Upton Hoping For 21st Century Cures Passage Soon

medical3-2
medical3-2

Congressman Fred Upton is hoping to see passage of his signature 21st Century Cures legislation by the end of the year. He says House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have publicly joined in the push for the package.

“Even though Congress is out of session, we’ve had a lot of discussions with not only the White House but also the Senate, Republicans and Democrats, on crafting a final package that can be considered right after Labor Day when Congress comes back,” Upton told WSJM.

21st Century Cures would increase funding for the National Institutes of Health by billions of dollars, while speeding up the approval of drugs and devices and allowing for more medical trials previously only available in other parts of the world. Upton says lawmakers are working on offsetting the cost of the package so it will not increase overall federal spending. He expects the president to sign the legislation when it’s finally through Congress.