On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 269, the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019 (PAHPA), a bill introduced by Congresswomen Susan W. Brooks (R-Ind.-05) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.-18) along with Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.-06) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-Ore.-02).
PAHPA is critically important legislation to ensure our nation is better prepared for and able to keep Americans safer in response to natural disasters or biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear threats to our public health and national security.
Brooks
“Biological threats, such as Ebola, smallpox or the anthrax attacks on Congress after Sept. 11, 2001, can devastate communities, whether occurring naturally or manufactured into weapons of mass destruction by nation states or terrorist organizations,” said Brooks. “PAHPA improves our federal response to public health and national security threats by working to close the gaps in our emergency preparedness and response plans. It ensures we have more medical professionals trained to keep people safe in the event of a natural disaster or if an attack were to take place. It also ensures equipment, such as hazmat suits, masks and vaccines, is available in our Strategic National Stockpiles located across the country. PAHPA was first signed into law in 2006, and I am proud this reauthorization bill reflects extensive feedback from medical and public health preparedness and response stakeholders so we can better prepare for and combat the known threats of today and the unknown threats of tomorrow.”
Click here to listen to Brooks’ remarks on the House floor.
For a section-by-section summary of the legislation, click here.
To read the text of the legislation, click here.
Brooks and Eshoo are co-founders of the Congressional Biodefense Caucus. The Caucus serves as a platform to educate Members of Congress and their staff on the very real threats our nation faces from a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack or pandemic outbreak. It also aims to identify the existing gaps in our preparedness and response capabilities.