119th Congress · introduced in the House · Feb 27, 2025
HEARD Act of 2025
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Feb 27, 2025): Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Health
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in House (Feb 27, 2025)
Health Equity and Rare Disease Act of 2025 or the HEARD Act of 2025
This bill establishes Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants and other initiatives to address rare diseases or conditions (e.g., those affecting less than 200,000 people in the United States) in racial and ethnic minority populations.
For example, to advance such purposes, the bill establishes within HHS
• grants to public and private nonprofit entities for data collection and public outreach,
• grants to health professions schools to improve health care and minority representation in research regarding rare diseases and conditions,
• grants to tribal epidemiology centers and tribal and urban Indian health centers for research regarding rare diseases and conditions in tribal communities,
• scholarships and educational loan repayment for medical school students who agree to work as health care professionals serving populations with rare diseases or conditions,
• initiatives to coordinate research and other activities across the National Institutes of Health, and
• public health awareness and education campaigns.
Also, the bill requires HHS to submit various reports to Congress on topics including (1) the federal government’s research and public health activities regarding rare diseases or conditions in minority populations, (2) regulatory barriers to treating rare diseases in Medicare beneficiaries of color, and (3) strategies for research and development of treatments for rare diseases or conditions that disproportionately impact minority populations.
Show less of the summaryIncludes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Administrative law and regulatory procedures · Congressional oversight · Data collection, sharing, protection · Department of Health and Human Services · Education programs funding · Employee hiring · Employment and training programs · Government lending and loan guarantees · Government studies and investigations · Health information and medical records · Health personnel · Health programs administration and funding · Health promotion and preventive care · Higher education · Indian social and development programs · Medical education · Medical research · Medicare · Minority employment · Minority health · National Institutes of Health (NIH) · Racial and ethnic relations · Research and development · Student aid and college costs
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 23, 2026.
2 citations.
BLACK WOMEN'S HEALTH IMPERATIVE · lobbying firm or registrant: HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP
2026 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026) · posted Apr 10, 2026 · issue area: Health Issues
$20,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Women's health care issues; outreach related to Sickle Cell and other rare disease legislation; H.R. 1750 - Health Equity and Rare Disease Act of 2025; H.R. 1414 - Camerons Law; S.822 - Scientific EXPERT Act of 2025; H.R.1262 - Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
BLACK WOMEN'S HEALTH IMPERATIVE · lobbying firm or registrant: HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP
2025 Q4 report (Oct 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025) · posted Jan 9, 2026 · issue area: Health Issues
$20,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Women's health care issues; outreach related to Sickle Cell and other rare disease legislation; H.R. 1750 - Health Equity and Rare Disease Act of 2025; H.R. 1414 - Camerons Law; S.822 - Scientific EXPERT Act of 2025; H.R.1262 - Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress.