COSSA Joins Community in Opposing Conference Accountability Act of 2014
On September 8, COSSA joined 122 organizations representing health care providers, public health leaders, and medical researchers and the patients that benefit from their work on a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging them to oppose S. 1347, the Conference Accountability Act of 2014.
The joint sign-on letter strongly urges Senators Reid and McConnell to resist bringing the measure to the Senate floor for consideration; the bill was reported out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 30. According to the letter, “This legislation would place harmful restrictions on medical and scientific meetings that would threaten scientific progress and increase federal expenditures on unnecessary administrative and reporting requirements. Federal support for, and participation in, scientific meetings has dramatically decreased over the last several years due to federal budget constraints and other policies enacted by the White House Office of Management and Budget. The proposed additional restrictions would further handicap research, implementation and collaborative efforts necessary to address serious public health threats and advance discovery of life saving treatments and diagnostics.”
COSSA signed on to a similar letter prior to the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s consideration of the bill in July.