WASHINGTON, DC – Building on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s bipartisan #RecordOfSuccess, the House of Representatives today advanced eight committee bills. To date, over 130 bipartisan Energy and Commerce bills and provisions have cleared the House – and that number continues to grow with Congress back in session.

“We are proud of our bipartisan Record of Success which has steadily grown over the course of the 114th Congress, and today we had eight more clear the House floor,” said full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “Collectively, these bills advance ongoing efforts to protect consumers from bad actors, improve call quality for folks living in rural areas, boost investment into outdoor recreation, and improve the public health of Americans by better coordinating care. With the return of Congress, our work continues.”

The bills passed by the House today include:

#SubCommTech:

• H.R. 2669, the Anti-Spoofing Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) and co-authored by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), would strengthen the Truth In Caller ID Act and protect consumers from fraudulent actors and deceptive text messages by going after lawbreakers who seek to harass and defraud consumers. H.R. 2669 passed 382 to 5.
• H.R. 2566, the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2016, introduced by Rep. David Young (R-IA), would require intermediate providers to register with the Federal Communications Commission and comply with the service quality standards set by the agency in order to improve call quality from long distance or wireless calls in rural areas throughout the country. H.R. 2566 passed unanimously by voice vote.

#SubCMT:

• HR. 985, the Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2015, authored by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), would authorize the establishment of a federal “check-off” program for concrete masonry products. “Check-off” programs, which are financed by industry and overseen by the appropriate federal agency, are used to boost the overall sales and production of a particular commodity or good without reference to a specific brand or producer and also helps support jobs. H.R. 985 passed 355 to 38.
• H.R. 4665, the Outdoor REC Act of 2016, authored by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), would  direct the Department of Commerce to conduct an assessment and analysis of the outdoor recreation economy to ensure that it is measured and accounted for by the federal government as part of the country’s GDP.  This analysis will inform federal and state lawmakers on recreation policy and assist their efforts to optimize business investments into the outdoor recreation industry, which has become a significant driver of economic growth and job creation in the United States. H.R. 4665 passed unanimously by voice vote.

#SubHealth:

• H.R. 1192, the National Clinical Care Commission Act, authored by Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX), would establish a National Clinical Care Commission to evaluate and recommend solutions regarding better coordination and use of federal programs relating to supporting care for people with metabolic syndromes and related autoimmune disorders. H.R. 1192 passed unanimously by voice vote.
• H.R. 1209, the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, introduced by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), increases data collection by HHS to help place maternal health professionals in more appropriate geographic regions through their existing participating in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). There is no new authorization of appropriations for this bill nor does it expand participation in the NHSC. H.R. 1209 passed unanimously by voice vote.
• H.R. 2713, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), reauthorizes grants and scholarships for graduate and undergraduate nursing education in specified areas of nursing. The legislation also amends the PHSA to include clinical nurse leaders as advanced education nurses making clinical nurse leader education programs eligible for advanced education nursing grants. H.R. 2713 passed unanimously by voice vote.
• H.R. 4365, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016, introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), would improve the Drug Enforcement Administration registration process for emergency medical services (EMS) agencies and clarify that EMS professionals are permitted to administer controlled substances pursuant to standing or verbal orders when certain conditions are met. H.R. 4365 passed unanimously by voice vote.

To learn more about the committee’s #RecordOfSuccess, click HERE.