Advancing Hope Act of 2016
Public Law 114-229 · S. 1878 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Sep 30, 2016 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)
Cosponsors (3): Sen. Johnny Isakson, Sen. Sherrod Brown,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Advancing Hope Act of 2016
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the priority review voucher program for rare pediatric disease medications. (A priority review voucher is a transferable voucher that entitles the holder to have a new drug or biological product application acted upon by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within six months.) The program is restricted to treatments for serious diseases and is terminated at the end of 2016.
Beginning 90 days after enactment of the bill, a medication sponsor who intends to request a voucher for a rare pediatric disease medication must notify the FDA of that intent upon submission of the application for the medication.
The bill applies to applications submitted to the FDA before enactment of the bill that have not been approved. Applications submitted before October 7, 2012, are not eligible for a voucher.
A voucher may not be issued for a rare pediatric disease product if a voucher was already issued for the medication under another program.
(Sec. 3) The Government Accountability Office must study the effectiveness of awarding priority review vouchers as an incentive for the development of medications for rare pediatric diseases that would not otherwise have been developed.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1537Related bill
Advancing Hope Act of 2015
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.
- Sep 30, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-229.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 29, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 27, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Walden asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
- Sep 22, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Apr 5, 2016CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 415.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Alexander with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Mar 9, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jul 28, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 5090SenateSen. Bernie SandersD-VT· offered Sep 22, 2016Agreed to
To improve the bill.
Sep 22, 2016: Amendment SA 5090 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.