Liz Saville Roberts: “Senator Clinton and I also recognize the very critical need for domestic-based vaccine manufacturers and an increased…”

“Senator Clinton and I also recognize the very critical need for domestic-based vaccine manufacturers and an increased production capacity in the event of a flu vaccine shortage or some kind of a public health emergency that would require a mass need for vaccines or any other countermeasure. That is why our bill improves the ability of the current manufacturers to remain in the U.S. market and encourages more companies to enter the market with domestic-based production facilities. We provide grants to manufacturers for technical assistance from the Food and Drug Administration and grants for capital improvements in technology or production capacity. Our bill also addresses the need to quickly find the medical professionals in the event of an emergency. We require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work with our State and local health departments to develop a registry, if you will, of medical personnel who can provide services during a public health emergency. Such a system was required under the Bioterrorism Act passed by Congress 4 years ago. But there is still no working system in place. This is unacceptable. We must have a system that can easily identify doctors and other health professionals who can assist during a public health emergency--that is common sense--especially during an emergency that affects many areas across State lines.…”