Reps. Blackburn & Capps Introduce Bipartisan Children Count Act

Press Release

Representatives Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Lois Capps (D-CA) introduced H.R. 2436, the Children Count Act.

This bipartisan legislation would direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to ensure that children are appropriately considered for NIH-funded studies.

"The children of today represent the future of tomorrow. By improving their lives through this legislation, they'll have the best opportunity to grow up strong and healthy," said Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Blackburn. "Research is crucial to finding cures and we must ensure our children receive the benefit of these studies."

"I am proud to introduce the Children Count Act - bipartisan, commonsense legislation that will improve our research practices and help ensure our children are not only healthier, but safer," Capps said. "We must be sure that treatments and devices are designed and tested to best meet the needs of our children and then labeled and marketed appropriately for use to help improve patient outcomes."

The bill has support from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Every child needs a strong foundation to ensure a healthy life, and pediatric research has taught us what we know about what makes children thrive. The American Academy of Pediatrics commends Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) for championing an important research provision for children in the 21st Century Cures Act. By ensuring that children are counted and included in NIH research, Reps. Blackburn and Capps also ensure that children benefit from new medical advances and cures discovered through this research. Their recommendations make the entire process more transparent and give children the best possible chance to grow up healthy," said Sandra G. Hassink, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics.

Rep. Blackburn and Rep. Capps have been working to get this provision in to the 21st Century Cures legislation.

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