[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.
____________________