Senate Labor & Human Resources Cmte. health panel under consideration by GOP.
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
SENATE LABOR COMMITTEE MAY ADD HEALTH PANEL; SEN. COATS COULD BE CHAIRMAN of the new subcommittee. Senate leadership and incoming panel Chairman James Jeffords (R-Vt.) are understood to be considering the development of a Labor/Health subcommittee. A decision likely will not be made until the week of Dec. 9 at least. A health subcommittee headed by Dan Coats (R-Ind.) would be a likely forum for Senate FDA reform debate and legislation in the 105th Congress. During FDA reform discussions in 1995/96, Coats pushed for increased privatization of agency functions. Specifically he sought authorization of third-party reviews of medical devices at FDA.