01/22/2013 -

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would continue funding government development of nuclear, chemical, and biological countermeasures.

TheAll-Hazards Preparedness Act, H.R. 307, passed with a 395-29 vote.

“The bill is similar to one the House approved last year, but which the Senate never considered. The legislation reauthorizes several programs under the Public Health Service Act for five years, at 2012 funding levels,”The Hill reports.

It will sustain the flow of money to programs focused on developing vaccines,countermeasures programs, andreadiness drills.

H.R. 370 also establishes the creation of the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters to give input on disaster recovery in regard to children. Members of the committee will include experts from HHS, BARDA, FEMA, and the CDC.

U.S. Navy Photo