Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of five bipartisan public health bills that will help individuals with traumatic brain injuries, newborns, burn patients, and those with autism. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, under the leadership of Rep. Joe Pitts, has been a workhorse that boasts an outstanding record of bipartisan accomplishment on legislation that truly touches people's lives. With a number of bills already

signed into law, and these under consideration this evening, the 113th Congress is shaping up to be known as the public health Congress.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight each of the five bills before us this evening.

H.R. 1098, the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act, would address a problem that affects millions of Americans, including both veterans and children. Introduced by Mr. Pascrell, this bill would assist states in developing and expanding service delivery capacity for individuals with a traumatic brain injury. According to some estimates, the economic burden of such injuries is more than $70 billion, and the physical and emotional toll endured by patients and their families is even more burdensome. This bill would help alleviate the problems associated with this unique and complex health problem, providing peace of mind to families across the country.

H.R. 1281, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, introduced by Reps. Roybal-Allard and Simpson, funds grants to allow states to expand their newborn screening programs, educate parents and health care providers, and improve follow-up care for infants diagnosed with a condition. Before the first passage of this bill in 2008, the number and quality of newborn screening tests varied from state to state. Today, with guidelines created by the bill, screenings reach 4 million babies in the United States every year. Reauthorization will continue this important program and encourage more timely efforts to identify diseases, such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and ensure best practices. Early screening and diagnosis often means better disease management and better outcomes for these children.

H.R. 3548, the Improving Trauma Care Act, introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. Bill Johnson, is designed to correct the inconsistencies in the definitions of trauma that have resulted in gaps in care and coverage. This bill will help important trauma centers like Bronson Methodist Hospital's Burn Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan to better care for their patients.

We will also consider H.R. 4080, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization. Introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee members Dr. Burgess and Rep. Green, the bill reauthorizes two programs related to the planning and development of regional emergency care. Both of these programs will improve trauma care so that Americans can promptly receive specialized, life-saving treatment after a traumatic injury.

Finally we will consider H.R. 4631, the Autism CARES Act of 2014, introduced and championed by Reps. Chris Smith and Mike Doyle. The sad reality is that in the United States, autism now affects 1 in 68 children and can cost a family approximately $60,000 annually. H.R. 4631 continues autism-related research, early identification and intervention, education, and the activities of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. It also asks the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collaborate with other federal agencies to prepare and submit a report concerning young adults with autism spectrum disorder and the challenges related to their transition into adulthood. Finally, the research funded by this legislation also permits diagnosing and intervening earlier and thus help improve the quality of life for children with autism.

This bill is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Autism Society, and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, which includes over thirty different organizations including Autism Speaks, the Autism National Committee, and the Council for Learning Disabilities.

We began our day in a bipartisan manner advancing the 21st Century Cures initiative and I am pleased to conclude the day by continuing our efforts to advance legislation to improve the public health. It is through these bills and this initiative that we can truly have an impact on the lives of all Americans.

I urge my colleagues to support these bills.

Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for five public health bills before the House today.

H.R. 1098, the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2014, extends surveillance and research activities for traumatic brain injuries (or TBI), as well as other programs for TBI services and supports overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services. I represent the nation's largest Veterans Affairs health facility--the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. TBI is one of many complex health problems affecting the veteran community served by this facility. I am pleased that we were able to include a provision in the bill that calls on HHS and the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to report on their progress in coordinating TBI efforts for current and former members of the military. I also want to commend the sponsors of the legislation, Congressman Pascrell and Congressman Rooney, for their work on this issue.

H.R. 1281, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2014, extends newborn screening services and related activities for many conditions that are not otherwise apparent at birth and, if left untreated, can cause severe disability or even death. I want to thank the sponsors of this legislation, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard and Congressman Simpson, as well as the sponsors of the Senate companion bill, Senators Hagan and Hatch. The bill before the House today is the product of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations to assure House and Senate passage of this measure. I would also like to thank Senators Harkin and Alexander for their leadership on this measure in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

H.R. 4080, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act, reauthorizes four grant programs that seek to improve access to trauma care services within states and in rural areas. Energy and Commerce Members, Congressmen Burgess and Green, are to be commended for their sponsorship of this legislation and leadership on trauma care issues.

We are also considering another bill today related to trauma care: H.R. 3548, the Improving Trauma Care Act. This legislation expands the current definition of trauma for the purposes of trauma care grants to include burns and other injuries resulting from electrical, chemical, or other exposures. Congressman Johnson should be commended for his work on this issue.

Finally, H.R. 4631, the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2014, would extend autism spectrum disorder activities at the Department of Health and Human Services and ensure these efforts are better coordinated with activities across the federal government. The legislation before us reflects bipartisan and bicameral efforts to advance a bill that can pass both chambers well in advance of the September 30 sunset provisions that are in current law. I want to thank Congressmen Smith and Doyle, as well as Senators Menendez and

Enzi, who sponsored the Senate companion bill. And again, I would like to thank Senators Harkin and Alexander for their work on this issue in the HELP Committee.

All of these bills were worked out with Mr. Pallone, Mr. Pitts, and Mr. Upton. I appreciate their cooperation and contributions, and I am pleased to support all five of these bipartisan measures and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the hard work of staff on both sides of the aisle, and to commend them for their work on these bills, I particularly want to recognize Anne Morris Reid, our lead public health staffer, who has moved on to a job in the Senate, but leaves the House with an impressive record of accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3548, the Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation I am proud to have sponsored with the support and counsel of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

I commend the committee staff for their hard work to move this legislation forward through markup at the subcommittee and full committee levels and to steer it to the House floor today.

This simple but important bill seeks to refine inconsistent definitions of what constitutes ``trauma'' as outlined in the United States Code.

Common sense would certainly point to many burn injuries as a type of trauma, but the U.S. Code doesn't recognizes them as such. The failure to incorporate the full range of traumatic injuries in the description of ``trauma,'' including burns, can result in gaps in coverage and in provisions of care throughout the care system. By modernizing this term as federally defined, Congress can ensure that it accurately reflects the medical realities of trauma and protects access to the provision of trauma care.

There are important gains to be made in the field of traumatic medicine by the further integration of care and by finding synergies between burn and trauma centers. This has been all too evident in efforts to save lives after national tragedies, such as 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing. The importance of strengthening our Nation's burn care infrastructure can't be stressed enough. Inadequacy and inconsistency in the U.S. Code around the classification of burns further compound serious shortfalls in our Nation's traumatic emergency medical care system.

Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death for those under age 44, but getting a victim of trauma to a level 1 or 2 trauma center within the first golden hour can make all of the difference. However, 45 million Americans do not have access to a level 1 or 2 trauma center within an hour's travel.

I applaud the efforts of my colleague Dr. Burgess to reauthorize trauma programs and improve this system with his bill H.R. 4080, which I am also proud to support. I thank him for his endorsement of H.R. 3548, and I am grateful for his efforts to improve trauma care more broadly.

In addition, this legislation has the strong support of a broad coalition of the major medical societies and associations representing the trauma care community, including: the American Burn Association, the American College of Surgeons, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the American Trauma Society, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Trauma Center Association of America, and America's Essential Hospitals.

I want to thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Pitts for their hard work in promoting the Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014.

I hope my colleagues will support this commonsense legislation that prevents gaps in coverage and improves the provision of trauma care, and I strongly encourage a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, trauma is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 65. It is expensive, costing nearly $403 billion a year, third only to heart disease and cancer. It affects individuals of all ages, 35 million times each year, or one person every 15 minutes.

H.R. 4080 reauthorizes two existing, bipartisan grant programs that support the regionalization of emergency care and trauma systems across the country.

Trauma systems deliver a full range of care to injured patients. Most Members of the House have trauma systems either in their districts or nearby that are able to serve their constituents.

This bill is supported by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Burn Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the Emergency Nurses Association, the American Trauma Society, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the Trauma Center Association of America.

A study released in April found that patients living near a recently closed trauma facility were 21 percent more likely to die from their injuries. Two years after closure, the likelihood of death increased to 29 percent, emphasizing the importance of these grants.

This legislation passed out of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health by a voice vote and passed the full committee on April 3 unanimously. This legislation is broadly supported by medicine. It is bipartisan, and it has gone through regular order.

I want to thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Pitts as well as Ranking Members Waxman and Pallone, and the Energy and Commerce staffs on both sides of the dais: Clay Alspach, Robert Horne, Brenda DeStro, Katie Novaria, as well as Anne Morris Reid.

Mr. Green and I have worked on this issue for years, and I appreciate his continued partnership on the bill. I also want to thank his staff, Kristen O'Neill.

Finally, from my office, I want to thank Adrianna Simonelli and JP Paluskiewicz, who shepherded the bill through the process.

I urge all Members to vote in favor of this legislation. It is important for all of our districts.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4080, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act. I am proud to be the lead Democratic sponsor on this important bill with my colleague from Texas, Dr. Burgess. I want to thank him for his leadership and commitment to this issue.

This bill reauthorizes the programs that provide grants to States for planning, implementing, and developing trauma care systems, and establishes pilot projects that design innovative models of emergency care systems.

Ideally, trauma and emergency care systems respond quickly and efficiently to ensure that the seriously injured individuals receive the care they need within that golden hour--the time period when medical intervention is most effective at saving lives.

However, unintentional injury remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 44 years and younger, and access to trauma centers is inconsistent throughout the country. In fact, 45 million Americans lack access to a trauma care center within that golden hour, which is the first hour after the injury.

Emergency departments and trauma centers are overcrowded, the emergency care system is splintered, and surgical specialists are often unavailable to patients who need them. This legislation helps establish the systems that save lives and improve the functioning of our trauma care systems.

Again, I want to thank Representative Burgess for championing this effort with me. I also want to acknowledge the leadership of Chairman Upton, Chairman Pitts, Ranking Member Waxman, Ranking Member Pallone, and the work of the committee's staff in advancing this bill through the Energy and Commerce Committee and bringing it to the floor today.

I support this bipartisan and I urge my colleagues to do the same, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, as a cosponsor of this bill and in working with my colleague Dr. Burgess for a number of years on trauma care, I urge an ``aye'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.