President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, (H.R.2617) into law on December 29. The $1.7 trillion spending package contains several provisions championed by the blood community to support the safety and availability of the blood supply.
The package includes a provision resulting from AABB’s advocacy efforts stipulating that the Secretary of Health and Human Services lead coordination and collaboration between the federal government and blood community, including blood collectors, on issues related to the safety and availability of the blood supply. The bill also includes a separate provision that would exempt information from blood donors or potential blood donors from the Paperwork Reduction Act.
The package also includes funding for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a new entity within the National Institutes for Health that aims to advance “high-potential, high-impact” biomedical and health research that cannot be readily accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity.
