TRANSPLANT Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, today, the House of Representatives will vote to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act, a law that I authored in 2005. This was an original idea of mine 20 years ago.

My good friend from Florida just mentioned Dr. Kurtzberg. Dr. Kurtzberg was in the meetings that we held in drafting this legislation, and she provided incredible insights as to what we should do, what path we should follow. So I appreciate him recognizing her.

I also thank Artur Davis, who was my Democratic colleague and the principal Democratic cosponsor of the bill during those several years. It took 5 long years of hard work and numerous setbacks, but the bill was finally signed into law on December 20, 2005.

The new law created a nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell program designed to collect, derive, type, and freeze cord blood units for transplantation into patients to mitigate and even cure serious disease. Pursuant to the law, it also provided stem cells for research. The new cord blood program was combined with an expanded bone marrow initiative, which was crafted over several years by our distinguished colleague, Congressman Bill Young.

Umbilical cord blood stem cells, Mr. Speaker, obtained after the birth of a child have proved to be highly efficacious in treating some 70 diseases, including sickle cell disease, lymphoma, leukemia, and in treating metabolic and immune deficiencies. Scientists are continuing to study and better understand the regenerative effects of cord blood cell therapies for other diseases and disabilities, including autism. I would say in like manner, bone marrow donations are also providing lifesaving transplants for some of those very same diseases. So we have great regenerative initiatives that will be continued.

The National Cord Blood Inventory, NCBI, provides funding to public cord blood banks participating in the program to allow them to expand the national inventory of cord blood units available for transplant. These units are then listed on the registry by the Be the Match program. The funds appropriated thus far have led to an important increase in the overall number of high-quality cord blood units available through the national registry, now totaling 111,000 NCBI units. Within the Be the Match Registry, there are now more than 800,000 worldwide.

The program registry, Mr. Speaker, allows patients and physicians to locate matching cord blood units, as well as adult donors for marrow and peripheral blood stem cells. The program is the world's largest, most diverse donor registry, with more than 23 million volunteers. To date, the National Marrow Donor Program/Be the Match, through its operation of the program, has facilitated more than 105,000 transplants.

According to Be the Match, more than 40,000 patients have received cord blood transplants.

The reauthorization before us authorizes $23 million each year for 5 years for the cord blood side and, again, some $30 million each year for the bone marrow program.

Mr. Speaker, each year, nearly 4 million babies are born in America. In the past, virtually every placenta and umbilical cord was tossed as medical waste. Today, doctors have turned this medical waste into medical miracles.

Not only has God, in His wisdom and goodness, created a placenta and an umbilical cord to nurture and protect the precious life of an unborn child, but now we know that another gift awaits immediately after birth. Something very special is left behind: Cord blood that is teeming with lifesaving stem cells.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 578) to improve the health and safety of Americans living with food allergies and related disorders, including potentially life- threatening anaphylaxis, food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, and eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 578.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act, also known as the FASTER Act.

An estimated 32 million Americans, including approximately one in every 13 children, are affected by food allergies. These allergies can pose significant risks, particularly when inaccurate food labels fail to warn consumers about the presence of some of these allergens.

Under current law, eight allergens are considered major food allergens. These allergens include milk, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans. Due to their status as major food allergens, manufacturers must clearly state the presence of any of these ingredients on labels.

Notably missing from this list of allergens is sesame. Sesame is considered an allergen of growing concern. While its prevalence has more than doubled over the last decade, it is not required to be listed as an allergen on food packaging. In fact, in some cases, a food may contain sesame, but the ingredient won't be listed at all on the labels, instead being referred to through nonspecific terms such as ``spices'' or words that may not be easily recognized by consumers as containing sesame, such as tahini.

While many may not recognize the significance of a simple ingredients label, for many families, a lack of clarity on ingredients could mean life or death for those who are allergic to sesame. Clearly, this information should be prominently featured on all packaged food labels.

This is an issue we have been working on for quite some time. I previously introduced a bill several years ago that would list sesame as a major food allergen, and although the Food and Drug Administration opened a docket to solicit feedback about sesame labeling, the agency has not been able to require the listing of sesame due to overly long regulatory processes.

So today, Mr. Speaker, we are bypassing these regulatory delays and taking action. The appropriately-named FASTER Act would quickly move this process along by recognizing sesame as a major food allergen and requiring its listing on new food labels after a phase-in process.

The bill will also require FDA to report recommendations on how we can make additional improvements to protect individuals with food allergies, including ways to add additional major food allergens.

So I want to thank Representative Matsui for her tireless work on this bill. She is the prime sponsor. We came so close to getting this over the finish line in the last Congress, and I am glad that today we are sending this bill to President Biden for his signature. I am proud to support the legislation. I encourage all Members to vote for it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) who is the House sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, S. 578, the FASTER Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of two of my bills being considered under suspension today, the FASTER Act and the TRANSPLANT Act.

The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act, FASTER--which wasn't as fast as I wanted it to be, but this act will help to improve the safety of more than 32 million Americans, including 5.6 million children, living with potentially life-threatening food allergies.

Under current law, mandatory labeling is required for major food allergens recognized by the FDA like milk, eggs, and peanuts.

My grandson, Robby, has a peanut allergy, and for families like mine, accurate food ingredient labels are vital to making safe and healthy choices. The time we have spent reading the labels and having discussions about whether he can go to a birthday party or not, or go to camp or not, and having friends over, it was just heartbreaking. We need to have those labels be clear.

Critically, the FASTER Act extends these labeling protections to nearly 1.6 million Americans allergic to sesame by requiring sesame to be included as an ingredient on a packaged food label.

The bill also expands the research necessary to find new treatments and is an important step in the right direction to finding an eventual cure for food allergies.

Today is a testament to the hard work of thousands of grassroots advocates who sent emails, made calls, and visited Members of Congress and staff to build support and make sesame the ninth allergen to be labeled under law.

The outpouring of support was incredible. The FASTER Act will truly make a difference for those living with potentially life-threatening food allergies, and we are proud that it can now be sent to President Biden's desk.

I also rise today in support of H.R. 941, the TRANSPLANT Act, my legislation to reauthorize the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory for another 5 years.

Every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. For patients and families facing these fatal diseases, a bone marrow or cord blood transplant may be the best treatment or only potential for a cure.

Congress has long recognized the need to coordinate lifesaving transplants between patients and unrelated donors at the national level and has shown strong bipartisan support over the years for the program.

We must continue to encourage donors and give these patients with otherwise fatal blood cancers a second chance at life. That is why I joined with Representative Bilirakis to introduce the TRANSPLANT Act.

This past year, there has been a new sense of urgency for this timely reauthorization. We have seen how Be The Match's status, as the designated operator of the national program, has helped bone marrow couriers continue to facilitate transplants during the pandemic.

We must act swiftly to preserve this critical designation and ensure patients with otherwise fatal blood cancers continue to have access to transplants, both during and after the current public health crisis.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation today so we may further prevent any lapse in funding. I support both bills.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 941, the Timely Reauthorization of Necessary Stem-Cell Programs Lends Access to Needed Therapies Act, or the TRANSPLANT Act.

As co-chair of the Blood Cancers Caucus, I urge my colleagues to support the TRANSPLANT Act. This bill is about providing hope to those who are struggling with life-threatening illnesses. The TRANSPLANT Act reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Transplant Program, in addition to the National Cord Blood Inventory Program.

I remember Bill Young, Chairman Young, a great friend of ours, and he said that this was one of his greatest accomplishments. I also know that Chris Smith, who will be speaking later, was also involved in this. He has been a champion on this issue, Mr. Speaker. So I appreciate both of them.

This Federal program provides critical support in the advancement of research for better treatments and the infrastructure necessary to organize registries, which will help ensure transplant patients have access to lifesaving procedures. Simply put, its continued reauthorization is vital for patients with diseases like blood cancer, sickle cell anemia, and inherited metabolic or immune system disorders.

I sincerely appreciate the work of my friend and colleague and fellow Blood Cancers Caucus co-chair, Congresswoman Matsui, in addition to the legacy of bipartisan leadership and support of these programs by Members like, as I said, Chris Smith.

I thank the chairman, as well and the ranking member, for placing this particular bill on the agenda. I know it will get through the Senate this time.

Additionally, I appreciate the critical daily work of the National Marrow Donor Program, operating the Be the Match national registry, connecting patients in search of a cure with lifesaving bone marrow donors, even in the midst of this historic pandemic.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize the great work of Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, the president of the Cord Blood Association. She also serves in multiple roles at Duke University, including the director of Carolinas Cord Blood Bank. Dr. Kurtzberg has dedicated her professional career to cord blood research, banking, and transplantation; and she is an internationally recognized umbilical cord blood transplanter. She advised Congress on the creation of the public cord blood banking program, which was part of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. Dr. Kurtzberg continues to be a trusted adviser to Congress on this important program.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join us in expediting passage of this lifesaving bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important bill and needs to pass as soon as possible. I really appreciate the chairman placing the bill on the agenda. I urge the Senate to pass it as soon as possible, and, of course, my colleagues today, if we can pass this bill immediately so we can get it to the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Rodgers, my classmate and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee for yielding. It is an amazing thing to be with you here today, and it is an amazing thing to be here today to talk about this important bill.

As the lead Republican cosponsor of the House companion to S. 578, I rise in support of the FASTER Act.

Millions of Americans suffer from life-threatening food allergies. More than 1.5 million Americans are allergic to sesame, in particular, yet there is no current requirement to include the ingredient on product labels. This legislation would declare it the ninth major allergen to be recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and update laws to require the labeling of sesame.

This bill would also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to regularly review promising food allergy treatments and research. This is a major bipartisan priority. These efforts will help slow this rapidly growing disease and ultimately find and fund a cure.

Finally, the FASTER Act establishes a scientific process and framework for establishing additional allergens covered by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

I am proud to serve as cofounder and co-chair of the newly formed Congressional Food Allergy Research Caucus, along with Congresswoman Doris Matsui. We recognize there is more we can do to help those 32 million Americans, including many who are children who suffer from food allergies.

We can and we should do more to increase funding into research, therapies, and treatments for food allergies. Sending this legislation to the President's desk would be a major first step to achieving our goal of improving treatment opportunities.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' on this bill.