{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=12ab217b-ae7e-46e6-b086-f26754e5c991", "Isakson, Harkin, Alexander, Reed Applaud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Help Prevent Skin Cancer", "2014-09-18", "2014", "2014-09", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Johnny Isakson", "I000055", "www.isakson.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., along with Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., applauded Senate passage of legislation that seeks to address a regulatory backlog that is blocking U.S. consumers from access to innovative sunscreens widely available in the rest of the world.\r\nThe Sunscreen Innovation Act cleared the Senate Wednesday evening, just hours after being approved by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in a unanimous voice vote.\u00a0\r\n\u201cAs a melanoma survivor, I believe it\u2019s essential that Americans have access to the most safe and effective sunscreen,\u201d said Isakson. \u201cToo often, technological advancements that have the ability to improve the quality of health care and prevent disease are held back by an overly rigid regulatory process. The Senate\u2019s quick action is a strong message that it\u2019s time for the delays at FDA to end, and I hope the House will send this bill to the president soon so we can clear the bureaucratic hurdles that have stood between American consumers and the new and innovative sunscreen products that are already available in many other countries.\u201d\r\n\u201cI am pleased that the Senate took swift action to approve the bipartisan and critically important Sunscreen Innovation Act,\u201d Harkin said. \u201cThis bill streamlines FDA\u2019s review of new sunscreen ingredients and will expedite access to new sunscreens which will help keep Americans healthier by reducing the risk of skin cancer. I look forward to moving this important measure forward as it goes to the House for consideration.\u201d\r\n\u201cThis bill to get safe sunscreen ingredients to Americans more quickly is about preventing cancer\u2014this year alone an estimated 1,900 Tennesseans will be diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer,\u201d said Alexander. \u201cSenator Isakson and Senator Reed have done great work with this bill, which will hold the FDA accountable to timelines and reform the process so that the FDA can meet those timelines.\u201d\r\n\u201cThis is a win for consumers and public health.\u00a0 The Sunscreen Innovation Act will help ensure U.S. consumers have access to the safest, most effective sunscreens available,\u201d said Reed. \u201cThe FDA must do its due diligence to ensure the safety of these products and they should do it in a timely manner.\u00a0 Americans shouldn\u2019t have to wait decades for access to the most advanced, effective sunscreens.\u00a0 By streamlining its review process, the FDA can help consumers better protect themselves from skin cancer.\u00a0 We want Americans to follow safe sun practices and benefit from the latest advances in sun care products and research. I appreciate Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Alexander, and my lead cosponsor, Senator Isakson, for making this legislation to help consumers and prevent skin cancer a priority.\u00a0 I am pleased we were able to pass it with strong bipartisan support.\u201d\r\nThe Sunscreen Innovation Act builds on S.2141, introduced by Isakson and Reed, and H.R.4250, the House-passed Sunscreen Innovation Act, and, while prioritizing sunscreens, improves the regulatory pathway for other over-the-counter drugs that also have been stalled at FDA under the current framework.\r\nAs skin cancer rates continue to climb, the Isakson-Reed legislation seeks to expedite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) review process for active ingredients in sunscreens that have long been approved for use in places such as Europe, Canada, and other countries.\r\nSome of these sunscreen ingredients have been safely used overseas for years, but have had their applications pending before the FDA for a decade or more.\u00a0 The Sunscreen Innovation Act also seeks to shed some light on the FDA\u2019s review process by requiring the agency to periodically report to Congress on the progress of this effort.\r\nSkin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than 2 million cases diagnosed every year. A report from the Surgeon General released last month stated that nearly 5 million people in the United States are treated for skin cancers every year, with an annual cost estimated at $8.1 billion. Many of these cases could be prevented by protecting skin from sun exposure, according to the American Cancer Society.\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=12ab217b-ae7e-46e6-b086-f26754e5c991"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.717518014833331, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}