115+ Organizations Call on Congress to Reauthorize PAHPA
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a statement highlighting the 137 organizations who have called on Congress to reauthorize the bipartisan Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). The legislation strengthens our nation’s public health readiness and ensures all institutions have the tools to respond to the next health crisis or emergency.
In July, the HELP Committee passed legislation to reauthorize PAHPA by a bipartisan vote of 17-3. PAHPA expired on September 30th and has yet to be fully reauthorized by Congress.
“The HELP Committee passed bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and improve PAHPA. We need to finish the job and pass it into law,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Providing a strong PAHPA framework is crucial to improving our readiness towards the next pandemic, natural disaster, attack, or accident that puts Americans’ health and safety at risk.”
Congress first enacted PAHPA in 2006, largely to address the failures of the federal response following Hurricane Katrina. The legislation sought to support states, local governments, and hospitals so they would be better prepared for future emergencies. It established the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). It also made improvements to the National Disaster Medical System and other resources to improve medical surge capacity during an emergency. PAHPA was previously reauthorized on a bipartisan basis in 2013 and 2019.
Organizations calling on Congress to reauthorize PAHPA include:
Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Ambulance Association
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American Clinical Laboratory Association
American College of Emergency Physicians
American Medical Manufacturers Association
American Public Health Association
American Society for Microbiology
Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio)
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
ATCC (American Type Culture Collection)
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
Colorado BioScience Association
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA)
Emergency Department Practice Management Association
Federation of American Scientists
Gerontological Society of America
Global Health Investment Corporation
Global Health Technologies Coalition
Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA)
Healthcare Distribution Alliance
HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)
IAVI (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative)
Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Medical Countermeasures Coalition (MC2)
Missouri Biotechnology Association (MOBIO)
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Immigration Law Center
New Mexico Biotechnoiogy & Biomedical Association (NMBio)
New Orleans BioInnovation Center
Ohio Life Sciences Association
Oklahoma Bioscience Association
Public Health Accreditation Board
Society for Public Health Education
Technologies for Pandemic Defense
Texas A&M Health Science Center
Texas Healthcare & Bioscience Institute
Trauma Center Association of America
United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Virginia Biotechnology Association
###
For all news and updates from HELP Republicans, visit our website or Twitter at @GOPHELP.
