The Adult Congenital Heart Association Applauds Legislative Effort to Extend Critical Support for CHD Research and Surveillance Programs
Today, U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), along with original cosponsors Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Buddy Carter (R-GA), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), and Darren Soto (D-FL), introduced the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2024 – a bipartisan bill that will authorize continued funding for congenital heart disease research and surveillance programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2024 reaffirms our country’s commitment to vital research, surveillance, and awareness programs at the CDC by reauthorizing funding at the previous level of $10 million per year through FY 2029.
“We appreciate the steadfast commitment from Representatives Bilirakis and Schiff to support congenital heart disease research and advocacy. It is a privilege to collaborate once more on this critical legislation, especially reflecting on the successful partnership that led to the previous passage of the Congenital Heart Futures Act in 2010 and its reauthorization in 2018,” said Mark Roeder, President and CEO of the Adult Congenital Heart Association. “This legislation has the opportunity to significantly impact our mission and to drive advancements in research, surveillance, and awareness for adults with CHD, marking it as a cornerstone of our advocacy efforts."
Initially passed into law in 2010 as a provision under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Congenital Heart Futures Act has been one of the most prominent legislative achievements of the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) and ACHA’s most important advocacy priority. It has significantly enhanced research, surveillance, and awareness activities for this lifelong condition. While 1 in 100 children are born with CHD, due to vast improvements in detection and treatment, over 85% of these children will now live to see their 18th birthday. Consequently, understanding the needs of the growing community of nearly two million adults living with CHD is increasingly important.
The ACHA urges the House Energy & Commerce Committee to consider and pass the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2024. We are committed to staying involved in the legislative process and working to garner additional support from Congress to ensure that this legislation continues to benefit the next generation of Americans living with CHD.
The Adult Congenital Heart Association is proudly collaborating with The Children’s Heart Foundation, Conquering CHD, and Mended Little Hearts in support of the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2024.