WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a statement highlighting the 137 organizations who have called on Congress to reauthorize the bipartisan Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). The legislation strengthens our nation’s public health readiness and ensures all institutions have the tools to respond to the next health crisis or emergency.
In July, the HELP Committee passed legislation to reauthorize PAHPA by a bipartisan vote of 17-3. PAHPA expired on September 30th and has yet to be fully reauthorized by Congress.
“The HELP Committee passed bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and improve PAHPA. We need to finish the job and pass it into law,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Providing a strong PAHPA framework is crucial to improving our readiness towards the next pandemic, natural disaster, attack, or accident that puts Americans’ health and safety at risk.”
Congress first enacted PAHPA in 2006, largely to address the failures of the federal response following Hurricane Katrina. The legislation sought to support states, local governments, and hospitals so they would be better prepared for future emergencies. It established the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). It also made improvements to the National Disaster Medical System and other resources to improve medical surge capacity during an emergency. PAHPA was previously reauthorized on a bipartisan basis in 2013 and 2019.
Organizations calling on Congress to reauthorize PAHPA include:
3M
1Day Sooner
Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc.
Adaptive Phage Therapeutics
AdvaMed
Aequor Inc.
Alliance for Biosecurity
Altor Safety
America’s Essential Hospitals
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Ambulance Association
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American Burn Association
American Clinical Laboratory Association
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Surgeons
American Hospital Association
American Medical Manufacturers Association
American Lung Association
American Pharmacies
American Public Health Association
American Society for Microbiology
American Trauma Society
Anivive Lifesciences, Inc.
Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio)
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
ATCC (American Type Culture Collection)
Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Battelle
Bavarian Nordic
Big Cities Health Coalition
Biocom
BioCom California
BioCT
BioForward Wisconsin
BioKansas
BioNJ
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
Bugworks
Cencora
Cepheid
Civitas Networks for Health
Colorado BioScience Association
CommonSpirit Health
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA)
CSL Seqirus
Emergency Department Practice Management Association
Emergency Nurses Association
Emergent BioSolutions
Federation of American Scientists
FAH
FluGen Inc.
Georgia Bio
Gerontological Society of America
Ginkgo Bioworks
Global Health Investment Corporation
Global Health Technologies Coalition
Gryphon Scientific
GSK
Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA)
Healthcare Distribution Alliance
Healthcare Leadership Council
Healthcare Ready Helix
HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)
HIV Medicine Association
Humanetics Corporation
IAVI (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative)
Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization
Infectious Diseases Society of America
INOVIO Pharmaceuticals
Indiana Health Industry Forum
Institute for Progress (IFP)
Invivyd, Inc.
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Life Sciences PA
Locus Biosciences
Mallinckrodt
Marked By Covid
MassBio
Mass General Brigham
McKesson
Medical Alley
Medical Countermeasures Coalition (MC2)
Missouri Biotechnology Association (MOBIO)
Morehouse School of Medicine
Mount Sinai Health System
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Immigration Law Center
NC Life Sciences Organization
New Mexico Biotechnoiogy & Biomedical Association (NMBio)
New Orleans BioInnovation Center
NewYorkBIO
NightHawk Biosciences
Novavax
Ochsner Health
Ohio Life Sciences Association
Oklahoma Bioscience Association
PDS Biotechnology
PharmaJet Inc.
Premier Inc.
Public Health Accreditation Board
READDI, Inc.
Research!America
SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc.
Sanofi
SecureBio
Shionogi Inc.
SIGA Technologies, Inc.
Society for Public Health Education
Society of Trauma Nurses
Soligenix, Inc.
Technologies for Pandemic Defense
Texas A&M Health Science Center
Texas Healthcare & Bioscience Institute
Tonix Pharmaceuticals
Trauma Center Association of America
Trinity Health
TrippBio, Inc.
Trust for America’s Health
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
United Safety Technology Inc.
United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
University of Hawaii
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Valneva USA
Vaxess Technologies
Vaxxas Inc.
Virginia Biotechnology Association
Washington State University