Protecting Cures Act of 2020

Bill: 116-hr-6417
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
Introduced: 2020-03-31
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cell biology and embryology

Medical ethics

Medical research

Organ and tissue donation and transplantation

Research administration and funding
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-31
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-03-31
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Protecting Cures Act of 2020</b></p> <p>This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from withholding funding, because of ethical considerations,&nbsp;for research activities that use human fetal tissue, provided that the research&nbsp;activities have been recommended for approval by an institutional review board and otherwise comply with existing laws concerning human fetal tissue. The bill also establishes that this research is not unethical by deeming the 1988 report of the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel as meeting relevant statutory requirements with respect to approving&nbsp;the ethical status of such research. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6417 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 31, 2020 Ms. Schakowsky (for herself, Mr. Pocan , Mrs. Watson Coleman , Mr. Nadler , Ms. Speier , Ms. DeGette , Ms. Frankel , Ms. DelBene , and Mr. Huffman ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from withholding funds for certain research using human fetal tissue, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting Cures Act of 2020 . 2. Prohibition against withholding funds in cases of technical and scientific merit (a) In general In the case of any proposal for research using human fetal tissue, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may not withhold funds because of considerations under subsection (b)(1) of section 492A of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 289a–1 ) if— (1) the research has been recommended for approval in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of such section 492A; (2) the research will be carried out in accordance with section 498A of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 289g–1 ); and (3) there are reasonable assurances that the research will not utilize any human fetal tissue that has been obtained in violation of section 498B(a) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 289g–2 ). (b) Standing approval regarding ethical status In the case of any proposal for research using human fetal tissue, the issuance of the report of the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel in December 1988 shall be deemed to be a report— (1) issued by an ethics advisory board pursuant to section 492A(b)(5)(B)(ii) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 289a–1(b)(5)(B)(ii) ); and (2) finding, on a basis that is neither arbitrary nor capricious, that the nature of the research is such that it is not unethical to conduct or support the research. (c) Definition For purposes of this section, the term human fetal tissue has the meaning given such term in section 498A of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 289g–1 ).