Senate HELP Committee seeks feedback on proposal to reauthorize public health emergency preparations

Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a discussion draft of a reauthorization for the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), in search of feedback.

PAHPA, first created in 2006, established the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), offered new authorities for various programs and, overall, sought to prepare the U.S. for public health emergencies. The latest effort at renewal would add some notable layers to the legislation, though, including requiring that all BARDA and CDC-supported products be sold to the federal government or in the U.S. commercial market at the lowest price among G7 countries, and at a reasonable price.

While that stipulation was not agreed to by all parties, it was proposed by those working under HELP Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Separately, Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) sought feedback on his own policy proposal to incentivize development of more medical countermeasures by extending the priority review voucher program and offering a new, non-transferable voucher to participating companies, and investigating more MCMS for threats to the military. His proposal likewise was not agreed to by all parties.

Others participating in the comment request included the staffs of U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Mitt Romney (R-UT). Comments are due by July 10, 2023.