“Innovation and discovery should be accelerated; treatments should be quickly available; and we should be curing diseases here in the United States.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) applauds the U.S. House of Representatives’ strong bipartisan vote on H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, which passed 344 – 77. McMorris Rodgers released the following statement:

“The House today took advantage of a unique opportunity. Our overwhelmingly bipartisan coalition voted to offer hope for the millions of Americans suffering from currently incurable and untreatable diseases. Innovation and discovery should be accelerated; treatments should be quickly available; and we should be curing diseases here in the United States. This legislation helps achieve that.

“Jenny Hoff from Spokane, Washington was diagnosed with ALS in 2006 at the age of 47. I had the privilege to meet Jenny earlier this year. For over 9 years she has lived valiantly, but there is currently no cure for this terrible disease.

“Today we voted overwhelmingly to support Jenny and the millions of moms and dads, brothers and sisters, children and grandparents facing horrible diseases—they serve as powerful reminders of why finding cures is so important.

“I’m proud to have authored six major provisions in the Cures package. These bills modernize HIPAA laws, accelerate the discovery of new cures, create research consortia to treat pediatric disorders, and bring our regulatory framework into the 21st century by embracing technologies that focus on patient-specific therapies and the potential for powerful indicators, like Biomarkers.

“I urge the Senate to quickly pass this legislation.”

Earlier this week, McMorris Rodgers delivered remarks at a press conference regarding 21^st Century Cures. Click here to watch her remarks.

To read her statement for the Congressional Record, click here.