Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) released the following joint statement after the House of Representatives passed four public health bills:
“This week, the House passed bipartisan legislation to support the health and well-being of the American people and invest in our nation’s public health infrastructure. Taken together these bills will guide the advancement of pharmaceutical manufacturing, support community-based drug prevention coalitions, respond to the ongoing opioid epidemic, bolster our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and better prepare us for future public health emergencies. We’re proud of the House’s bipartisan work to pass these timely bills and urge swift passage in the Senate."
The House of Representatives passed the following four bills:
H.R. 4369, the “National Centers of Excellence in Advanced and Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act," was introduced by Pallone and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Brett Guthrie (R-KY). The bill would amend the 21st Century Cures Act to provide the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to designate institutions of higher education that provide research, data, and leadership on advanced and continuous manufacturing for pharmaceuticals as National Centers of Excellence in Advanced and Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. Such Centers would work with FDA to craft a national framework for advanced and continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing, including workforce development, standardization, and collaboration with manufacturers. The bill passed on the House Floor by a vote of 368-56.
H.R. 3635, the “Strengthening America’s Strategic National Stockpile Act of 2021," was introduced by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and 15 other original cosponsors. The bill would enhance the capabilities of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) in order to ensure the federal government can sufficiently respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future public health emergencies that require distributions of drugs, devices, vaccines, or other ancillary medical supplies from the SNS. The bill passed on the House Floor by a vote of 397-22.
H.R. 654, the “Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act," was introduced by Reps. David Joyce (R-OH) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA). The bill would waive a federal grantee’s matching requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic if they are unable to meet the match for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, which is a program that supports community-based drug prevention coalitions in the United States. The bill also would increase the resources made available for evaluation and administrative expenses of the Drug-Free Communities Support Program by raising the program’s administrative cap from eight percent to 12 percent. The bill passed on the House Floor by a vote of 395-30.
H.R. 2379, the “State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021," was introduced by Reps. David Trone (D-MD) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ). The bill would amend the 21st Century Cures Act to authorize the State Opioid Response (SOR) Program and harmonize the uses of these grants with funding provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The bill would also require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess how grant funding is allocated to states, state perspectives on funding levels, and how grant funding is awarded under similar programs. The bill passed on the House Floor by a vote of 380-46.
