CHGME and Pediatric Research Bills Pass Committee
The 113th Congress is off to a busy start, taking swift action on a couple of kid-friendly bills.
The 113th Congress is off to a busy start, taking swift action on a couple of kid-friendly bills.
The 113th Congress got off to a promising start as Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Pitts (R-PA) introduced legislation to reauthorize the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education program (CHGME). This early start is great news for children’s hospitals and the future pediatric specialists who train there.
On January 3, a new Congress (the 113th) was sworn in, and any unfinished work by the previous Congress was left on the table. Unfortunately, one of the many things left undone was reauthorization of the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program. This means that CHGME continues to be an “unauthorized” program, but at the same time continues to be funded. Wait, you’re thinking – how can Congress provide money to an unauthorized program?
Unless you’re a hardcore policy wonk, you probably don’t care too much about the backroom dealings that led to Congress’ later-than-last-minute deal to avert the “fiscal cliff,” at least not as much as you care that a deal finally got done. (Either way, you can read a fascinating day-by-day breakdown of the negotiations - or lack thereof - here.)