Hudson, Eshoo, Crenshaw and Tonko Introduce Bipartisan HEALTH Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08), along with Reps. Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), and Paul Tonko (NY-20), introduced the Health Emergencies are Literally Tenets of HHS (HEALTH) Act of 2021 this week. The bipartisan legislation streamlines all federal public health and medical emergency response through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), clarifying that HHS, not subsidiary agencies, has the authority to lead the nation's public health and preparedness enterprise.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the need for streamlined leadership in our public health system. As a leader on ensuring our nation is prepared for the next pandemic, I am proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to ensure we have the appropriate leadership infrastructure in place so timely, thoughtful, and effective decisions can be made to protect, prepare for, and respond to national emergencies," said Rep. Hudson. "I thank the leadership of my colleagues and look forward to advancing this bill in Congress."

"Our nation needs to be ready when the next public health crisis emerges, and that means we need to have a clear, efficient system of leadership. Our bipartisan legislation ensures the proper authority is in place to respond quickly and effectively by streamlining the federal public health and medical emergency response through HHS, especially for the Strategic National Stockpile," said Rep. Eshoo. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this bill forward."

"We need a more streamlined and efficient decision making process at the federal level when it comes to responding to public health emergencies. There shouldn't be multiple federal agencies issuing different, sometimes conflicting orders that create confusion and chaos in an emergency," said Rep. Crenshaw. "This bipartisan bill helps fix that and will provide for a better system to respond to public health challenges."

"When facing a major public health emergency, taking immediate, decisive action can mean the difference between life and death," Rep. Tonko said. "The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us firsthand the vital importance of strong, centralized leadership to mobilize a national response. Our bipartisan HEALTH Act places jurisdiction of that federal effort squarely with HHS. I'm proud to introduce this commonsense bill alongside my colleagues and urge Congress take this action that will put our nation in the best position to address any future crisis and save countless American lives."

Read more about H.R. 5488 here.