Today, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a markup and passed 19 bills with bipartisan support.
TOP MOMENTS & HIGHLIGHTS ↓
Leader Rodgers: “Today is a good example of what we can accomplish when we work together. The subcommittee is voting today on 19 bills, the majority are bipartisan.
“And while there is still a lot of work to do, including finding policies to offset the legislation that increases spending, I’m optimistic that we will keep making progress to modernize our health care system, lower costs, and improve people’s lives."
The subcommittee favorably reported five bipartisan bills to full committee to combat substance use disorders, including opioids and stimulants.
Leader Rodgers:“After a year of lockdowns, fear, stress, and isolation, our communities are battling the deaths of despair. I’m very concerned about the increase in mental health emergencies, especially among young adults and children. Overdose deaths also hit record 93,000 in 2020 during the pandemic. This hits home close to me. A very loved friend of mine and Team CMR just lost her sister. My community lost two teenagers last fall to potential fentanyl exposure too. I’m sure all have stories like this. Families need hope and healing."
Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie: “One of the driving factors for this surge in overdose deaths is fentanyl. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, in 2020, more than 57,000 overdose deaths were from synthetic opioids, largely due to fentanyl. I urge my colleagues to work together to permanently add fentanyl analogues to the DEA’s schedule I of scheduled drugs. The current temporary scheduling expires on Oct. 22, 2021."
Favorably reported to full committee:
* H.R. 654, the Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act introduced by Reps. Joyce (R-OH) and Kilmer (D-WA). Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 2051, the Methamphetamine Response Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. Peters (D-CA) and Curtis (R-UT). Passed without amendment by voice vote.
* H.R. 2379, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. Trone (D-MD) and Sherrill (D-NJ). Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 2364, the Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act introduced by Reps. Kim (D-NJ) and Pappas (D-NH). Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 2355, the Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. Davis (R-IL), Bilirakis (R-FL), and Wagner (R-MO). Passed as amended by voice vote.
In addition, the subcommittee took action on bills to unleash innovation, boost access to vaccines, improve maternal health care and improve public health.
Favorably reported to full committee:
* H.R. 4369, the National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act introduced by Chairman Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Guthrie (R-KY). Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R 2503, the Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2021 introduced by Rep. Bustos (D-IL) and 22 original cosponsors. Passed as amended by voice vote. This bill passed by voice with a bipartisan agreement to continue working on improving the legislation.
* H.R. 4026, the Social Determinants of Health Data Analysis Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. Burgess (R-TX) and Blunt Rochester (D-DE). Passed without amendment by voice vote.
* H.R. 3743, the Supporting the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration Act introduced by Reps. Hudson (R-NC) and Eshoo (D-CA). Passed without amendment by voice vote.
* H.R. 550, the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act, Reps. Kuster (D-NH) and Bucshon (R-IN). Passed as amended by voice vote. Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 1550, Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education and New Treatments for HPV Cancers Act of 2021 Reps. Castor (D- FL) and Schrier (D-WA). Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 951, the Maternal Vaccination Act introduced by Rep. Sewell (D-AL) and 44 original cosponsors. Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 925, The Data to Save Moms Act introduced by Rep. Davids (D-KS) and 34 original cosponsors. Passed as amended by voice vote. This bill passed by voice with a bipartisan agreement to continue working on improving the legislation.
* H.R. 4387, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. Kelly (D-IL), Bucshon, Adams (D-NC), Burgess, Hayes (D-CT), and Latta (R-OH). Passed without amendment by voice vote.
* H.R. 3742, the “Vaccine Information for Nursing Facility Operators Act" or the “Vaccine INFO Act" introduced by Reps. Bilirakis and Rice (D-NY). Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 1978, the Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. Kuster (D-NH) and Bucshon (R-IN). Passed as amended by voice vote. Chairman Pallone, Leader Rodgers, Subcommittee Leader Guthrie discussed in debate and reached an agreement to continue working to improve legislation before reaching full committee.
* H.R. 2347, the Strengthening the Vaccines for Children Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. Schrier, Butterfield (D-NC), McKinley (R-WV), and Joyce (R-PA). Passed as amended by voice vote.
* H.R. 3894, the Collecting and Analyzing Resources Integral and Necessary for Guidance for Social Determinants Act of 2021" or the “CARING for Social Determinants Act of 2021" introduced by Reps. Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Bilirakis (R-FL). Passed as amended by voice vote.
The Health subcommittee also considered H.R. 4406, Supporting Medicaid in the U.S. Territories Act. It was introduced by introduced by Reps. Bilirakis and Soto. It provides five years of Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico and eight years of funding for the other U.S. territories.
This passed without amendment by voice vote with a commitment from the Majority to keep working before it comes to the House floor to find bipartisan offsets to fully pay for this legislation.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis: “We have an obligation to ensure a continued safety net for our most vulnerable patient populations while putting safeguards in place to strengthen accountability for the wise use of taxpayer dollars and incentivize best practices in the Medicaid program."
Leader Rodgers: “I’m grateful for the work that we’ve reached today, in terms of reaching a bipartisan framework for extending funding for the territories’ Medicaid programs. Our work here is not done, because we still have yet to identify a bipartisan way forward on paying for these policies. I do believe that we can come together to reach a deal on offsets before the bill reaches the House floor."
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“We should begin a path towards better care, and more responsible spending, and making sure Medicaid serves our most vulnerable."
