Four More Bilirakis Bills Pass the House, Await Final Action in the Senate

Washington, DC: Continuing his strong record of legislative achievement, four more bills co-authored by Congressman Gus Bilirakis have passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since the beginning of the year, three Bilirakis-authored bills have been signed into law, and nine more have passed out of the House Chamber (including these four). A summary of the newest Bilirakis bills to pass the House are included below.

H.R. 3894– CARING for Social Determinants Act of 2021 will require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide guidance to states to address social determinants of health under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). There is growing recognition in the field of public health that reducing long-standing disparities in health outcomes is dependent on systemically addressing the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence overall health and wellness. Examples of social determinants of health include: socioeconomic status, education, physical environment, employment, social support networks and access to healthcare. The Bilirakis-Blunt Rochester bill will provide ongoing guidance to State Medicaid programs every three years regarding how to implement research-proven strategies to optimize social determinants of health under existing Medicaid authority or waivers, especially for pediatric populations. This legislation builds upon the success that some state Medicaid programs have already seen since testing innovative delivery and payment models designed to improve health outcomes while reducing costs. "This is commonsense, bipartisan legislation that employs the basic principles of hierarchical needs. We have to look at the big picture. It is impossible to improve the population health of communities without addressing the factors that contribute to poor health outcomes. This is especially true when examining programs for children. For example, efforts to combat childhood obesity in at-risk populations, which lead to excessive healthcare expenditures, are most successful when combined with strategies designed to make sure low-income families have access to affordable, healthy food options. Prevention, education and improving access are essential components of effective public health programs. This isn't just a pragmatic approach, it is the right thing to do as we work to ensure all children have the best possible start in life," said Congressman Bilirakis.

H.R. 4055– American Cybersecurity Literacy Actwill require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish a cybersecurity literacy campaign to increase knowledge and awareness of cybersecurity risks among the American public, including best practices for preventing cyberattacks. "In recent months we have seen disruptive cyberattacks on some of our nations' most critical infrastructure systems, such as the Colonial Pipeline. In my district, a hacker was recently able to penetrate a local government's security measures and temporarily change the chemical settings of the city's water supply to a potentially dangerous level. Fortunately, the breach was discovered before anyone was in danger. However, these incidents underscore the importance of fortifying and modernizing our critical infrastructure to prevent further attacks," Bilirakis said. ""Our bipartisan legislation will develop a national education campaign to raise awareness of attacks and the practical steps that can be taken to thwart future bad actors. This is a matter of national security and we must do everything we can to protect all Americans from those who wish to do us harm."

H.R. 2355– Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021 will strengthen electronic prescribing and verification practices at pharmacies and build off of work that Bilirakis did in the SUPPORT Act to improve the use of electronic Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs across the health care system. "Many of my constituents are overdosing and dying at alarming rates. We have to take practical steps to put additional safeguards in place in order to reverse that troubling trend, curb opioid abuse, and save lives," said Congressman Gus Bilirakis.

H.R. 4555 - Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act directs the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop an oral health literacy strategy to reach underserved communities. This bipartisan bill aims to curb the rise in oral disease and related illnesses by providing prevention education through a five-year oral health literacy campaign.

"Oral health is a vital component of overall wellness that is too often overlooked. As with many aspects of healthcare, prevention is key to long-term health. Lack of good oral hygiene has been proven to exacerbate chronic health conditions and contributes to costly, yet preventable, emergency care," said Congressman Bilirakis. "I am proud to be a part of this initiative to raise awareness about the proactive steps that can be taken to improve oral healthcare as I believe it will improve patient outcomes."

The following are Bilirakis-bills that have been signed into law this Congress:

• The TRANSPLANT Act -reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory. It will help tens of thousands of Americans of all ages who suffer with diseases like blood cancer, sickle cell anemia, inherited metabolic or immune system disorders and 70 otherwise fatal blood disorders.
• The Protecting Moms Who Served Act – improves maternal health care for Veterans
• The FAIR Crash Tests Act - improves the federal government's vehicle safety testing practices, specifically those involving the use of crash test dummies.

Additionally, the following five Bilirakis bills passed the House earlier this year:

• The Emergency Reporting Act which will improve the resiliency of communications networks during emergencies.
• The Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act which standardized the suicide screening tool used in emergency rooms.
• The STAND-UP Act which promotes the use of evidence based practices to identify students who may be at-risk for mental health issues and link them to community resources.
• The Department of Defense (DOD) Burn Pits Health Provider Training Act, which implements mandatory training for all DOD medical providers on the potential health effects of burn pits. This legislative change will help ensure the early identification and treatment of health issues caused by burn pit exposure (will become law with expected Senate passage of NDAA,).
• The US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act, which will strengthen the defense partnership between the United States and Greece, including by supporting Greek military modernization and multilateral security efforts between Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States (will become law with expected Senate passage of NDAA).

In March of 2021, Congressman Bilirakis was named the 12^th Most Effective Republican Legislator in Congress based upon his record of legislative achievements. Bilirakis will continue to work across the aisle to secure bipartisan legislative victories that will benefit all Americans and his community.