Edolphus Towns: “I join my colleagues in applauding the scheduling of the conference report on S. 830, legislation to reform the Food and…”

“I join my colleagues in applauding the scheduling of the conference report on S. 830, legislation to reform the Food and Drug Administration, prior to our adjournment of the 1st session of the 105th Congress. This bill is the culmination of 2 years of hard bipartisan work by the Commerce Committee to modernize procedures that the Food and Drug Administration uses to approve drugs, devices and food products. Once again, Mr. Chairman, the Commerce Committee under the able leadership of our chairman, Mr. Bliley, and our ranking member, Mr. Dingell, have demonstrated that we have the ability to develop comprehensive legislative responses to critical public policy questions. I also want to especially acknowledge the efforts of our subcommittee chairman, Mr. Bilirakis and our ranking subcommittee member, Mr. Brown, for the willingness to guide the deliberations on this bill in a bipartisan fashion. Without the modernizing steps that have been incorporated in this legislation today, the FDA would continue to be seen as a barrier to new innovative therapies and products. The bill before us today represents a careful balance between a new, streamlined process and consumer protections against harmful products. These innovations in the way the FDA will do business from now on makes the approval of drugs and devices a more predictable process. Finally, Mr. Chairman, I am most pleased about the provisions in this bill which relate to food products.”