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Pallone & Eshoo Applaud House Passage of Two Public Health Bills

December 6, 2022

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) released the following joint statement today after the House of Representatives passed two public health bills:

"This week the House passed two bills to improve our nation's public health system by investing in research opportunities and expanding access to critical preventative services.

"The CAROL Act expands vital medical research into valvular heart disease and its treatment to reduce cardiac deaths. It will improve our knowledge of valvular heart disease, increase education and awareness, and ultimately save lives. The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act increases access to auditory health programs to keep our children and families healthy. Early intervention is critical to preventing hearing loss in children, and this bill helps parents capitalize on treatment for their children when it's most effective.

"We're grateful for the bipartisan work that went into these bills and look forward to President Biden signing them into law."

H.R. 1193, the "Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy Act" or the "CAROL Act," was introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY). The bill would expand research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaboration with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to support research on valvular heart disease (VHD) and convene a workshop of subject matter experts and stakeholders to develop recommendations for the identification and treatment of individuals with VHD. The bill supports efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase education, awareness, or diagnosis of VHD, and to reduce cardiac deaths caused by the disease, including publishing best practices for physicians and health care providers who provide care to individuals with VHD. The bill passed on the House Floor yesterday by a voice vote.

S. 4052, the "Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2022," is the companion bill to H.R. 5561, which was introduced by Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Doris Matsui (D-CA). The bill would reauthorize the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and CDC for five years through fiscal year 2027. It would also require a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study analyzing how state EHDI programs are relied upon by parents and identify ways to address disparities in outreach. The bill passed on the House Floor by a vote of 408-17.

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Issues:Health