Final Passage For FAST PASS

New Law Orders GAO To Examine Ways To Expedite PPE

December 18, 2024 – The Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) today applauded final Congressional approval of Fast Pass legislation in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025.

“This is a bipartisan victory for the medical supply chain,” said HIDA President and CEO Matthew J. Rowan. “During the pandemic and the subsequent supply chain delays, healthcare distributors worked closely with ports and shippers to get critical medical products to patients and providers. We are eager to share best practices with the government that can be applied to supply chain bottlenecks in the future. HIDA thanks Congressmen Ezell and Garamendi; and Senator Wicker for their untiring dedication to getting this bill across the finish line.”

The NDAA conference report was approved by a vote of 281-140 in the House of Representatives and 85-14 in the Senate. The bill now goes to President Biden for his signature.

Today’s passage marks the culmination of three years of HIDA legislative advocacy to address shipping delays for medical products. A HIDA study of the medical supply chain found that during the West Coast port backlog of 2021-22, approximately 31,000-46,000 containers of critical medical supplies were delayed an average of 29 days throughout the transportation system.

The FAST PASS provision in the NDAA Conference Report directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a General Accountability Office (GAO) study of the transportation of personal protective equipment (PPE) between 2020 and 2022.

The GAO Study Will Cover:

• The transportation of PPE through vessels and ports onto trucks or rail
• Actions by relevant stakeholders – vessel operators, ports, marine terminal operators, rail carriers, and motor carriers – to transport PPE
• The role played by the Department of Transportation and other relevant federal agencies to expedite the transportation of PPE
• Efficacy of existing legal authorities which allow for the expedited transportation of PPE by relevant federal agencies that do not reduce or impact safety
• Methodologies to improve the coordination among relevant federal agencies to expedite the transportation of PPE
• The impact, if any, that any expedition of essential medical supplies had on the transportation of other goods
• GAO study must be conducted within one year of enactment, and report back to Congress within two years of enactment

Fast Pass was initially introduced by Representatives Mike Ezell (R-MS) and John Garamendi (D-CA) as H.R. 6140, the Facilitate Access to Swiftly Transport Goods during a Publicly Announced State of Emergency Situation (FAST PASS) Act. It was unanimously approved by voice vote in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in March 2024, and then added as a bipartisan amendment to the House NDAA bill in June.

"I’m pleased that the FAST PASS Act was included in the FY2025 NDAA and proud to have co-authored it with Congressman Garamendi,” said Congressman Ezell. “This important legislation will ensure the timely delivery of emergency supplies and strengthen our nation's ability to respond to future crises. We look forward to its implementation and the positive impact it will have in preventing the severe consequences of supply disruptions when every second counts."

“I am proud to have co-authored the FAST PASS Act with Congressman Ezell which was included and passed in the NDAA. The pandemic showed us the importance of emergency supplies reaching their destinations,” said Congressman Garamendi. “The availability of emergency supplies can mean the difference between life and death and the FAST PASS Act is a monumental first step in making sure deadly supply disruptions never happen again.”

About HIDA

Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) represents the healthcare distribution network – the essential link between global healthcare supply manufacturers and local care providers. HIDA members operate more than 500+ distribution centers to bring critical products, supplies, and services to more than 560,000 healthcare settings across the U.S., including hospitals, long-term care, physician practices, home care, and laboratories. Visit HIDA.org.