Senator Murray Reintroduces Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), reintroduced the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA), legislation to establish $4.5 billion in dedicated, annual funding for a grant program to build up and maintain the nation’s public health system across the board. Senator Murray spoke about the legislation on the Senate floor, and held a press conference on the need for robust public health investments with Dr. J Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), and Dennis E. Worsham, Director of the Snohomish County Health Department. Senator Murray’s reintroduction of the legislation comes as TFAH releases a new report detailing how chronic underfunding of our nation’s public health system jeopardizes our families’ health and leaves our country ill-equipped to address critical public health threats.