterday by unanimous consent.
* H.R. 6615 reauthorizes the CDC’s Traumatic Brain Injury initiatives, consistent with FY19 appropriations, and establishes a national concussion surveillance system.
“Today’s bipartisan legislation is a continuation of the hard work our committee has done this Congress to protect and improve the health of all Americans," said Chairman Walden and #SubHealth Chairman Burgess. “From reauthorizing programs so we can better treat and understand congenital heart defects to improving access to healthcare in rural areas, these bills will have a profound effect on the lives of children, families, and patients all across the country."
Chairman Walden continued, “As the parent of a child who died from a congenital heart defect, I know how much today’s vote on H.R. 1222 gives hope to the parents, infants and adults across the country living with the effects of Congenital Heart Disease - the most common birth defect and the leading cause of birth defect-related infant mortality."
