WASHINGTON, DC – Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) issued the following statement after President Trump signed H.R. 5385, the Dr. Benjy Frances Brooks Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2018, into law.
“The president’s signature on H.R. 5385 represents the final step in reauthorizing this invaluable program and ensures the longevity of a strong pediatric health care workforce for our nation’s freestanding children’s hospitals. This bill is the culmination of a bipartisan effort, in both the House and the Senate, to further our efforts to deliver quality care for children and families across the country. We welcome President Trump’s swift action to reauthorize this program for five more years.”
Background:
H.R. 5385, authored by #SubHealth Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX) and #SubHealth Chairman Burgess, will reauthorize the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program for five years. H.R. 5385 passed the House on July 23, by voice vote, and passed the Senate on September 4, by unanimous consent. The bill passed the Energy and Commerce Committee in July, by voice vote.
This is the latest effort to deliver for children and families. Earlier this year, Congress reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for 10 years – the longest and most generous reauthorization in the program’s 20-year history.