I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5749 
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to research on asthma, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2023 
Mrs. DINGELL (for herself, Mr. VALADAO, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, and Mr. 
FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to 
research on asthma, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Elijah E. Cummings 
Family Asthma Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, in 2020 nearly 25,300,000 peo-
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ple in the United States had been diagnosed with 
asthma, including an estimated 4,200,000 children. 
(2) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, asthma is more common among 
Black Americans, Native individuals (American Indi-
ans/Alaska Natives), Puerto Ricans, and people of 
multiple races compared to non-Hispanic white indi-
viduals. 
(3) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, among children, males have 
higher rates of asthma than females, and in adults, 
women have higher rates of asthma than men. Indi-
viduals living below the poverty threshold also had 
significantly higher rates of asthma in 2020 than in-
dividuals living above the poverty threshold. 
(4) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, in 2020 more than 4,100 people 
in the United States died from asthma. The rate of 
mortality from asthma is higher among African 
Americans and women. 
(5) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention report that asthma accounted for approxi-
mately 183,000 hospitalizations and 1,600,000 visits 
to hospital emergency departments in 2016. 
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(6) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, the annual cost of asthma to 
the 
United 
States 
is 
approximately 
$81,900,000,000, including $3,000,000,000 in indi-
rect costs from missed days of school and work. 
(7) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, more than 7,900,000 school 
days and 10,900,000 workdays are missed annually 
as a result of asthma. 
(8) Asthma episodes can be triggered by both 
outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution, in-
cluding pollutants such as cigarette smoke and com-
bustion by-products. Asthma episodes can also be 
triggered by indoor allergens such as animal dander, 
mold, cockroaches, and rodents, and outdoor aller-
gens such as pollen. 
(9) Public health interventions and medical care 
in accordance with existing guidelines have been 
proven effective in the treatment and management 
of asthma. Better asthma management could reduce 
the numbers of emergency department visits and 
hospitalizations due to asthma. Studies published in 
medical journals, including the Journal of Asthma 
and The Journal of Pediatrics, have shown that bet-
ter asthma management results in improved asthma 
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