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BISHOP APPLAUDS HOUSE PASSAGE OF 21ST CENTURY CURES ACT

December 2, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted in support of H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act, which passed the House of Representatives by a roll call vote of 392-26 on Wednesday. This bipartisan legislation provides $6.3 billion over 10 years to fund innovative research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), modernize the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), and help prevent and treat opioid addiction.

"This legislation represents a major bipartisan effort to enhance our country's medical research capabilities and find cures for cancer and other devastating conditions,” said Congressman Bishop. "Further, it recognizes the importance of treating opioid addiction as the national health issue it is, and will provide impacted communities, families, and individuals the necessary resources to treat this threat."

The legislation provides $4.8 billion to fund three major biomedical research priorities. This includes the Precision Medicine Initiative, the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative (BRAIN Initiative), and the Cancer Moonshot, an initiative by Vice President Joe Biden to find a cure for cancer.

The 21st Century Cures Act also allocates $1 billion combat the prescription opioid epidemic by improving monitoring programs for prescription drugs, enhancing access to treatment and recovery programs, and training mental health care providers.

Finally, the 21st Century Cures Act addresses innovation and modernization within the FDA and provides $500 million over the next 10 years to streamline access to necessary drugs and medical devices.

The legislation has now been sent to the Senate for further consideration. For more information on H.R. 34, or to track its progress, please click here.