Health Leaders Plan Speedy Path for Research, Pandemic Bills (1)

Lawmakers are considering how to package and pass overlapping proposals on biomedical innovation and pandemic preparedness before a top senator’s retirement at the end of the year.

The good news is all the proposals have bipartisan support. The bad news is Congress is already overloaded with other agenda items, such as Democrats’ social spending measure, narrowing the time available for complex committee negotiations and floor votes. Advocates close to the talks say one solution could be stitching all the proposals together. Parts of the agenda could also hitch a ride on must-pass legislation for Food and Drug Administration user fees. ...