WASHINGTON, D.C.- Capping two years of the HELP Committee’s bipartisan accomplishments, Congress this week sent to the President for his signature two additional bills under the jurisdiction of the HELP Committee. When both are signed by the President, they will be the 25th and 26th bills under the jurisdiction of the Senate HELP Committee enacted into law in the 113th Congress. The EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2014, a bill which reauthorizes key programs to support education and research to help prevent and treat breast cancer, passed the Senate this week unanimously. S.2511, a bill to fix the pension “downsizing liability" rules to remove impediments to businesses’ efforts to restructure and to better protect workers’ pension benefits, was enacted as part of broader legislation to fund the government in fiscal year 2015.
“Throughout the 113th Congress, Democrats and Republicans on the HELP Committee worked together on a variety of important measures to protect the public health, strengthen federal child care and workforce training and education programs, improve supports and social services for senior citizens, and safeguard Americans from discrimination in the workplace. The two bipartisan bills passed this week will protect workers’ pension benefits and support critical research and education on breast cancer. These bills add to the Committee’s strong record of bipartisan accomplishments," said Harkin.
“As chairman of the HELP Committee since 2009, it has been a privilege to lead a committee comprised of so many individuals who believe that government can be a force for good and to compile a legislative record reflecting that belief," Harkin added. “By working together across party lines, we have proven that Congress can enact meaningful legislation that benefits all Americans. I thank Ranking Member Alexander and all of the members on the Committee who made these bipartisan accomplishments possible. I look forward to the continued work of the HELP Committee as Senator Alexander and Senator Murray lead it in the next Congress."
A list of bipartisan bills passed by the HELP Committee in the 113th Congress follows.
Signed into law (or awaiting the President’s signature):
1. H.R. 307, Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (PAHPA) (Senators Burr, Casey, Harkin, and Alexander)
2. S. 622, Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Reauthorization Act of 2013 (ADUFA/AGDUFA) (Senators Harkin and Alexander)
3. H.R. 1911, Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 (Senators Alexander, Blunt, Burr, Carper, Coburn, Durbin, Enzi, Harkin, Heller, Hoeven, Isakson, King and McCaskill)
4. H.R. 2094, School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act (Senators Durbin, Kirk, and Harkin)
5. S. 330, HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (HOPE Act) (Senators Boxer, Coburn, Baldwin, Paul, and Harkin)
6. H.R.2747, Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act (Senator Harkin)
7. S. 252, Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers Who Deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act (Senators Alexander, Bennet, and Harkin)
8. S. 1561, CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013 (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Burr, Landrieu, and Collins)
9. S. 424, National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013 (Senators Brown, Wicker, Blumenthal, Collins, Portman, Whitehouse)
10. H.R. 3204, Drug Quality and Security Act (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Franken, Roberts, Bennet, and Burr)
11. H.R. 3527, the Poison Center Network Act (Senators Murray, Burr, Harkin, and Alexander)
12. H.R.4275, Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act (Senators Harkin and Roberts)
13. S. 1557, Children’s Hospital GME Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Senators Casey, Isakson, Whitehouse, Harkin, and Alexander)
14. H.R. 803, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Senators Murray, Isakson, Harkin, and Alexander)
15. H.R. 3548, Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014 (Senators Reed, Portman, Harkin, and Alexander)
16. H.R. 4631, Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (Autism CARES Act) of 2014 (Senators Menendez, Enzi, Harkin)
17. S. 2154, Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2014 (Casey, Hatch, Harkin, Alexander)
18. H.R. 594, Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education (MD-CARE) Amendments of 2014 (Senators Klobuchar, Wicker, Harkin)
19. S. 2539, Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2014 (Senators Casey, Hatch, Harkin, Kirk)
20. S. 2141 Sunscreen Innovation Act (Senators Reed, Isakson, Harkin, Alexander, Hagan, and Burr)
21. S.1086, The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 (Senators Mikulski, Burr, Harkin, and Alexander)
22. S. 2917 Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act (Senators Harkin and Alexander)
23. H.R. 669 A bill to improve the health of children and help better understand and enhance awareness about unexpected sudden death in early life
24. H.R.1281, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act (Senators Hagan, Hatch, Harkin, and Alexander)
25. S.2511, A bill to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to clarify the definition of substantial cessation of operations (Senators Harkin and Alexander)
26. H.R.5185, EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2014
Passed (or attached to legislation) in the Senate
27. S. 689, Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013 (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Sanders, Franken, and Roberts)
28. S. 815, Employment Non-Discrimination Act (Senators Merkley, Harkin, Kirk, Collins, and Baldwin)
In addition, four more bipartisan bills were reported out of the HELP Committee:
29. S. 531, Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (Senators Harkin, Wicker)
30. S. 2405 Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act (Senators Reed, Isakson, Murray, Kirk, Harkin)
31. S. 1562, Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Senators Sanders, Harkin, and Alexander)
32. H.R.4366 The Strengthening Education through Research Act (Senators Harkin and Alexander)
