Two bills sponsored by Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) passed the Energy and Commerce Committee during a full committee markup this week.
H.R. 3320, the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act and H.R. 5487, the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act passed by voice vote.
“I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their support on these pieces of legislation that would improve access to quality health care,” Mullin said.
“The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act would help increase our health care workforce and ensure these programs are accessible, especially in rural communities. The SHINE for Autumn Act would work to find ways to improve maternal care and reduce the alarmingly high stillbirth rate in the United States. I look forward to seeing these bills come to the House Floor soon.”
The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act would provide funding to colleges and universities to make physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, audiology, and speech-language pathology programs more accessible to underrepresented communities, including rural areas and places with high prevalence of racial and ethnic minorities.
The Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act seeks to improve research and data collection on stillbirths by providing grants to states for surveillance and data collection relating to stillbirth and stillbirth risk factors.
Source: Mullin release