[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7364-H7365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 
                                  2019

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 776) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize 
the Emergency Medical Services for Children program.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 776

       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 ``Emergency Medical Services 
     for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR 
                   CHILDREN PROGRAM.

       Section 1910(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300w-9(d)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``2014, and'' and inserting ``2014,''; and
       (2) by inserting before the period the following: ``, and 
     $22,334,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter) each 
will control 20 minutes.

[[Page H7365]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 776.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, for 35 years, the Emergency Medical Services for 
Children, or EMSC, program has been the only Federal grant program 
specifically focused on addressing the needs of children in emergency 
medical systems.
  If ever a parent or caregiver is required to call 911 to get 
emergency care for a child, they should know that the child will 
receive the medical care that they need.
  The EMSC program helps provide this peace of mind by enhancing care 
for all children, no matter where they live, travel, or go to school.
  The EMSC program invests in research, care delivery enhancements, 
data monitoring, innovation in both prehospital EMS settings as well as 
hospital emergency departments.
  The program has led to real results and better care for children. For 
example, research funded by EMSC has led to a new pediatric head injury 
algorithm, which has led to a reduction in unnecessary radiation 
exposure from CT scans in children who have suffered head injuries.
  Mental health and substance abuse screenings have been created to 
better assess children in emergency situations, and a full 50 percent 
of hospitals have adopted new guidelines to assist them in transferring 
children to appropriate facilities when specialized care is needed.
  Any doctor, nurse, or EMS provider will tell you that we can't simply 
treat children as small adults. They need specialized treatment and 
protocols to ensure that the care they receive is appropriate and 
available to them when and where they need it. Passing this 5-year 
reauthorization of the EMSC program will continue to provide innovative 
and appropriate care to children.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting 
this bill today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 776, the 
Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 
2019.
  I would like to thank Representatives Peter King and Kathy Castor for 
their work on this important legislation.
  The Emergency Medical Services for Children program was enacted in 
1984 to provide grant funding to increase the ability of emergency 
medical systems to care for pediatric populations. Not only does this 
program provide funding so that emergency departments and hospitals can 
equip themselves with the appropriate pediatric medical tools, it 
enables partnerships and drives research and innovation in emergency 
care for children.
  Whether children require emergency care following a car crash or fall 
ill in the middle of the night with nowhere else to turn, our emergency 
medical system needs to have staff trained in how to treat children. A 
major part of that is providing the resources to equip healthcare 
professionals with the right size medical tools.
  The Emergency Medical Services for Children program provides grants 
for the State Partnership Program to integrate pediatric care into the 
EMS system and reduce pediatric morbidity and mortality. States can 
focus on providing quality prehospital and hospital-based care, in 
addition to establishing plans to handle disaster and trauma care.
  Our Nation's healthcare workforce still has much to learn about the 
treatment of pediatric populations, which is why continued research 
through the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network is 
crucial. This body is the first federally funded pediatric emergency 
medicine research network in the country and conducts a wide variety of 
research about acute illness and injuries in children.
  The reauthorization of the Emergency Medical Services for Children 
program is critical to maintaining and improving pediatric emergency 
care. Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support of H.R. 776, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would urge support for this bipartisan 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 776, the 
Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act, 
sponsored by Representatives Peter King and Kathy Castor. This 
legislation reauthorizes grants that focus on addressing the unique 
needs of children in emergency medical systems, with the ultimate goal 
of reducing the prevalence of morbidity and mortality in children that 
may occur as a result of acute illness and severe injury. This is 
really critical legislation for parents and children in our 
communities--no one should have to know the pain of losing a child. I 
urge my fellow House members to support this bill.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committee on 
the Budget, I rise in strong support of H.R. 776, the Emergency Medical 
Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019.
  The Emergency Medical Services for Children Program (EMSC) reduces 
child and youth mortality and morbidity due to severe illness or injury 
by increasing awareness among health professionals, providers and 
planners, and the general public of the special needs of children 
receiving emergency medical care.
  Specifically, the EMSC program has provided grants to all states 
since I 1985 for the State Partnership, Targeted Issues, State 
Partnership Regionalization of Care, and The Pediatric Emergency Care 
Applied Research Network.
  Additionally, the EMSC program has been used to establish national 
resource centers and a pediatric emergency care research network.
  Mr. Speaker, the majority of children are treated in community and 
rural emergency departments rather than specialized centers such as 
large children's hospitals.
  As a result, pediatric visits make up less than 20 percent of cases 
at emergency departments, so they lack the quality of pediatric 
emergency care needed for established practice guidelines.
  I support H.R. 776 because Congress has a responsibility to ensure 
that every child has access to necessary emergency medical services and 
that no child in our nation is left untreated.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 776, 
the ``Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization 
Act of 2019.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 776.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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