Three legislative initiatives offered by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) recently became law with the president’s signature, marking six of his proposals being signed into law by President Joe Biden during the 117th Congress.
The three most recent are the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act, H.R. 2565; the Little Manatee River Wild and Scenic River Act, H.R. 4358; and the Veterans Eligible to Transfer School (VETS) Credit Act, H.R. 6604.
Rep. Buchanan’s bipartisan FDA Modernization Act, which he sponsored in April 2021, ends a government requirement that animal testing be used to determine a drug’s human efficacy, according to a summary provided by the congressman’s office.
President Biden on Dec. 27, 2022, signed H.R. 2565 into law as part of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2023. Rep. Buchanan’s bill garnered 114 cosponsors, including original cosponsors U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Elaine Luria (D-VA).
“The FDA Modernization Act will streamline drug development and spur innovation without resorting to inhumane and counterproductive experiments on dogs, primates and other animals,” Rep. Buchanan said. “In addition to preventing unnecessary and cruel animal abuse, this legislation will be pivotal in promoting faster delivery of cures for devastating diseases. This is a win-win for science and animal welfare.”
Also included in the omnibus bill was Rep. Buchanan’s bipartisan Little Manatee Wild and Scenic River Act, which will start the process of potentially designating an approximately 51-mile-long segment of the Little Manatee River as a scenic waterway to safeguard it from future development. Rep. Buchanan sponsored H.R. 4358 in July 2021 with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL).
“Protecting Florida’s beautiful lands and pristine waterways is one of my top priorities,” said Rep. Buchanan. “Designating the Little Manatee River as ‘scenic’ will ensure that it is kept in its current, pristine condition for future generations to enjoy. This bill brings us one step closer to making this historic designation a reality.”
Finally, Rep. Buchanan’s VETS Credit Act, H.R. 6604, which he sponsored in February 2022, became law on Dec. 27, 2022, as a standalone measure. The bill ensures that student veterans are able to quickly and easily transfer their course credits to another institution of higher education if their school or program ends suddenly.
“The G.I. Bill’s promise of a college education is one of the most important and effective tools we have to recruit and retain the very best and brightest to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” Rep. Buchanan said. “I’m pleased to see this legislation become law and ensure that no veteran loses access to the valuable G.I. Bill credits they earned and deserve by virtue of their service.”
Specifically, according to the congressional record bill summary, H.R. 6604 addresses eligibility for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance for individuals who are transferring credits due to the closure or disapproval of a program of education.
Currently, an individual who transfers fewer than 12 credits from a program of education that is closed or disapproved must be deemed to have not received such credits, and the period for which the entitlement is not charged must be the entire period of the individual’s enrollment in the program.
Under H.R. 6604, the VA must require an individual to certify in writing the transfer of fewer than 12 credits from a program of education that is closed or disapproved, and the VA must accept such certification as proof that the individual is transferring fewer than 12 credits, among other provisions, the summary says.
Rep. Buchanan’s three other initiatives signed into law during the 117th Congress included legislation to prevent scams against America’s senior citizens, increase grants to prevent prescription drug and opioid overdoses, and to implement several new military training reforms, according to his staff.