The bill will provide a more than doubling of current funding for the CDC's Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, including funding for state TB control programs, and expand research on TB diagnostic, treatment and prevention tools at the CDC and NIH. The bill will also intensify targeted efforts to prevent, detect and treat the disease among African Americans and other minorities and expand detection of TB at the U.S.-Mexico border and treatment of binational TB cases.

The next steps for the bill are House and Senate floor votes, which must occur before the Congress adjourns at the end of this month for the Presidential election. The House is expected to vote on the bill within the next week or so. A Senate floor vote will occur pending an agreement between the Senate sponsors of the bill, Sens. Brown (D-OH) and Hutchison (R-TX), and Senate Republican Steering Committee chairman, Sen. DeMint (R-SC). The ATS Washington office will work to ensure that the bill moves to Senate and House floor vote as quickly as possible. ATS members are asked to contact their Representatives and two Senators in support of House and senate floor votes. For more information, go to http://www.thoracic.org/sections/about-ats/advocacy/take-action-now.html