Review - HR 286 Introduced – Healthcare Security Grants

Earlier this month, Rep Escobar (D,TX) introduced HR 286, the Health Care Providers Safety Act of 2023. The bill would amend the Public Health Service Act by adding a new §399V-8, Grants to Health Care Providers to Enhance Security. It would allow HHS to “award grants to health care providers to pay for security services and otherwise enhance the physical and cyber security of their facilities, personnel, and patients to ensure safe access.” No funding is authorized for this proposed program.

This bill is nearly identical to HR 7814 which was introduced by Escobar last session. That bill saw no action in Committee, nor did the Senate’s companion measure, S 4268, that was introduced by Sen. Gillibrand (D,NY).

Moving Forward

Neither Escobar nor her 107 cosponsors have yet been assigned to any Committees. Normally, this would mean that it would be difficult to tell if there would be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. But, since this is, at heart, a pro-abortion bill, there is not enough influence to see the bill considered in the Republican controlled House Energy and Commerce Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This bill would not be able to muster the necessary votes to pass in Committee nor on the House floor.

 

For more details about this bill, including a look at Escobar’s press release – see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-286-introduced  - subscription required.