This Week in Washington: House Passes America COMPETES Act
House
House Passes COMPETES Act
On Feb. 4, the House voted 220-210 to pass the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act of 2022. The bill aims to increase investment in U.S.-made products and strengthen domestic supply chains. Specifically, the bill would increase the number of critical products at the Strategic National Stockpile, increase monitoring of foreign manufacturing sites and grant the Food and Drug Administration the authority to mandate drug recalls.
The bill text can be found here.
Senate
Sens. Thune and Casey Introduce Bill to Extend Liability Coverage to Volunteer Health Practitioners at Community Health Centers
On Feb. 3, Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Help Expand Liability Protections (HELP) for Volunteers Act. The bill would permanently extend the Public Health Service Act’s healthcare professional liability coverage for healthcare professionals volunteering at Community Health Centers (CHCs).
The bill text can be found here.
Sens. Baldwin and Cassidy Introduce Bill to Improve Pathogen Tracking
On Jan. 31, Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Tracking Pathogens Act, which aims to improve efforts to track and identify pathogens. The bill would support existing genomic sequencing efforts, establish centers of excellence and provide sustained funding.
The bill text can be found here.
Read more on healthcare policy in McGuireWoods Consulting’s Washington Healthcare Update.