Congressional Supporters of 21st Century Cures Bill Hope for Passage by End of 114th Congress
Supporters of the 21st Century Cures legislation have not given up on seeing the legislation become law in the 114th Congress. On September 28, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), respectively, released the following statement: “We continue our work on bipartisan legislation to spur cures and treatments and better health for Americans. We’ve been working for a year and a half on behalf of patients and scientists, and we are committed to getting a result this year that will lead to lifesaving medical breakthroughs and advance President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative and Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot.”
Similarly, a bipartisan group of House advocates for the House-passed 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) reiterated their support the legislation. The sponsors of H.R. 6, Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-MI), Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), and others noted: “We have been working hard for months, and we will continue to work toward an agreement that can pass both chambers and be signed by the president… At hand is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and we’re committed to getting 21st Century Cures signed into law this fall.”
It is unclear whether enough time remains to get a bill to the President’s desk before the 114th Congress concludes at the end of the year, especially given that the House and Senate are now on recess until after the November 8 elections, leaving only about 6 weeks to get it done.