I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8137 
To provide for an exception to the restrictions described in the Assisted 
Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 with respect to certain States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2024 
Ms. PETTERSEN (for herself and Mr. PETERS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Edu-
cation and the Workforce, Oversight and Accountability, Natural Re-
sources, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for an exception to the restrictions described 
in the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 
with respect to certain States. 
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 ‘‘Patient Access to End 
of Life Care Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Medical aid-in-dying is a medical practice in 
which a mentally capable, terminally ill adult with 
less than six months to live requests a prescription 
from their qualified clinician for medication to bring 
about a peaceful death to ingest at any point if their 
suffering becomes unbearable. 
(2) Medical aid-in-dying, an authorized medical 
practice, is not euthanasia, mercy killing, or assisted 
suicide. 
(3) Oregon was the first jurisdiction to author-
ize medical aid-in-dying through a 1994 ballot initia-
tive. Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act was officially 
implemented in 1997. 
(4) Subsequently, Congress passed the Assisted 
Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 which, as 
Federal lawmakers interpret it, prevents any Federal 
money from being used to help terminally ill patients 
who want medical aid-in-dying, such as veterans and 
other vulnerable populations. 
(5) Since then, 11 jurisdictions have adopted 
medical aid-in-dying laws: California, Colorado, Dis-
trict of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana (via a 
State Supreme Court ruling), New Jersey, New 
Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington (1 in 5 
residents of the United States). 
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SEC. 3. EXCEPTION TO RESTRICTIONS DESCRIBED IN THE 
ASSISTED SUICIDE FUNDING RESTRICTION 
ACT OF 1997. 
Beginning January 1, 2025, in the case of a State 
that permits medical aid-in-dying programs (in accordance 
with the laws of such State), the restrictions described in 
the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 
(Public Law 105–12) shall not apply to any information, 
referrals, guidance, or medical care provided consistent 
with such programs. 
Æ 
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