Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 578.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act, also known as the FASTER Act. An estimated 32 million Americans, including approximately one in every 13 children, are affected by food allergies. These allergies can pose significant risks, particularly when inaccurate food labels fail to warn consumers about the presence of some of these allergens. Under current law, eight allergens are considered major food allergens. These allergens include milk, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans. Due to their status as major food allergens, manufacturers must clearly state the presence of any of these ingredients on labels. Notably missing from this list of allergens is sesame. Sesame is considered an allergen of growing concern. While its prevalence has more than doubled over the last decade, it is not required to be listed as an allergen on food packaging. In fact, in some cases, a food may contain sesame, but the ingredient won't be listed at all on the labels, instead being referred to through nonspecific terms such as ``spices'' or words that may not be easily recognized by consumers as containing sesame, such as tahini. While many may not recognize the significance of a simple ingredients label, for many families, a lack of clarity on ingredients could mean life or death for those who are allergic to sesame. Clearly, this information should be prominently featured on all packaged food labels. This is an issue we have been working on for quite some time. I previously introduced a bill several years ago that would list sesame as a major food allergen, and although the Food and Drug Administration opened a docket to solicit feedback about sesame labeling, the agency has not been able to require the listing of sesame due to overly long regulatory processes. So today, Mr. Speaker, we are bypassing these regulatory delays and taking action. The appropriately-named FASTER Act would quickly move this process along by recognizing sesame as a major food allergen and requiring its listing on new food labels after a phase-in process. The bill will also require FDA to report recommendations on how we can make additional improvements to protect individuals with food allergies, including ways to add additional major food allergens. So I want to thank Representative Matsui for her tireless work on this bill. She is the prime sponsor. We came so close to getting this over the finish line in the last Congress, and I am glad that today we are sending this bill to President Biden for his signature. I am proud to support the legislation. I encourage all Members to vote for it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) who is the House sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, S. 578, the FASTER Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 189, the John Lewis National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Endowment Revitalization Act of 2021. This legislation would resume grants to minority academic institutions that fell out of eligibility for funding through the NIMHD Research Endowment Program. By allowing those schools to resume eligibility, we will once again help these institutions conduct critical research into minority health disparities. COVID-19, Mr. Speaker, has further exacerbated many of the inequities that minority communities experience when interacting with the healthcare system, inequities that we know existed long before the pandemic. In order to address the inequities in our healthcare system and in our society, we must confront them head-on and work together to eliminate them. By supporting NIMHD and the academic institutions funded through it, we are helping to advance minority health disparity research and strengthen the diversity of the scientific workforce by recruiting and retaining individuals underrepresented in these fields. This bill is a step toward progress and an equitable public health system. This bill is named after our former colleague, the late and great Congressman John Lewis from Georgia, who introduced this legislation last Congress. He was a dear friend and a longtime champion of eliminating disparities across the board, and he is certainly missed. I want to thank my colleagues, the two sponsors, Representatives Barragan and Carter, for leading the effort on this legislation this year. This is truly bipartisan. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan), a member of our committee and the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 941.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the C.W. Bill Young Transplant Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory Program facilitate lifesaving bone marrow and umbilical cord blood donations to help patients suffering from blood cancers, disorders, and diseases. These critical programs assist transplant patients by providing additional information about bone marrow and cord blood transplants, maintaining an efficient process for identifying donor matches, and increasing the number of unrelated donors available for transplant. The programs also collect data and expand research to improve patient outcomes. I thank my colleagues--Representatives Matsui, Bilirakis, and Pingree--for their bipartisan leadership on this bill, and I would urge my colleagues to support H.R. 941. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, but I think my colleague does, so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 164.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the rising cost of prescription drugs continues to be a major issue for families all across the country. These costs are particularly daunting at a time when we are facing a severe economic downturn and the ongoing pandemic. We are committed to continuing to find solutions to make prescription drugs more affordable for the American people. One important way to help families out is to ensure they are aware of more affordable options, like biosimilars and generics. These are both cheaper options, but, unfortunately, utilization of these products continues to be too low here in the United States. The Advancing Education on Biosimilars Act of 2021 is commonsense legislation that will help provide patients and healthcare providers with greater information about biologics and biosimilars. To do this, the bill requires the FDA to establish a public website with educational materials, including what products are interchangeable, as well as how to report any adverse events. In addition, the bill would support the development of continuing education programs for healthcare providers about biologics. It is critical that healthcare providers and patients are aware of all of their options, and this legislation will certainly help do that. I am pleased to work with my colleagues in the Senate on this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, rising prescription drug costs are a concern for so many Americans. Skyrocketing costs can result in some people postponing or altering treatment because the necessary drugs are simply priced out of reach. One way to help reduce drug costs is to provide early access to generic drugs. This legislation we are considering today will help to do that by ensuring that exclusivity, which can delay generics from entering the market, is only made available to truly innovative products. This will ensure that drug manufacturers cannot game the system by simply making small tweaks to old drugs as a way to block or delay competition. The legislation will also codify the Food and Drug Administration's current approach to awarding exclusivity. I thank Representatives Schrader and Guthrie for their bipartisan work on this legislation with Senators Cassidy, Smith, and Marshall. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I also urge support for this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1215) to establish an office within the Federal Trade Commission and an outside advisory group to prevent fraud targeting seniors and to direct the Commission to include additional information in an annual report to Congress on fraud targeting seniors, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1215.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1215, the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act. This bipartisan bill was introduced by Representatives Blunt Rochester and Walberg with strong bipartisan support of 16 other Members. It also incorporates a bill originally introduced by Representatives Deutch, Buchanan, and Welch. Reducing scams and fraud is an issue of utmost importance in every community and especially so during these uncertain and unprecedented times. Right now, we are seeing the best of humanity, but unscrupulous scammers and fraudsters still abound, seeking to capitalize on the confusion and fear that is out there. Seniors are especially vulnerable. According to the most recent report from the Federal Trade Commission, older adults reported nearly $400 million in losses from fraud in 2018. It is rare to recover these losses. We all need to work together to protect senior citizens from scams before they fall victim and suffer monetary losses. Mr. Speaker, this bill establishes a new senior scams prevention advisory group composed of relevant government agencies and industry representatives to collect and implement best practices that stop scammers before they can cause harm. It will also establish new programs to prevent fraud that targets seniors. The legislation will also improve educational materials on senior scams and make sure that they are publicly available. This legislation also establishes an office at the FTC dedicated to preventing fraud targeting seniors and monitoring the market for such fraud. This office will also assist the FTC in monitoring the market for mail, television, internet, and telemarketing fraud targeting seniors. The office will also help with consumer education on fraud targeting seniors. The bill will help reinforce the efforts of the FTC to prevent fraud and mitigate the massive losses from fraud targeting seniors. I urge my colleagues to support this important measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester), who is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I also urge support for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1460.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1460, the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2021. This important bipartisan bill was introduced again this Congress by Representatives Ann Kuster and Buddy Carter. Mr. Speaker, carbon monoxide--colorless, odorless, tasteless--is a silent killer. More than 400 people die, and approximately 50,000 people visit emergency rooms each year in the U.S. from carbon monoxide poisoning. The tragedy is that these deaths and injuries are preventable with the installation of carbon monoxide detectors. However, many people are unaware of the importance of carbon monoxide detectors or don't know how to install or maintain them properly. This bill will change that. It will assist States in educating the public on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and the proper use of carbon monoxide detectors. It will also provide States with grants so they can purchase and install carbon monoxide detectors in the homes of the elderly and low-income citizens, as well as in educational facilities. Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.