H.R. 5551 · 117th Congress

Improving the Health of Children Act

Introduced on Oct 12, 2021 by Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA-1). 5 cosponsors, 4 of them from another party. Latest action (Dec 9, 2021): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Oct 12, 2021
Cosponsors
5
4 from the other party
Policy area
Health
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Birth defects
  • Blood and blood diseases
  • Child care and development
  • Child health
  • Disability and paralysis
  • Health programs administration and funding
  • Hereditary and development disorders
  • Medical research
  • Research administration and funding

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Dec 8, 2021). Public domain.

Improving the Health of Children Act

This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 programs and activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for researching and preventing birth defects, developmental disabilities, and other conditions.

Specifically, the bill reauthorizes the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. The center carries out activities to advance the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, including infants with birth defects, children with developmental disabilities, and individuals of all ages with disabilities or blood disorders.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Earl L. "Buddy" CarterR-GA-1Sponsor

Democrats · 4

Republicans · 1

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
    Dec 8, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 405–20

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Oct 12, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Oct 12, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Oct 12, 2021 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  4. Oct 13, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  5. Nov 4, 2021 · HouseSubcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  6. Nov 4, 2021 · HouseForwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
  7. Nov 17, 2021 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  8. Nov 17, 2021 · HouseOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  9. Dec 8, 2021Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 117-209.
  10. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseReported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 117-209.
  11. Dec 8, 2021 · HousePlaced on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 150.
  12. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseMr. Pallone moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  13. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7516-7518)
  14. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5551.
  15. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  16. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7537-7538)
  17. Dec 8, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 405 - 20 (Roll no. 418).(text: CR H7516-7517)House · Roll call 418
  18. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 405 - 20 (Roll no. 418). (text: CR H7516-7517)House · Roll call 418
  19. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  20. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. SOLV ENERGY LLC1 report
    $200K reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2023.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.