Cures Heads to House Floor
WASHINGTON – The House Energy and Commerce Committee today approved H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act with a unanimous vote of 51-0. The bipartisan legislation will help modernize and personalize health care, encourage greater innovation, support research, and streamline the system to deliver better, faster cures to more patients. The bill has received continued support throughout the process. The 21st Century Cures Act was authored by full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member DeGette, full committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX), and Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA).
"This historic day marks a big bipartisan step forward on our path to cures,” said Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “We have all said too many early good-byes to people we love and treasure. Every single person has a common goal: we want more time with those we love. In this, the greatest country in the world, Americans deserve a system second to none. We can and must do better. The time for 21st Century Cures is now.”
"In the last century, American medicine leapt from medicine shows to the mapping of the human genome,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO).”With the 21st Century Cures Act, we seek to support the biomedical community in making a similar leap forward in this next century. With billions in support for our premier research and development institutions and comprehensive reform of our systems, 21st Century Cures will make a real difference in the lives of patients and their families."
“Our committee has had the unique opportunity to help usher our health care system into the 21st century, and I am glad that we have come together to begin to do so in a bipartisan way with this bill,” said Ranking Member Pallone (D-NJ). “The 21st Century Cures Act will ensure that innovative treatments are getting to those who need them most, giving real hope to patients and their families. Critical funding for our nation’s top research institutions will help to bolster biomedical research, advance cutting edge science, and further improve the process by which life-saving cures are discovered and approved. Today’s vote is an important step toward improving the health and lives of millions of Americans.”
Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) said, “I’m proud of the final bill that was voted out of Committee, which will improve the innovation ecosystem for the development of life-saving medical breakthroughs, foster the development and the interoperability of health information technology, and better leverage critical resources to facilitate the discovery of new cures. After one year of deliberation, research, and stakeholder input we’re one step closer to delivering new cures and therapies, and hope to patients and families.”
“Today’s vote is an important next step for this committee as we work to get 21st Century Cures enacted into law by the end of the year,” said Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA). “This bill is improved since the Subcommittee marked it up on May 14, and that demonstrates the collaborative nature of our effort. Landmark legislation like 21st Century Cures illustrates that Congress can and should strive for ambitious goals. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their hard work to modernize our discovery, development and delivery system, which will give hope to millions of Americans for an accelerated path to cures.”
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