On Dec. 19, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1222, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2017, authored by ACC President's Award recipient Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). After nearly 450 ACC members took to Capitol Hill during the College's 2018 Legislative Conference to advocate for its passage, the legislation now joins three other public health bills headed to the President's desk.

The legislation first passed the House in Feb. 2018 by a vote of 394 – 7. The Senate passed the bill, with an amendment, earlier this month by unanimous consent. H.R. 1222 reauthorizes congenital heart disease research and surveillance activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and directs the National Institutes of Health to report on ongoing research CHD efforts.

"Today's bipartisan legislation is a continuation of the hard work our committee has done this Congress to protect and improve the health of all Americans," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Greg Walden (R-OR) and Subcommittee on Health Chair Michael C. Burgess, MD, (R-TX), in a statement. Walden also added: "As the parent of a child who died from a congenital heart defect, I know how much today's vote on H.R. 1222 gives hope to the parents, infants and adults across the country living with the effects of Congenital Heart Disease."

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S., National Institutes of Health (U.S.), Heart Defects, Congenital

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