Senate passes bill supporting pediatric medical programs

The Senate passed a bill Tuesday evening that continues support for medical education programs at children’s hospitals.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduce the Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act, S.1557, which amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize support for graduate and medical education programs in children’s hospitals.

{mosads}The bipartisan bill was sent to the House for further consideration. If the House passes the measure it would then go to President Obama’s desk for his signature before becoming law.

The Senate passed the bill through a unanimous consent agreement before adjourning for the evening.

Earlier Tuesday, the Senate approved a motion to end debate on a motion to proceed to another medical bill — this time on compound drugs.

The Senate will spend part of the week debating the Drug Quality and Security Act, H.R. 3204, which would make it easier to trace drugs throughout the supply chain. Once that noncontroversial bill passes, the Senate will likely proceed to work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).