Trump signs two of Underwood's bills into law

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood touted two of her bills that were signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Underwood’s bipartisan legislation, the Lower Insulin Costs Now Act, will reduce the cost of insulin by helping lower-cost, generic insulin become available sooner, according to a news release.

The law allows the Food and Drug Administration to review applications for generic insulin beyond the looming March 2020 cutoff date, creating access to new treatments that can lower the cost of insulin for those who rely on it to survive.

“Over the past two decades, the cost of insulin has skyrocketed — it’s unaffordable,” Underwood said.

She also secured $30 million to fund an interoperable electronic health record for use across the Department of Homeland Security.

Underwood’s legislation to establish this EHR and set standards for medical screenings at the border passed with bipartisan support in September, according to the release.

“When I visited the border this year, I found the humanitarian situation overwhelming and unacceptable,” Underwood said. “The medical officials there explained they needed a better health record system to help them safely process migrants and prevent illness and death.”

The legislation passed and was signed as part of the bipartisan, bicameral appropriations package for fiscal year 2020.