[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 24, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H5695-H5696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IMPROVING TRAUMA CARE ACT OF 2014

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3548) to amend title XII of the Public Health Service Act to 
expand the definition of trauma to include thermal, electrical, 
chemical, radioactive, and other extrinsic agents, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3548

       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 ``Improving Trauma Care Act of 
     2014''.

     SEC. 2. TRAUMA DEFINITION.

       (a) Revised Definition Under Trauma Systems Grants 
     Programs.--Paragraph (4) of section 1231 of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-31) is amended to read as 
     follows:
       ``(4) Trauma.--The term `trauma' means an injury resulting 
     from exposure to--
       ``(A) a mechanical force; or
       ``(B) another extrinsic agent, including an extrinsic agent 
     that is thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive.''.
       (b) Revised Definition Under Interagency Program for Trauma 
     Research.--Paragraph (3) of section 1261(h) of the Public 
     Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-61(h)) is amended to read 
     as follows:
       ``(3) The term `trauma' means an injury resulting from 
     exposure to--
       ``(A) a mechanical force; or
       ``(B) another extrinsic agent, including an extrinsic agent 
     that is thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) 
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 into 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.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 3548, the Improving Trauma Care Act 
of 2014, introduced by Congressman Bill Johnson of Ohio.
  This bill amends the Public Health Service Act by expanding the 
current definition of ``trauma'' to include an injury resulting from 
exposure to thermal, electrical, chemical, radioactive, and other 
agents.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 3548, the Improving Trauma Care Act of 
2014.
  This legislation amends the definition of the word ``trauma'' for the 
purpose of trauma care grants authorized in title XII of the Public 
Health Service Act to include burns and other injuries resulting from 
electrical, chemical, or other exposures.
  Strengthening our Nation's trauma care services is an important 
priority on which I hope to continue to work with Members on both sides 
of the aisle to address.
  I want to thank Congressman Johnson for his sponsorship of this 
legislation, and I want to acknowledge the work of our committee--
Chairman Upton, Chairman Pitts, Ranking Member Waxman, Ranking Member 
Pallone--and of all the staff in bringing this bill to the floor today.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Johnson).
  Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 3548, the Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014, bipartisan 
legislation I am proud to have sponsored with the support and counsel 
of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  I commend the committee staff for their hard work to move this 
legislation forward through markup at the subcommittee and full 
committee levels and to steer it to the House floor today.
  This simple but important bill seeks to refine inconsistent 
definitions of what constitutes ``trauma'' as outlined in the United 
States Code.
  Common sense would certainly point to many burn injuries as a type of 
trauma, but the U.S. Code doesn't recognizes them as such. The failure 
to incorporate the full range of traumatic injuries in the description 
of ``trauma,'' including burns, can result in gaps in coverage and in 
provisions of care throughout the care system. By modernizing this term 
as federally defined, Congress can ensure that it accurately reflects 
the medical realities of trauma and protects access to the provision of 
trauma care.
  There are important gains to be made in the field of traumatic 
medicine by the further integration of care and by finding synergies 
between burn and trauma centers. This has been all too evident in 
efforts to save lives after national tragedies, such as 9/11 and the 
Boston Marathon bombing. The importance of strengthening our Nation's 
burn care infrastructure can't be stressed enough. Inadequacy and 
inconsistency in the U.S. Code around the classification of burns 
further compound serious shortfalls in our Nation's traumatic emergency 
medical care system.
  Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death for those under age 
44, but getting a victim of trauma to a level 1 or 2 trauma center 
within the first golden hour can make all of the difference. However, 
45 million Americans do not have access to a level 1 or 2 trauma center 
within an hour's travel.
  I applaud the efforts of my colleague Dr. Burgess to reauthorize 
trauma programs and improve this system with his bill H.R. 4080, which 
I am also proud to support. I thank him for his endorsement of H.R. 
3548, and I am grateful for his efforts to improve trauma care more 
broadly.
  In addition, this legislation has the strong support of a broad 
coalition of the major medical societies and associations representing 
the trauma care community, including: the American Burn Association, 
the American College of Surgeons, the American Association for the 
Surgery of Trauma, the American Trauma Society, the American College of 
Emergency Physicians, the Trauma Center Association of America, and 
America's Essential Hospitals.
  I want to thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Pitts for their hard work 
in promoting the Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014.
  I hope my colleagues will support this commonsense legislation that 
prevents gaps in coverage and improves the provision of trauma care, 
and I strongly encourage a ``yes'' vote.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. I

[[Page H5696]]

urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3548.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I also urge Members to support this 
commonsense legislation, bipartisanly supported.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  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. 3548, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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