HEALTH Act

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is unknown as the resolution has only been referred to a committee and has not passed.

HEALTH Act: Creating a New House Committee on Health

This resolution creates a new standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives called the Committee on Health and moves specific health-related topics from two existing committees to this new one.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes the Committee on Health as an official, permanent group within the House of Representatives.
• Assigns responsibility for biomedical research and development, including oversight of the Food and Drug Administration, to the new committee.
• Gives the new committee authority over health facilities and care paid by general government funds, excluding services for veterans.
• Places public health matters and quarantine rules under the new committee's control, which includes work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Removes these specific topics from the current jurisdiction of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Who It Names or Affects

• The U.S. House of Representatives by changing its internal rules to add a new committee.
• Members of the existing Committee on Energy and Commerce, who will lose authority over certain health topics.
• Members of the existing Committee on Education and the Workforce, whose jurisdiction regarding health insurance programs is adjusted.

Terms To Know

Standing committee

A permanent group in Congress that handles specific types of laws and issues over time.

Jurisdiction

The official power or authority a committee has to review, change, or write laws on certain topics.

Limits and Unknowns

• This resolution only changes the rules of the House; it does not create new health programs or spend money.
• Veterans' hospitals and medical care are explicitly excluded from this new committee's authority, but no other exceptions are listed in the text.

Official Summary Text

House Endeavor to Accelerate a Legislative Transformation of Healthcare Act or the HEALTH Act
This resolution establishes the Committee on Health, a standing committee of the House of Representatives, and specifies the subjects within its jurisdiction.
The Committee on Health is responsible for all legislation and other matters relating to biomedical research and development (including the Food and Drug Administration); health, health facilities, and health care supported by general revenues (except veterans’ hospitals, medical care, and treatment); and public health and quarantine (including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The resolution also removes these topics from the jurisdiction of the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Current Bill Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 10 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 10

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish a
Committee on Health as a standing committee of the House.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 3, 2025

Mr. Davidson submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish a
Committee on Health as a standing committee of the House.

Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This resolution may be cited as the ``House Endeavor to Accelerate
a Legislative Transformation of Healthcare Act'' or the ``HEALTH Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMITTEE ON HEALTH.

(a) In General.--Clause 1 of rule X of the Rules of the House of
Representatives is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (j) through (t) as
paragraphs (k) through (u); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (i) the following new
paragraph:
``(j) Committee on health.--
``(A) Biomedical research and development,
including the Food and Drug Administration.
``(B) Health, health facilities, and health care
supported by general revenues (except veterans'
hospitals, medical care, and treatment of veterans).
``(C) Public health and quarantine, including the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments to Existing Jurisdiction of Standing
Committees.--
(1) Committee on education and the workforce.--Clause
1(e)(6) of such rule is amended by striking ``generally'' and
inserting ``generally (except health insurance programs)''.
(2) Committee on energy and commerce.--Clause 1(f) of such
rule is amended--
(A) by striking subparagraphs (1), (3), and (12);
and
(B) by redesignating the remaining subparagraphs
accordingly.
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