Washington, DC - Today, Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) praised Senate passage of a bipartisan, bicameral bill to terminate Social Security benefits for Nazi persecutors.  Hatch introduced the Senate version of the bill, the No Social Security for Nazis Act, in November.  The legislation closes a loophole in the current law that allows persecutors to receive benefits.  The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent last night.

“I am proud the Senate spoke in unison and passed this bill in a bipartisan fashion,” said Hatch.  “It’s outrageous that Nazi war criminals and anyone who participated in Nazi persecution atrocities continue to collect Social Security benefits while living abroad. With the President’s signature, this will stop once and for all.”

Additional Senate cosponsors include Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Dan Coats (R-IN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Enzi (R-WY),  Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

In early December, Hatch and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), pressed the Social Security Administration and the Justice Department for statistics in areas including the total number of Nazi suspects who received Social Security benefits after leaving the United States, how many suspected Nazis currently receive Social Security benefits and live outside the country, information on the potential outcome of certain identified cases, and details of interaction between the Social Security Administration and the Justice Department on the issue.  

Text of the legislation and bill summary information is available by clicking here.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) today introduced a bill to cut red tape at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and help boost innovation in health IT.

The Medical Electronic Data Technology Enhancement for Consumers’ Health (MEDTECH) Act would exempt low-risk medical software and mobile apps from FDA regulation and provide greater certainty regarding what software will be regulated by the agency to protect consumers.

“New and innovative technology is helping our health care providers better take care of their patients, and it’s putting tools into the hands of families that help them manage their own health,” Bennet said. “Some of these tools, whether a new app to track your calorie intake or an activity tracker to help you while you exercise, are low risk and don’t require in-depth oversight by the government. This bill provides certainty for innovators in the life sciences and the FDA as to which devices and software should be monitored to keep consumers safe.”

“Advances in technology have allowed us to continuously improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare,” Hatch added. “This bill will give innovators the certainty they need about health IT regulation to continue pioneering medical software for consumers and health care professionals. I’m proud to offer this important piece of legislation alongside Senator Bennet."

The MEDTECH Act takes a risk-based approach and builds upon a Food and Drug Administration Safety Innovation Act Workgroup report released earlier this year. The report was commissioned by Bennet and Hatch through an amendment to the 2012 FDA reform law.

Specifically, the bill limits and clarifies the FDA’s role regarding regulation of administrative and financial software, wellness and lifestyle products, certain aspects of electronic health records, and software that aids health care providers in developing treatment recommendations for their patients. As the rate of innovation rapidly increases in the medical technology field, this bill provides greater clarity to ensure that businesses understand the rules of the road and safe and effective products reach consumers as soon as possible.