NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Dingell Statement on the Medical Device Safety Act of 2008

The following is a statement by Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, in response to legislation introduced in the House today by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) to reverse a U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year involving medical devices.

“Today I joined Mr. Pallone and many of my colleagues in introducing the Medical Device Safety Act of 2008. We must not forget that there are three co-equal branches of the federal government with distinct duties and responsibilities. The appropriate application of federal preemption should be determined by Congress, not concocted in preambles to federal regulations or decided through case law. Through the recent Riegel decision, an activist judiciary has decided to constrict state authority in a way Congress never intended. Therefore, Congress should exercise its authority to correct this judicial overreach.”

For more information about the legislation contact Andrew Souvall with Rep. Pallone at 225-4671 or visit www.house.gov/pallone.

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