Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks today at a full Committee markup of 12 bills out of the Health, Communications and Technology, and Consumer Protection and Commerce subcommittees:
Today, the Committee will markup 12 bipartisan bills out of three of our subcommittees.
We will begin with eight bills out of our Health Subcommittee that will create research opportunities, provide support to the health care workforce, and expand access to important preventative services.
From the research perspective, we will consider the “SHINE for Autumn Act," which seeks to improve research and data collection on stillbirths. The “CAROL Act" would expand research of valvular heart disease and its treatments in order to reduce cardiac deaths. The “Improving the Health of Children Act" reauthorizes the work and scope of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. And the “Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act" would help foster the development of safe and effective drugs for those afflicted by ALS.
A number of bills will also strengthen our health care workforce. It is so important that we bolster resources for health care providers serving on the frontlines and in need of greater mental and behavioral health support, and that’s exactly what the “Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act" would do. Meanwhile, the “Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act" will promote diversity within allied health professions in order to better foster a diverse and inclusive workforce. This is critical to increasing access to care and improving outcomes.
Finally, we will consider bills that will increase access to key preventative services. The “Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Reauthorization Act" and the “Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act" support important auditory and oral health programs that will keep our children and families healthy. These bipartisan bills will help Americans access care and treatment when it is most effective.
We will also consider two bills out of our Communications and Technology Subcommittee. The “Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act" requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to integrate data related to maternal health into its connectivity maps. With the information this legislation will provide, we can then explore broadband policies that will help keep more mothers and their newborn babies safe and healthy.
The “Spectrum Coordination Act" would help improve the process for the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to resolve disputes over our airwaves and ensure their efficient use.
And finally, from the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, we have two bills that will address problems that have become especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online shopping has become the norm for so many people during the pandemic, but third-party marketplaces are major sources of fake and unsafe goods. The “INFORM Consumers Act" will provide needed transparency on online third-party marketplaces to help prevent those fake and unsafe goods from getting into our homes.
And the “Restoring Brand USA Act" will help bolster the U.S. travel industry, which has suffered immensely through the pandemic, helping to save small businesses and jobs across the country.
All 12 of these bills have bipartisan support and I strongly urge the Committee to support them today.
