Thanks in large part to the efforts of ACC members, President Trump signed the much-anticipated Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2017 into law in December.

The law, authored by ACC President's Award recipient Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), reauthorizes congenital heart disease research and surveillance activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and directs the National Institutes of Health to report on ongoing research efforts in congenital heart disease. Passage of the legislation was one of the legislative priorities for the nearly 450 ACC members who took to Capitol Hill during the College's 2018 Legislative Conference in the fall.

"Today's bipartisan legislation is a continuation of the hard work our committee has done this Congress to protect and improve the health of all Americans," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Greg Walden (R-OR) and Subcommittee on Health Chair Michael C. Burgess, MD, (R-TX), in a statement. Walden also added: "As the parent of a child who died from a congenital heart defect, I know how much today's vote on H.R. 1222 gives hope to the parents, infants and adults across the country living with the effects of congenital heart disease."

Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine, Health Policy, National Institutes of Health (U.S.), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S., Heart Defects, Congenital, Research, Awards and Prizes

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