This week the House is scheduled to consider five bipartisan public health bills addressing traumatic brain injuries, newborns, trauma patients, and individuals with autism. Specifically, the House is expected to vote on the following:

  • H.R. 1098, the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track and reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to provide support programs for TBI patients.
  • H.R. 1281, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes federal programs to assist states in improving newborn screening activities, support education, ensure laboratory quality and surveillance; and conduct research on newborn screening conditions.
  • H.R. 3548, the Improving Trauma Care Act, which amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of trauma to include injuries caused by thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive force.
  • H.R. 4080, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes support for state and rural development of trauma systems and pilot projects to implement and assess regionalized emergency care models.
  • H.R. 4631, the "Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (CARES) Act," which would continue autism-related federal research, early identification and intervention, education, and activities of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

Other bipartisan public health bills recently adopted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and/or its Health Subcommittee include:

  • H.R. 4299, "Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act," which is intended to improve the Drug Enforcement Agency scheduling process for new FDA-approved drugs under the Controlled Substances Act and the registration process for the use of controlled substances in clinical trials to allow treatments to get to patients in a more timely and predictable manner, and
  • H.R. 4709, "Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act," which would amend the Controlled Substances Act to clarify definitions, allow parties to submit a corrective action plan prior to revocation or suspension of a registration, and require a report identifying how collaboration between agencies and stakeholders can benefit patient access to medications and prevent diversion and abuse of controlled substances.
  • H.R. 4771, the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act, which would classify certain anabolic steroids as controlled substances.
  • H.R. 4250, the Sunscreen Innovation Act, which is intended to streamline the FDA's approval process for new sunscreen ingredients.
  • H.R. 4701, the Vector-Borne Disease Research Accountability and Transparency Act, which would develop a framework to review and advance research on vector-borne diseases such as Lyme Disease.
  • H.R. 594, the Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education Amendments, which would update surveillance, research, and education activities related to Muscular Dystrophy.
  • H.R. 669, the Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act, to help improve the understanding of stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in children.
  • H.R. 4290, the Wakefield Act, which would reauthorize grant programs that support the expansion, improvement, and evaluation of emergency medical services for children.

This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.