Chair's Press

BOSTON, MA – Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that nine health research institutions in Massachusetts will receive seventeen federal grants from the National Institute of Health totaling over $5 million made under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.   Senator Kennedy said, “These federal funds...

As Entered into the Record   The FDA’s mission is to oversee the safety, effectiveness, and security of the nation’s food supply, drugs, medical devices, biologics, and cosmetics. It helps expedite innovations to make these products even safer, more effective, and more affordable, before, during, and after approval.   These...

BOSTON, MA – Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that four health research institutions in Massachusetts will receive six federal grants from the National Institute of Health totaling nearly $1.5 million, made under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Senator Kennedy said, “I commend these extraordinary...

WASHINGTON, DC— Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today released the following statement regarding the proposal from a coalition of insurers, hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers and providers that could save the country $2 trillion over the...

Our health system is in urgent need of reform. More than 47 million Americans lack health insurance, and this number is likely to grow with the economic downturn. Reforming today’s system of “sick care” into a health care system that offers affordable insurance coverage to all our citizens is essential for meeting the...

As Entered into the Record   As we all know, the numbers of reported infections are increasing everyday—and today, we have learned of the tragic death of a young child from Mexico who was in Texas being treated for this disease.   This morning, we also learned of two boys In Lowell, Massachusetts infected with the disease. It...

As Entered into the Record This morning our committee takes up the important issue of protecting the workplace safety and health of the hard-working men and women of America. I commend Senator Murray for holding this hearing and for her leadership on this major issue. Twenty years ago, workplace safety advocates and families of employees killed on...

As Prepared for Delivery   I welcome my colleagues to today’s important roundtable on health care. Our topic today is to learn from the states. I particularly commend Senator Bingaman for his able leadership. And it’s a privilege to be with our Ranking Member Senator Enzi.   I have been part of the nation’s health debate...

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. A bipartisan agreement has been reached and the bill may move forward to the floor of the United States Senate as early as this week.   “This needed legislation will help unlock the extraordinary...

WASHINGTON, DC— Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry today issued the following statements in response to the Department of Labor’s announcement that $54.2 million in unemployment insurance incentive funds will be released to Massachusetts. Senator Kennedy was the chief sponsor of the unemployment insurance modernization...

BOSTON, MA- Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry today announced that $4.2 million in federal funds will be made available for child immunization in Massachusetts by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “Far too many children across our Commonwealth fail to obtain the...

BOSTON, MA- Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry today announced $23 million in federal funds will be made available for child care services in Massachusetts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “During this economic crisis, it’s essential to provide needed...

This hearing will come to order. Our hearing today is on the confirmation of Kathleen Sebelius to serve as our next Secretary of Health. Few debates in Congress touch our lives as profoundly and personally as health care. Over the past ten months, I’ve seen our health care system up close. I’ve benefitted from the best of medicine. But...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), all members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) today applauded Committee passage of the Serve America Act (S. 277), legislation that greatly expands domestic service...

BOSTON, MA– Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that $2.1 million in federal funds will be awarded for nutrition programs to support senior citizens in Massachusetts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funds will benefit approximately one million seniors throughout the Commonwealth, with $1.4 million...

WASHINGTON, DC—Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama’s nominations of Dr. Margaret Hamburg as Commissioner of the FDA and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein as Deputy Commissioner: "Dr. Margaret Hamburg is a strong leader and...

As Entered into the Record We face a severe economic crisis, the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression. The causes of this crisis are not a mystery. Year after year, we accepted an economy that sent stock prices soaring, but left ordinary working families behind. Our productivity grew, but workers never saw the benefits. Their...

Many years ago, on the fifth anniversary of the Peace Corps, I asked one of those young Americans why they had volunteered, and I will never forget the answer: “It was the first time someone asked me to do something for my country.” Now it’s time to ask again. Americans young and old are looking for new ways to serve their...

WASHINGTON, DC— Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today released the following statement in response to President Obama signing an executive order that will allow for increased research on embryonic stem cells. “Sometimes medicine advances through inspired discoveries in the...