Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act of 2021

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of two of my bills being considered under suspension today, the FASTER Act and the TRANSPLANT Act.

The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act, FASTER--which wasn't as fast as I wanted it to be, but this act will help to improve the safety of more than 32 million Americans, including 5.6 million children, living with potentially life-threatening food allergies.

Under current law, mandatory labeling is required for major food allergens recognized by the FDA like milk, eggs, and peanuts.

My grandson, Robby, has a peanut allergy, and for families like mine, accurate food ingredient labels are vital to making safe and healthy choices. The time we have spent reading the labels and having discussions about whether he can go to a birthday party or not, or go to camp or not, and having friends over, it was just heartbreaking. We need to have those labels be clear.

Critically, the FASTER Act extends these labeling protections to nearly 1.6 million Americans allergic to sesame by requiring sesame to be included as an ingredient on a packaged food label.

The bill also expands the research necessary to find new treatments and is an important step in the right direction to finding an eventual cure for food allergies.

Today is a testament to the hard work of thousands of grassroots advocates who sent emails, made calls, and visited Members of Congress and staff to build support and make sesame the ninth allergen to be labeled under law.

The outpouring of support was incredible. The FASTER Act will truly make a difference for those living with potentially life-threatening food allergies, and we are proud that it can now be sent to President Biden's desk.

I also rise today in support of H.R. 941, the TRANSPLANT Act, my legislation to reauthorize the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory for another 5 years.

Every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. For patients and families facing these fatal diseases, a bone marrow or cord blood transplant may be the best treatment or only potential for a cure.

Congress has long recognized the need to coordinate lifesaving transplants between patients and unrelated donors at the national level and has shown strong bipartisan support over the years for the program.

We must continue to encourage donors and give these patients with otherwise fatal blood cancers a second chance at life. That is why I joined with Representative Bilirakis to introduce the TRANSPLANT Act.

This past year, there has been a new sense of urgency for this timely reauthorization. We have seen how Be The Match's status, as the designated operator of the national program, has helped bone marrow couriers continue to facilitate transplants during the pandemic.

We must act swiftly to preserve this critical designation and ensure patients with otherwise fatal blood cancers continue to have access to transplants, both during and after the current public health crisis.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation today so we may further prevent any lapse in funding. I support both bills.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source