WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act (H.R. 1300/S.1915), a bill that was initially introduced by U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Peter King (R-NY). The bill would direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary to make surplus anthrax vaccines available to first responders. The Senate bill was introduced by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and unanimously passed the Senate on November 16, 2016.  The amended bill will now go before President Obama to be signed into law.

"One of my top priorities is protecting our emergency first responders, the men and women who run into dangerous situations on our behalf. This bipartisan bill ensures our first responders are prepared and protected in the event of a biological attack," said Rep. Pascrell, chair of the Congressional Fire Services and Congressional Law Enforcement Caucuses.

"We are years removed from anthrax scares that had everyone's attention, but the threat of weapons of mass destruction has not been removed. For more than a decade, I've been advocating for a comprehensive national strategy to address this threat, and this bill begins to strengthen our national response capability."

"First responders put their lives on the line every day to protect us and we have a duty to protect these protectors," said Rep. King, co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus.

"This bill will do just that by providing first responders the opportunity to receive anthrax vaccinations to protect them from this bioterrorism threat."

"As a former mayor, I know the crucial role first responders play in protecting our families and keeping our communities safe, " said Sen. Booker, a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

"Our brave first responders step up when our communities need them most, and I was proud to step up for them and help advance this bipartisan, common sense measure that will help protect them from the threat of bioterrorism. I applaud the House and Senate for advancing this critical legislation and look forward to President Obama signing it into law."

Specifically, the First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act would:

♦  Authorize emergency first responders to be provided with surplus and short shelf life/expiring anthrax vaccines and antimicrobials from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) on a voluntary basis.

♦  Authorize a pilot program for DHS to administer surplus and expiring anthrax vaccines and antimicrobials to emergency response providers on a voluntary basis. During a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing in 2015, Alexander Garza, a former Chief Medical Officer and Assistant Secretary for the DHS Office of Health Affairs discussed the potential grave consequences of an anthrax attack. Dr. Garza testified that "a successful anthrax attack could potentially expose hundreds of thousands of people, and cause illness, death, fear, societal disruption and economic damage."

According to Dr. James Polk, a Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Chief Medical Officer for DHS, pre-event vaccination for emergency response providers would increase their ability to save lives, maintain social order, and ensure continuity of government after a wide-area anthrax attack.

In September 2001, just one week after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. Senate offices, killing five people and infecting 17 others in what became the worst biological attacks in U.S. history.

The First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act is supported by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Alliance for Biosecurity, and International Association of Emergency Medical Services Chiefs.