[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H36-H39]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       POISON CENTER NETWORK ACT

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3527) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the 
poison center national toll-free number, national media campaign, and 
grant program, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3527

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Poison Center Network Act''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF POISON CONTROL CENTERS NATIONAL 
                   TOLL-FREE NUMBER.

       Section 1271 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300d-71) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting 
     the following:
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section, $700,000 for 
     each of fiscal years 2015 through 2019 for the maintenance of 
     the nationwide toll free phone number under subsection 
     (a).''.

     SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF NATIONWIDE MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO 
                   PROMOTE POISON CONTROL CENTER UTILIZATION.

       Section 1272 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300d-72) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)(2), by striking the comma after 
     ``Congress''; and
       (2) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section, $800,000 for 
     each of fiscal years 2015 through 2019.''.

     SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE POISON CONTROL CENTER GRANT 
                   PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Section 1273 of the Public Health Service 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-73) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by striking ``certified'' and inserting ``accredited''; 
     and
       (B) by striking ``certification'' and inserting 
     ``accreditation'';
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``establish'' and 
     inserting ``research, establish, implement,'';
       (B) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) as 
     paragraphs (5) through (8);
       (C) by inserting after paragraph (3), the following:
       ``(4) to research, improve, and enhance the communications 
     and response capability and capacity of the nation's network 
     of poison control centers to facilitate increased access to 
     the Centers through the integration and modernization of the 
     current poison control centers communications and data 
     system, including enhancing the network's telephony, 
     Internet, data and social networking technologies;'';
       (D) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated), by striking 
     ``paragraph (4)'' and inserting ``paragraph (5)''; and
       (E) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated), by striking 
     ``and respond'' and inserting ``and Internet communications, 
     and to sustain and enhance the poison control center's 
     network capability to respond'';
       (3) in subsection (c)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
     ``Certification'' and inserting ``Accreditation'';
       (B) by striking ``certified'' each place that such term 
     appears and inserting ``accredited''; and
       (C) by striking ``certification'' each place that such term 
     appears and inserting ``accreditation'';
       (4) in subsection (d)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
     ``Certification'' and inserting ``Accreditation'';
       (B) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``the certification'' and inserting ``the 
     accreditation'';
       (ii) by striking ``a noncertified'' and inserting ``a 
     nonaccredited''; and
       (iii) by striking ``a certification'' and inserting ``an 
     accreditation''; and
       (C) in paragraph (3)--
       (i) by striking the last sentence; and
       (ii) by striking ``exceed 5 years.'' and inserting the 
     following ``exceed--
       ``(A) 5 years; or
       ``(B) in the case of a nonaccredited poison control center 
     operating pursuant to a waiver under this subsection as of 
     October 1, 2014, 6 years.'';
       (5) in subsection (f), by striking ``for activities of the 
     center'' and inserting ``for its activities''; and
       (6) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following:
       ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section, $28,600,000 for 
     each of

[[Page H37]]

     fiscal years 2015 through 2019. The Secretary may utilize an 
     amount not to exceed 6 percent of the amount appropriated 
     under this preceding sentence in each fiscal year for 
     coordination, dissemination, technical assistance, program 
     evaluation, data activities, and other program administration 
     functions, which are determined by the Secretary to be 
     appropriate for carrying out the program under this 
     section.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act 
     and shall apply to grants made on or after October 1, 2014.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3527, the Poison Center Network Act, introduced by 
Representative Lee Terry of Nebraska, reauthorizes important activities 
related to poison control centers. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes 
the National Poison Center toll-free number, the Poison Center's 
national media campaign, and the State grant program which funds 56 
poison control centers around the United States.
  The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that in any 
given year, there will be between 3 million and 5 million poison 
exposures. Sixty percent of these exposures will involve children under 
the age of 6 who are exposed to toxins in their homes.
  Poisoning is the second-most common form of unintentional death in 
the United States and accounts for 285,000 hospitalizations a year. 
According to a report from the Institute of Medicine, every $1 spent on 
Poison Control Center services saves $7 in medical spending.
  I would urge all my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 3527, the Poison Center Network Act.

                              {time}  1300

  Mr. Speaker, this important legislation, which passed the Energy and 
Commerce Committee by unanimous consent in December, reauthorizes the 
national toll-free phone number, media campaign, and grant program 
which have helped make poison centers an incredibly successful program.
  First passed in 2000, national poison center legislation was 
championed by our current Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, Mr. 
Upton, and our former colleague, Ed Towns. Since then, the national 
poison center legislation has been reauthorized twice, and I am proud 
to say it remains a very bipartisan product.
  Chairman Terry, thank you for your leadership on this issue over the 
years and your hard work on this reauthorization. This is a good, 
bipartisan bill, and I am pleased to have had the opportunity to work 
on it with you.
  Poison exposure is a leading cause of unintentional injuries in the 
United States, and it was the second leading cause of unintentional 
injury deaths in 2010. According to a recent Lewin Group report, 
poisonings accounted for over 2.1 million emergency room visits and 
438,000 hospitalizations in the year 2009 alone. I think most of us 
with children remember either having a magnet on our refrigerator or a 
sticker on our phone providing the contact information for the poison 
center in our area.
  The experts that staff our Nation's network of 56 poison centers are 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In 2012, 
poison centers handled, on average, 9,200 cases per day for a total of 
almost 3.4 million cases over the course of the year. Over 90 percent 
of calls into poison centers were due to a poison exposure in someone's 
home, and approximately half of all cases involved children under the 
age of 6 who were exposed to toxins in their home.
  In my home State of New York, we have two poison centers that, 
between the two of them, field over 164,000 calls per year. The New 
York City poison center found that 88 percent of all exposures to a 
dangerous substance occurred within someone's own residence. Many of 
these calls were related to the accidental ingestion of various 
cleaning products or detergents, but in 2012, the New York City poison 
center also fielded over 2,000 calls regarding prescription 
painkillers.
  For the upstate New York poison center in 2012, 85 percent of calls 
were related to unintentional poisonings, 62 percent involved children 
under the age of 5, and, most importantly, 82 percent of cases could be 
managed over the phone and did not require a visit to a doctor or a 
hospital if hospitalization is necessary.
  In 2011, poison centers helped avoid an estimated 1.7 million 
unnecessary health care visits and have been shown to decrease the 
amount of time an individual spends in the hospital. While a visit to 
the emergency room can cost hundreds of dollars, and a hospitalization 
can cost thousands, a phone call to a poison center only costs around 
$30, which shows poison centers continue to be a smart public health 
investment.
  I think it is also important to note that poison centers are an 
incredibly valuable resource to health care providers. Poison centers 
provide access to board-certified medical toxicologists which can 
assist with the triage, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with known 
or suspected poisoning.
  Poison centers are a true partnership between Federal, State, and 
local governments, as well as in the private sector. In 2011, poison 
centers obtained only 13 percent of their funding from Federal grants, 
while 62 percent came from State and local government and 25 percent 
from private funders like hospitals and insurers. Adequate funding from 
all sources is important in order to continue to provide high-quality 
experts and services in the name of poison prevention for our 
constituents.
  Mr. Speaker, by all accounts, poison centers have been an incredible 
success and a program that we should all be proud to be a part of. In 
addition to my gratitude towards Mr. Terry, I would also again like to 
thank Chairman Upton for his leadership on this issue, as well as 
Ranking Member Waxman, Chairman Pitts, and Ranking Member Pallone for 
their assistance in bringing this bill, first, before the Energy and 
Commerce Committee and to the floor today.
  As the lead Democrat on this bipartisan legislation, I urge my 
colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes 
to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the distinguished chairman 
of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friends, Mr. Engel, the 
lead Democratic cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation, as well as 
Mr. Terry, who has helped champion this, not only in this Congress, but 
for the last number of years, as well.
  This bill needs to get done. H.R. 3527 is really good legislation, 
and it's bipartisan. It funds more than 50 poison control centers 
across the country. In 2012, almost 4 million calls were managed by our 
Nation's poison control centers. These centers and the physicians, the 
nurses, the pharmacists, and toxicology specialists who staff them save 
lives by providing free and confidential health services regarding 
potential exposure to harmful toxins 24/7 and in 150 different 
languages.
  So let me tell you about Michigan. The Michigan Regional Poison 
Control Center at DMC Children's Hospital in Detroit is one of the 
largest and busiest poison centers in the country, offering leadership 
in new data collection processes and identification of new trends in 
poisonings. The center provides assessment, triage, management, and 
continued monitoring of more than 90,000 poison exposures in Michigan 
every year at no direct cost to the patient, the practitioner, or the 
health care institution.
  Poison centers like this save money, as many of these crisis calls 
avert an expensive trip to the emergency room. In fact, a 2012 report 
by the independent Lewin Group determined that the Nation's poison 
centers save more

[[Page H38]]

than $1.19 billion in avoided medical utilization and reduced hospital 
length of stay every year. In addition, every $1 of funding saves about 
$13 in unnecessary health care costs and lost productivity in the 
country.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. PITTS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. UPTON. Our Nation's poison centers exemplify successful public-
private partnerships, with Federal funds providing only 18 percent of 
the poison center budget. That partnership saves the Federal Government 
a lot of money while also delivering access to critical services for 
Americans across the country, let alone the lives that we save. So I 
would ask every one of my colleagues to support this very important, 
bipartisan legislation.
  Again, I want to commend the leadership of Mr. Terry and Mr. Engel 
for their continued effort on this to ``git-r-done.''
  Mr. ENGEL. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield as much time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), the prime sponsor 
of the bill.

  Mr. TERRY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for recognizing me, and I thank the 
gentleman from New York, my good friend. We have worked on several 
bills together, but the poison control bill is certainly one of those 
that we've been active on several years now. Thank you for your 
involvement and your staff's involvement. They have done a great job.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan and a bicameral bill. Not only were 
we in negotiations and just working together in a bipartisan way in the 
House, but our team in the House, Eliot Engel and myself, have been 
working with the Senate, and they have an identical bill to this.
  This bill reauthorizes the national Poison Control Centers' toll-free 
number, the Poison Centers' nationwide media campaign, and the grant 
program which provides funds for over 50 poison centers nationwide, 
including the one in Omaha, Nebraska, that I recently visited.
  Currently, 56 poison centers serve all 50 States and its territories 
24 hours a day, 7 days a week--yes, even Christmas. These centers 
provide professional advice from doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and 
toxicology specialists to people calling in with questions or concerns 
regarding potential exposure to harmful toxins.
  Nebraska's poison control center has a direct relationship with our 
medical center, and you will find that very common in many communities 
and States.
  In 2010 alone, the annual report of the poison control centers 
reported over 3 million calls received and served by the centers. In 
2012, more than 3.9 million calls were managed by our Nation's poison 
control centers.
  Our national poison center network also serves as an ideal example of 
private-public partnership that saves the Federal Government money--
billions of dollars each year--in avoided emergency room expenses while 
delivering access to critical services. Eighty percent of the poison 
centers' operating budget comes from non-Federal sources. In 2012, an 
independent analysis found a large portion of the savings provided by 
poison centers saved SCHIP, Medicare, and Medicaid funds more than $700 
million a year just for those programs. America's utilization of the 
Nation's poison control center information and case triage services 
results in avoiding more than 1.7 million unnecessary visits to health 
care facilities.
  Now I am encouraging every Member of Congress to visit their State's 
poison center where they will see great professionals work with 
frightened people on the other side of that call in a remarkable way. 
And I also encourage them to support this bill.
  Mr. ENGEL. I have no further speakers, Mr. Speaker, so I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, we have no other speakers.
  I would urge all Members to support this bill, H.R. 3527, in order to 
save lives. It's a bipartisan, good bill that deserves every Member's 
support.
  And with that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill before us: 
H.R. 3527, the Poison Center Network Act.
  This bill reauthorizes the Poison Control Program. I have been a 
strong supporter of poison control centers over the years and co-
sponsored the 2000 legislation first authorizing the program.
  There is currently a nationwide network of poison control centers--
due in large part to federal support for these centers. Poison control 
centers play a crucial role in reducing injuries and deaths caused by 
poison exposure, such as from household products, chemicals in the 
workplace, and medicine. Studies have shown that these poison control 
centers reduce the severity of illness and death caused by poison 
exposure--a leading cause of unintentional injury death--and save money 
by reducing the number of unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
  In California alone, the poison control system has managed millions 
of cases since its inception in 1997. The system consults on hundreds 
of thousands of cases each year. And in just one year, the work of the 
California system is estimated to save $70 million in health care costs 
and avert more than 60,000 emergency room visits.
  H.R. 3527 reauthorizes and makes enhancements to the ``Poison Center 
Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008.'' The bill extends 
State grants to establish and operate poison centers; maintains a 
national toll-free number to ensure access to poison center services by 
connecting callers to the poison center serving their area; and 
supports a national media campaign to educate the public and health 
care providers about poison prevention, poison center services, and the 
toll-free number.
  I am glad we were able to work in a bipartisan manner to move this 
important public health measure through our Committee and bring it to 
the House floor today. I'd like to commend Energy and Commerce Members, 
Representatives Eliot Engel and Lee Terry, for their leadership on this 
bill.
  I support this measure, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting 
in support of H.R. 3527.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3527, the Poison 
Center Network Act.
  This bipartisan legislation will continue the important grants to our 
nation's 56 poison centers. These centers provide critical public 
health support to every state and are responsible for helping to reduce 
the number of deaths and the severity of illness caused by poisoning. 
They offer critical poison treatment advice and, in some cases, 
function as direct-service providers.
  Poison exposure is a leading cause of unintentional injury in the 
United States. In fact, poison centers field approximately 3.6 million 
calls every year, including 2.3 million calls about exposures to 
poisons and adverse reactions to prescription drugs. By playing a role 
within the health care infrastructure, poison control centers reduce 
the cost burden on our health system. Annually, of all the calls to a 
poison control centers about a potential poisoning, nearly 90 percent 
of the calls are managed on-site and outside of a health care facility. 
This means that a caller gets the help they need over the phone without 
having to go to a doctor or the hospital. Both of which would be much 
more costly to the system. In addition, these services are available 24 
hours a day, seven days a week at no direct cost to the people who 
call.
  The poison control centers also help provide education and 
surveillance through operation of their toll-free national poison help 
line. In fact, poison centers are often the first to identify emerging 
public health threats. In the past few years, they were credited with 
identifying key health issues, for example regarding, energy drinks. 
They also were able to track the incidence of numerous food-borne 
illnesses.
  Today's bill will continue these grants to support the work of these 
critical poison control centers. The return on federal investment is 
substantial and the work of the centers is proven to be valuable and 
effective.
  Thank you to our Energy and Commerce Committee Members, Mr. Engel and 
Mr. Terry, for their leadership on this bill. I urge all Members to 
support its passage.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3527, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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