Frank Pallone: “I am pleased to rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 307, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness…”

“I am pleased to rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 307, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013. And I want to recognize the work that Ms. Eshoo, my colleague on the committee, has been doing on this legislation for many years. The legislation reauthorizes critical programs and activities first established as part of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, the 2004 Project Bioshield Act, and the 2006 Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act. {time} 1720 H.R. 307 passed the Senate in late February with an amendment that makes some changes to the House version passed in January. The new language updates the authorization period of programs to the fiscal years 2014-2018 instead of the fiscal years 2013-2017. It also modifies the authority for a State, territory or tribal organization to temporarily reassign public health personnel to respond to a public health emergency. In addition, there were some minor technical corrections to the House-passed legislation. Over the past decade, Mr. Speaker, these programs have represented comprehensive efforts to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. As a result of the investments that followed, our Nation is better equipped to respond to public health emergencies, but there is still a lot of work to be done.…”