ESHOO, BROOKS BIODEFENSE BILL TO BECOME LAW
December 9th, 2016
Washington, D.C. – Reps. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18) and Susan Brooks (IN-05), released the following statements after the Senate passed the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act as part of H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures package.
“The highest responsibility I have as a Member of Congress is our national security,” Eshoo said. “This includes biodefense. With the passage of the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act in H.R. 34, Congress is making a 21st century commitment to our nation’s biodefense. These critical investments in medical countermeasure development and updates to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will help to ensure that the U.S. remains prepared to respond to public health medical emergencies and biological crises.”
“In our increasingly global and mobile world, biological threats like Ebola or anthrax, are a growing national security concern,” Brooks said. “We need a more proactive national biodefense strategy to be better prepared to meet the challenges these kinds of threats present. The provisions from our bill, the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act, will help us achieve this goal and ensure that we can respond effectively when the next biological threat presents itself.”
Representatives Eshoo and Susan Brooks introduced H.R. 3299, the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act in the House of Representatives. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) led companion legislation in the Senate. This legislation supports the development of medical countermeasures through priority review vouchers to encourage the development of drugs and vaccines. It also improves the purchase of necessary therapies and diagnostic tools by BARDA by restoring its contracting authority in order to protect the United States. Rep. Eshoo and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) created BARDA in 2006 through S.3678, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act.
The 21st Century Cures Act passed the House by a vote of 392 to 26 on November 30, 2016 and passed the Senate by a vote of 94 to 5. The bill is now on its way to the President to be signed into law.
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