Pallone Opening Remarks at Full Committee Markup of Health Care and AM Radio Legislation

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks at a Full Committee markup of seven bills:

Today, we are marking up seven bills. Before I discuss some of the bills before us, I want to express my disappointment about some health bills that have been left off this markup.  

At a time when we are facing nationwide shortages of health providers, the Republican Majority has decided not to include bills that reauthorize critical health professional development programs.  

This Committee used to prioritize health equity, but Committee Republicans are choosing to jeopardize health workforce programs because they do not want to promote diversity in the health care workforce.

Having a diverse health workforce is important. We need a workforce that is reflective of the communities they serve. Research shows a diverse and representative health care workforce improves not only patients’ perceptions of the care they receive, but also their access to care and their actual health outcomes.  

I am also disturbed that we are not moving the Newborn Screening Reauthorization Act today. The newborn screening program is one of the largest and most successful health promotion programs in the country, with more than 14,000 newborn lives saved or improved each year thanks to early diagnosis and treatment of genetic conditions. It is imperative that we reauthorize this program. 

While I am disappointed that we are not moving these bills, I am committed to continuing to work on these programs to see them reauthorized.  

I am pleased that we are marking up the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act, led by Representative Ocasio-Cortez. This program targets communities with the highest rates of infant mortality and women at risk of adverse health outcomes to provide services to women before, during, and after pregnancy. It has been extremely successful in reducing infant mortality and lowering rates of preterm birth and maternal illness, and I am pleased to see it included in our markup today. 

We are also considering a bill that will expand access to care for patients with rare diseases and complex medical needs, and increase research and development into rare pediatric diseases. It also improves regulatory certainty while also strengthening the medical product supply chain, and enhancing patient access to lower-cost medicines.  

Specifically, the bill will allow for disclosure of certain information related to drug formulations to generic drug manufacturers to bring lower cost medications to patients more quickly. 

These provisions all advance our goals of accelerating the development and accessibility of novel, safe, effective, and affordable treatments while improving outcomes for patients.

This legislation also gives the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) the authority it needs to continue its work to modernize the organ transplant system. This language will allow HRSA to collect registration fees and distribute them among the multiple contractors that will be supporting the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. This system is lifesaving for many Americans, and I am glad that we can continue to support these much-needed reform efforts. 

Finally, I am pleased that we will be considering the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which I introduced with Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Bilirakis. We’ve been working on this issue together for several years and I’m pleased we will advance it to preserve access to analog AM radio in all passenger cars sold in the United States.

When Superstorm Sandy hit, my constituents experienced firsthand how vital it is to have easy and free access to timely alerts. AM radio is uniquely resilient and able to travel long distances which allows public safety officials to spread lifesaving information, even when cell towers, cable, and internet access is down. Families deserve the peace of mind of knowing that they will have reliable access to emergency alerts without having to pay additional fees for lifesaving information.  

Besides emergency situations, AM radio programming provides news and community-oriented content, in many languages, to diverse sets of listeners, including those in rural and tribal communities who often do not have access to other forms of media.

I thank Representative Bilirakis for working with me on this important bill and I yield back the balance of my time.

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