E-Newsletter

Griffith Attends Graduations

This past weekend many young men and women closed a very special chapter in their lives.  From Virginia Tech and Wytheville Community College to Mountain Empire Community College and The Appalachian College of Pharmacy, hundreds across the Ninth District received their college degrees.  

The students and faculty at Mountain Empire Community College and at The Appalachian College of Pharmacy gave me the distinct honor to join them at their commencement ceremonies on Friday and Saturday.  It was a true joy to join so many family members and loved ones as they celebrated this momentous occasion. 

As our nation continues to try and restore our broken economy, I remain hopeful about our future thanks to the many fine men and women I met this past weekend.  As English theologian Frederick Robertson once said, “Instruction ends in the school-room, but education ends only with life.”  A new chapter has now begun for these bright students, and I trust that they will build a better and brighter future for this great nation.

The House Continues to Govern

Despite what you may hear in the news, the House of Representatives continues to pass necessary and needed reforms to the government.  Last week, for example, the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Reform Act of 2012. 

Though a lengthy and complex bill, the FDA Reform Act offers a number of crucial reforms.  Specifically, the bill puts forth key changes to the FDA which will ensure that patients receive quality care and timely access to new treatments.  Also, it helps patients, hospitals, doctors, and nurses with respect to the current drug shortages crisis by requiring the FDA to speed up the approval of drugs in need.

Another reason I’m pleased to see this bill move forward is because of its inclusion of two bills I proudly cosponsored – The Creating Hope Act and the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act.  The Creating Hope Act helps expedite FDA review of more profitable drugs or biologics in return for developing treatments for rare pediatric diseases.  And, the GAIN Act provides incentives for the development of new antibiotics needed to treat new and emerging infections.  The United States continues to lead the world in medical innovation, and hopefully these two bills will help bring about even more advancement.

To be fair, not every member was happy with each intricate detail of the legislation.  But, we overcame partisanship and passed several needed and effective reforms to the FDA.  

Thomas Jefferson once said, “The art of governing consists simply of being honest, exercising common sense, following principle, and doing what is right and just.”  The House Energy and Commerce Committee did just that.  Democrats and Republicans alike set aside polarizing beliefs and worked together to secure needed reforms to the FDA.  I want to commend my colleagues for their hard work on this legislation, and look forward to voting for this again when it comes to the House Floor.

Click here to read a legislative summary of the FDA Reform Act of 2012.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my offices.  You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671.  To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

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