StemExpress Accused Of ‘Systematic Violations’ By Head Of House’s Fetal Tissue Special Panel
The panel outlines its privacy and ethics charges in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, urging the feds to investigate the company's fetal tissue transfers. In other news from Capitol Hill, lawmakers discuss adding the mental health bill to reconciliation on opioid legislation.
The Washington Post:
House Fetal Tissue Panel Sharpens Focus On California Firm, Demands HHS Probe
The chairwoman of a special House committee investigating links between abortion clinics and medical researchers is accusing a firm that transfers fetal tissue between the two of violating federal privacy laws and ethics regulations. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who leads the select investigative panel established last year, alleges that California-based StemExpress engaged in “systematic violations” of federal health privacy laws and accuses it of “fraudulently using invalid consent forms” in its dealings with Planned Parenthood abortion clinics. (DeBonis, 6/2)
The Hill:
Lawmakers Consider Adding Mental Health Bill To Opioid Conference
Lawmakers are considering adding a mental health reform bill to the work of a conference committee focused on opioid legislation, according to congressional aides. The idea is to add a mental health bill from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to the product coming out of the conference committee that is reconciling the differences between House and Senate bills on the opioid crisis. (Sullivan, 6/2)