119-hr4473

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4473 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4473

 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
bilateral research and innovation program to facilitate and coordinate 
efforts between the United States and Israel in certain health-related 
 areas, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 July 16, 2025

Mr. Weber of Texas (for himself, Mr. Pappas, and Ms. Tenney) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
 Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
bilateral research and innovation program to facilitate and coordinate 
efforts between the United States and Israel in certain health-related 
 areas, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Israel Bilateral 
Innovation for Research and Development in Health Act of 2025'' or the 
``BIRD Health Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) The Binational Industrial Research and Development 
 Foundation (in this Act referred to as the ``BIRD Foundation'') 
 was established in 1977 as a joint initiative between the 
 United States and Israel and has become a model for successful 
 bilateral research and development collaboration.

    (2) Since its inception, the BIRD Foundation has approved 
 over 1,000 projects with a total investment exceeding $500 
 million, generating over $10 billion in sales.

    (3) In the past decade, approximately 30 percent of the 
 projects approved by the BIRD Foundation have been related to 
 health, biotechnology, life sciences, medical devices, 
 diagnostics, and telemedicine.

    (4) The United States and Israel have successfully expanded 
 the activities of the Bird Foundation into dedicated programs 
 targeting specific industrial needs, including energy, cyber, 
 and homeland security.

    (5) The United States and Israel signed a health, medical, 
 and scientific cooperation agreement on January 4, 2016, which 
 is designed to foster collaboration in various health-related 
 areas.

    (6) In 2020, Congress allocated $2 million to establish a 
 bilateral collaboration program with the Israel for the 
 development of health-related technologies.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF BIRD HEALTH PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--

    (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
 shall enter into a cooperative agreement to establish a 
 bilateral research and innovation program (in this Act referred 
 to as the ``BIRD Health Program'') to facilitate and coordinate 
 efforts between the United States and Israel to expand and 
 enhance collaboration on--
        (A) the development of healthcare products and 
 services; and
        (B) the delivery of such products and services to 
 individuals in need.

    (2) Coordination.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
 Services shall carry out this subsection in coordination with 
 the Secretary of Commerce and the Executive Director of the 
 BIRD Foundation.

    (3) Applicability of requirements.--The authority provided 
 by this subsection shall be subject to any applicable 
 requirements of law and any applicable agreements or 
 understandings between the United States and Israel.

    (b) Program Administration, Goals, and Components.--The cooperation 
agreement referred to in subsection

    (a) shall provide for the 
following:

    (1) Implementation partner.--The BIRD Health Program shall 
 be administered by the BIRD Foundation, following the same 
 model used for United States-Israel collaborations in energy, 
 cyber, and homeland security.

    (2) Governance.--The program shall be jointly governed by 
 representatives from the Department of Health and Human 
 Services and the Ministry of Health of Israel, who shall 
 actively participate in defining focus areas and selecting 
 projects to receive funding.

    (3) Program goals.--The goals of the BIRD Health Program 
 shall be--
        (A) to facilitate joint research and development 
 projects between United States and Israeli 
 institutions, companies, and academic organizations in 
 the field of health technologies;
        (B) to support the commercialization and deployment 
 of innovative healthcare products and services, 
 including--
            (i) medical devices and diagnostics;
            (ii) pharmaceuticals and biological 
 products;
            (iii) genomics and personalized medicine;
            (iv) telemedicine and digital health 
 technologies;
            (v) artificial intelligence for healthcare 
 applications;
            (vi) infectious disease prevention;
            (vii) vaccine development; and
            (viii) epidemiological research; and
            (C) to strengthen health-related ecosystems by 
 fostering United States-Israel partnerships in 
 healthcare technology development.

    (4) Program components.--
        (A) In general.--The BIRD Health Program shall 
 provide funding for the following:
            (i) Research and development.--Programs and 
 activities for research and development, 
 including--
            (I) joint research projects between 
 United States and Israeli institutions 
 and companies;
            (II) promoting collaboration in 
 areas such as medical device 
 technology, pharmaceuticals (including 
 biological products, genomics, and 
 innovative digital health care 
 solutions) and health care systems 
 management (including a special focus 
 on early-stage clinical trials);
            (III) with respect to biological 
 products, supporting--

    (aa) innovation;

    (bb) process optimization; 
 and
            (cc) the development of 
 advanced manufacturing 
 techniques that can enhance 
 productivity, reduce costs, and 
 improve product quality; and
            (IV) work toward developing a 
 framework for sharing health data for 
 research purposes with the Ministry of 
 Health of Israel.
            (ii) Innovation and startup ecosystem.--
 Programs and activities for health-related 
 ecosystems, including--
            (I) fostering collaboration between 
 United States and Israeli startup 
 companies and other companies in the 
 healthcare sector;
            (II) facilitating innovative 
 technology acceptance by the 
 marketplace;
            (III) facilitating mechanisms for 
 technology transfer and joint venture 
 opportunities; and
            (IV) supporting innovation hubs to 
 accelerate the development and 
 commercialization of United States 
 healthcare technologies in the Israeli 
 market, including encouraging 
 cybersecurity standards for sharing 
 data, promoting patient privacy, and 
 encouraging research.
            (iii) Health care system strengthening.--
 Programs and activities for health care system 
 strengthening, including facilitating sharing 
 best practices, knowledge, and skills in areas 
 such as clinical care and health care 
 management.
        (B) Telemedicine and digital health cooperation.--
 The BIRD Health Program shall provide funding for 
 programs and activities for telemedicine and digital 
 health cooperation for establishing initiatives--
            (i) to enhance telemedicine infrastructure;
            (ii) to promote interoperability between 
 United States and Israeli health care systems; 
 and
            (iii) to facilitate collaboration on 
 digital health technologies, data analytics, 
 and cybersecurity.
            (C) Disease prevention initiatives.--The BIRD 
 Health Program shall provide funding for collaborating 
 in disease prevention, including joint efforts to 
 combat infectious diseases, develop vaccines, and share 
 epidemiological data.
            (D) Biological product manufacturing.--The BIRD 
 Health Program shall provide funding for--
            (i) promoting biological product 
 manufacturing;
            (ii) establishing joint manufacturing 
 facilities for biological products in 
 facilities in the United States that leverage 
 the strengths and expertise of both countries;
            (iii) pursuing accelerated development of 
 life-saving treatments and new sources of 
 nutrition that are both healthier and more 
 available at an affordable cost; and
            (iv) supply chain resilience through 
 strategic collaboration to identify and develop 
 contingency plans to mitigate biological 
 product supply disruptions.

    (5) Project selection criteria.--Projects selected for 
 funding under the BIRD Health program shall be evaluated based 
 on--
        (A) technical merit and innovation;
        (B) commercial potential and economic impact;
            (C) relevance to health priorities identified by 
 both governments;
            (D) strength of the United States-Israel 
 partnership; and
        (E) potential to address unmet medical needs.

SEC. 4. FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION.

    (a) Funding.--

    (1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
 to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human 
 Services to carry out this Act $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
 years 2026 through 2032.

    (2) Administration of funds.--Subject to the terms and 
 conditions of the cooperative agreement referred to in 

section 3

    (a)

    (1) , funds made available under this section shall be 
 administered through the BIRD Foundation, with oversight from 
 Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of 
 Commerce.

    (b) Implementation Timeline.--

    (1) Program framework.--Not later than 180 days after the 
 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
 Human Services shall submit to Congress a report on the 
 progress made in establishing the program framework.

    (2) Proposals.--Not later than one year after the date of 
 establishment of the program framework, the BIRD Health Program 
 shall begin accepting proposals and allocating funds for 
 eligible projects.

SEC. 5. REPORTING AND EVALUATION.

    (a) Annual Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress an annual report 
detailing the establishment and implementation of the BIRD Health 
Program, including--

    (1) the progress of funded projects and their impact on 
 healthcare innovation;

    (2) the economic and scientific benefits resulting from 
 United States-Israel collaborations; and

    (3) any policy recommendations to enhance the effectiveness 
 of the BIRD Health Program.

    (b) Program Review.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall conduct, and submit to Congress, a comprehensive review of the 
success of the BIRD Health Program every three years, with 
recommendations for renewal or expansion.

SEC. 6. HEALTH TECHNOLOGY DEFINED.

 In this Act, the term ``health technology'' includes a medical 
device, pharmaceutical, digital health solution, diagnostic driven by 
artificial intelligence, and biologic.
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