House Bills - 110th Congress

H. R. 3944 — The National Hepatitis B Act

On October 23, 2007, Representative Mike Honda (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3944, the National Hepatitis B Act. The legislation would require the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with the Directors of NIH, NCI and other Federal health agencies, to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the prevention, control and medical management of hepatitis B. This plan would include strategies for expanded vaccination programs, primary and secondary preventative education and training, surveillance and early detection, and research. The bill also would require the Secretary, acting through the Directors of CDC, NCI, and NIH, to conduct hepatitis B research. H.R. 3944 is similar to S. 3558 introduced by Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) and H.R. 4550 introduced by Representative Charles Dent (R-PA) in the 109th Congress. H.R. 3944 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.