Skip to content

Chairman Harkin: HELP Committee Completes Bipartisan Success in 113th Congress by Sending 26th Bill to President’s Desk


WASHINGTON, D.C.— Capping two years of the HELP Committee’s bipartisan accomplishments, Congress this week sent to the President for his signature two additional bills under the jurisdiction of the HELP Committee. When both are signed by the President, they will be the 25th and 26th bills under the jurisdiction of the Senate HELP Committee enacted into law in the 113th Congress. The EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2014, a bill which reauthorizes key programs to support education and research to help prevent and treat breast cancer, passed the Senate this week unanimously. S.2511, a bill to fix the pension “downsizing liability” rules to remove impediments to businesses’ efforts to restructure and to better protect workers’ pension benefits, was enacted as part of broader legislation to fund the government in fiscal year 2015.

“Throughout the 113th Congress, Democrats and Republicans on the HELP Committee worked together on a variety of important measures to protect the public health, strengthen federal child care and workforce training and education programs, improve supports and social services for senior citizens, and safeguard Americans from discrimination in the workplace. The two bipartisan bills passed this week will protect workers’ pension benefits and support critical research and education on breast cancer. These bills add to the Committee’s strong record of bipartisan accomplishments,” said Harkin.

“As chairman of the HELP Committee since 2009, it has been a privilege to lead a committee comprised of so many individuals who believe that government can be a force for good and to compile a legislative record reflecting that belief,” Harkin added. “By working together across party lines, we have proven that Congress can enact meaningful legislation that benefits all Americans. I thank Ranking Member Alexander and all of the members on the Committee who made these bipartisan accomplishments possible. I look forward to the continued work of the HELP Committee as Senator Alexander and Senator Murray lead it in the next Congress.”

A list of bipartisan bills passed by the HELP Committee in the 113th Congress follows.


Signed into law (or awaiting the President’s signature): 

1.   H.R. 307, Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (PAHPA) (Senators Burr, Casey, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Strengthens our nation’s preparedness for and ability to respond to medical and public health emergencies, optimizes state and local all-hazards preparedness and response efforts and collaboration, enhances medical countermeasure activities, and reauthorizes key medical and public health programs, including the BioShield Special Reserve Fund
  • S.242 in the Senate; approved by the HELP Committee in February 2013; signed into law in March 2013.

2.   S. 622, Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Reauthorization Act of 2013 (ADUFA/AGDUFA) (Senators Harkin and Alexander)

  • Allows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect user fees from sponsors of animal drug and animal generic drug applications, and the agency uses those fees to help fund the review of animal drug applications.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in March 2013; signed into law in June 2013.

3.   H.R. 1911, Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013(Senators Alexander, Blunt, Burr, Carper, Coburn, Durbin, Enzi, Harkin, Heller, Hoeven, Isakson, King and McCaskill)

  • Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish interest rates for new loans made on or after July 1, 2013. 
  • Signed into law in August 2013.

4.   H.R. 2094, School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act (Senators Durbin, Kirk, and Harkin)

  • Addresses the rise in diagnoses of food allergies in children by encouraging schools to maintain a supply of epinephrine injectors and to allow trained school personnel to administer an epinephrine injection if a student is experiencing an anaphylactic reaction.
  • S.1503 in the Senate; approved by the HELP Committee in October 2013; signed into law in November 2013.

5.   S. 330, HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (HOPE Act) (Senators Boxer, Coburn, Baldwin, Paul, and Harkin)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to end the federal ban on research into organ donations from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive recipients 
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in March 2013; signed into law in November 2013.

6.    H.R.2747, Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act (Senator Harkin)

  • Moves responsibility for wage claims adjustments for federally contracted workers from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to the Department of Labor.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in October 2013; signed into law in November 2013.

7.    S. 252, Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers Who Deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act(Senators Alexander, Bennet, and Harkin)

  • Authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct research and education activities relating to preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality.
  • Included modified versions of S. 1561, CHIMP Act Amendments and S. 424, National Pediatric Research Network Act
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in February 2013; signed into law in November 2013.

8.      S. 1561, CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013 (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Burr, Landrieu, and Collins)

  • Ensures that chimpanzees owned or supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that are no longer used for medical research can continue to receive the care they need in quality settings. The new law will provide flexibility for the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to use already-appropriated funds to pay for care of chimpanzees housed in federal sanctuaries if doing so would be more efficient and economical for the NIH.
  • Attached to S. 252 in the House.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in October 2013; signed into law in November 2013.

9.   S. 424, National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013 (Senators Brown, Wicker, Blumenthal, Collins, Portman, Whitehouse)

  • Amends title IV of the Public Health Service Act to provide for a National Pediatric Research Network, including with respect to pediatric rare diseases or conditions.
  • As attached to S. 252 in the House; signed into law in November 2013.

10. H.R. 3204, Drug Quality and Security Act (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Franken, Roberts, Bennet, and Burr)

  • Clarifies current federal law regarding pharmacy compounding and resolves the patchwork of current federal regulation by applying a uniform standard nationwide. Under Title I of the Drug Quality and Security Act, compounders who wish to practice outside the bounds of traditional pharmacy practice can register as outsourcing facilities, but those who choose to remain traditional pharmacies will continue to be regulated primarily by state boards of pharmacy, as they are in current law. Outsourcing facilities would be subject to oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in much the same way as traditional manufacturers are monitored. FDA will know who these outsourcers are and what they are making, receive adverse event reports about compounded drugs, and have the authority and resources to conduct risk-based inspections.
  • The second title of the Drug Quality and Security Act would replace today’s patchwork of state prescription-drug tracing laws by creating a new uniform framework for tracking drugs from the manufacturer to the pharmacy.
  • Compounding and track-and-trace bills were approved by the HELP Committee in May 2013. The Drug Quality and Security Act, encompassing both bills, were signed into law in November 2013. 

11.  H.R. 3527, the Poison Center Network Act (Senators Murray, Burr, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the poison center national toll-free number, national media campaign, and grant program.
  • S. 1719 in the Senate. Approved by HELP Committee in December 2013, signed into law in January 2014.

12.  H.R.4275, Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act(Senators Harkin and Roberts)

  • Addresses the challenges faced by many cooperative associations and charities in providing pension benefits to their workers by ensuring that their pension funding rules both protect workers’ benefits and ensure the organizations are able to provide vital services to local communities.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in October 2013; signed into law in April 2014.

13. S. 1557, Children’s Hospital GME Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Senators Casey, Isakson, Whitehouse, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize support for graduate medical education programs in children’s hospitals.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in October 2013, passed the Senate in November 2013. Passed the House on April 1, 2014. Signed into law on April 7, 2014.

14. H.R. 803, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Senators Murray, Isakson, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st-century jobs, provides supports to people with disabilities to enter and remain in competitive, integrated job settings, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete. 
  • Approved by the Senate in June 2014; approved by the House in July 2014; Signed into law on July 22, 2014.

15.  H.R. 3548, Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014(Senators Reed, Portman, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to modify and update the federal definition of trauma to include burns to appropriately reflect the relationship between burns and other traumatic injuries.
  • S. 2406 in the Senate. Approved by the HELP Committee in July 2014; passed the Senate on July 31st, 2014. Signed into law on August 8, 2014.

16.  H.R. 4631, Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support  Act (Autism CARES Act) of 2014  (Senators Menendez, Enzi, Harkin)

  • Reauthorizes the Combating Autism Act of 2006, and the Combating Autism Reauthorization of 2011, which include three main components: surveillance and research programs conducted by the CDC; education, early detection and intervention programs through the Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA); and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to advise the Secretary, coordinate the federal response to autism and develop the annual strategic plan for autism research.
  • S. 2449 in the Senate. Approved by the HELP Committee in June 2014; passed the Senate on July 31st, 2014. Signed into law on August 8, 2014.

17.  S. 2154, Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2014(Casey, Hatch, Harkin, Alexander)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program through FY2019.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in July 2014; passed Senate and House in September 2014. Signed into law on September 26, 2014.

18.  H.R. 594, Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education (MD-CARE) Amendments of 2014 (Senators Klobuchar, Wicker, Harkin)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and extend the Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education Amendments of 2008.
  • S. 315 in Senate, passed by voice vote on July 28, 2014. Approved by the HELP Committee in July 2014; Signed into law on September 26, 2014.

19.  S. 2539, Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2014 (Senators Casey, Hatch, Harkin, Kirk)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain programs relating to traumatic brain injury and to trauma research through FY2019.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in July 2014; passed Senate on September 16, 2014; passed House on November 13, 2014. Signed into law on November 26, 2014.

20.  S. 2141 Sunscreen Innovation Act(Senators Reed, Isakson, Harkin, Alexander, Hagan, and Burr)

  • Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to reform the review process for sunscreen ingredients in order to clear the backlog of existing sunscreen applications and clear the way for new sunscreen products to reach the market.  Requires regular reporting by FDA on efforts to reduce the backlog and review new sunscreen ingredients, as well as independent reporting by GAO on the sunscreen approval pathway and the broader OTC regulatory system.
  • H.R. 42450 in House. S. 2141 approved by the HELP Committee in September 2014; passed Senate on September 17, 2014; passed House on November 13, 2014. S. 2141 signed into law on November 26, 2014.

21.  S.1086, The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 (Senators Mikulski, Burr, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Expands access to and improves the quality of child care for the more than 1.5 million children and families that benefit from the federal child care subsidy program.  This program helps low- and moderate-income parents access and afford child care while they work or attend school.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in September 2013; approved by the Senate in March 2014. Signed into law on November 19, 2014.

22.  S. 2917 Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act(Senators Harkin and Alexander)

  • Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to add filoviruses, a family of viruses that includes the Ebola virus, to the list of tropical diseases under the priority review voucher program, which awards vouchers to sponsors of human drug applications that are approved to prevent or treat tropical diseases. (A voucher entitles the holder to have a future human drug application acted upon by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within six months.)
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in November 2014; passed the Senate on December 2, 2014 and the House on December 3, 2014. Awaiting signature by the President.

23.  H.R. 669 A bill to improve the health of children and help better understand and enhance awareness about unexpected sudden death in early life

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue activities relating to stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), and sudden unexpected death in childhood (SUDC). Requires the CDC to provide for collection of epidemiologic information on stillbirths, including through existing surveillance systems.
  • Passed the House of Representatives by voice vote on September 9, 2014 and was reported out of HELP Committee on November 19, 2014; passed the Senate on November 20, 2014 and the House on December 2, 2014. Awaiting signature by the President.

24.  H.R.1281, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act(Senators Hagan, Hatch, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and improve programs at the Department of Health and Human Services related to newborn screening, and reauthorizes the Federal Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children.
  • Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent on December 8, 2014. Awaiting signature by the President.

25.  S.2511, A bill to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to clarify the definition of substantial cessation of operations (Senators Harkin and Alexander)

  • Amends the pension “downsizing liability” rules under section 4062(e) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Remove impediments to businesses’ efforts to restructure and better protect workers’ pension benefits. 
  • Passed as part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, H.R.83 on December 13, 2014. Awaiting signature by the President.

26.  H.R.5185, EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2014

  • Reauthorizes key programs aimed at educating the public and health care professionals about young women's breast health, researching prevention of breast cancer in young women, and supporting young women with breast cancer.
  • Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent on December 15, 2014. Awaiting signature by the President.

 

Passed (or attached to legislation) in the Senate


27.  S. 689, Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013 (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Sanders,  Franken, and Roberts)

  • Reauthorizes and improves programs administered by both the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services related to awareness, prevention, and early identification of mental health conditions. 
  • S.689 passed the HELP Committee in April 2013 and identical text was passed 95-2 as an amendment (S.AMDT.730) to S.649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act, in the same month.

28.  S. 815, Employment Non-Discrimination Act (Senators Merkley, Harkin, Kirk, Collins, and Baldwin) 

  • Prohibits employers from firing, refusing to hire, or discriminating against those employed or seeking employment, on the basis of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. 
  • Chairman Harkin oversaw the first Senate markup of this legislation since 2002, and it cleared the Committee on a strong bipartisan vote in July 2013.  He went on to lead the bill to historic bipartisan Senate passage—including 10 Republican votes—just 4 months later.  The bill is pending consideration in the U.S. House.


In addition, four more bipartisan bills were reported out of the HELP Committee:


29.  S. 531, Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (Senators Harkin, Wicker)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to require HHS to update and publish Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans every ten years based on the latest scientific evidence and ensure physical activity recommendations from across the government are consistently based on the best and most current science.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in July 2014; pending Senate consideration.

30.  S. 2405 Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act (Senators Reed, Isakson, Murray, Kirk, Harkin)

  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to require HHS to update and publish Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans every ten years based on the latest scientific evidence and ensure physical activity recommendations from across the government are consistently based on the best and most current science.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in July 2014; pending Senate consideration.
  • Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize Trauma Care Systems Planning Grants, which support state and rural development of trauma systems, and Regionalization of Emergency Care Systems Pilot Projects, which provide funds to design, implement, and evaluate innovative models of regionalized emergency care.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in July 2014; pending Senate consideration.

31.  S. 1562, Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Senators Sanders, Harkin, and Alexander)

  • Since 1965, the OAA has been a critical vehicle for the delivery of nutrition and social services for seniors. The bill includes improved protections for vulnerable elders and expanded support for family caregivers. The bill also promotes the delivery of evidence-based services.
  • Approved by the HELP Committee in October 2013; pending Senate consideration.

32.  H.R.4366 The Strengthening Education through Research Act (Senators Harkin and Alexander)

  • Amends and reauthorizes the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA) through fiscal year 2020.  The bill enhances the relevancy of education research at the state and local levels, makes it easier for states and school districts to access useful data, requires collaboration between entities responsible for providing research analysis and technical assistance to ensure these efforts are more aligned and responsive to the needs of school districts and states, and prioritizes serving schools with high numbers of low-income students in technical assistance programs authorized under this legislation. 
  • Passed the House of Representatives by voice vote on May 8, 2014 and was reported out of HELP Committee on September 17, 2014; pending Senate consideration.

###