A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Clinical Trial Modernization Act aims to modernize clinical trials and remove participation barriers. It authorizes grants and contracts to support community education, outreach, and recruitment for underrepresented populations. The bill allows for the remuneration of trial expenses like travel and meals, as well as the free provision of necessary digital health technologies. It also permits drug or device manufacturers to pay for a participant's cost-sharing obligations without violating certain laws. Additionally, the act excludes up to $2,000 of payments received from approved clinical trials from an individual's gross income.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +5
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
The bill removes financial barriers to clinical trial participation through expense reimbursement and cost-saring support.
- Scored +4
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill allows for the coverage of trial-related expenses like travel and meals to reduce participation barriers.
- Scored +4
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?
The bill specifically mentions facilitating inclusion of patients from rural geographies through expense coverage and outreach.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Outreach and Education: The Secretary can issue grants to support community education and recruitment for diseases that disproportionally impact underrepresented populations (Section 3(a)).
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Diversity in Healthcare Personnel: Grants can be used to train health care personnel to increase the number of underrepresented populations serving as clinical trial investigators (Section 3(a)(2)).
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Financial Support for Expenses: The bill allows for the payment of expenses incurred during a trial, such as travel, transportation, and meal expenses, to help include patients from various demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds (Section 4(a)).
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Access to Technology: Individuals can receive digital health technologies for free if they are necessary for participation in a trial and intended to facilitate the participation of underrepresented populations (Section 4(a)).
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Reduced Financial Barriers to Participation: Manufacturers may pay for patient cost-sharing obligations to facilitate enrollment or reduce the likelihood of people leaving a trial (Section 5).
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Tax Benefits for Participants: Payments received by an individual from participation in an approved clinical trial, up to $2,000, are excluded from gross income (Section 6(a)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on Financial Assistance: A patient receiving cost-sharing assistance from a sponsor must agree not to accept other financial assistance to cover those same obligations (Section 5(6)).
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Capped Enrollment: To prevent improper costs or utilization, the total enrollment for a trial under the cost-sharing provision must be capped (Section 5(8)(D)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill allows for the coverage of trial-related expenses like travel and meals to reduce participation barriers. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill specifically mentions facilitating inclusion of patients from rural geographies through expense coverage and outreach. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — The bill targets underrepresented populations in clinical trials through community outreach and education grants. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The bill encourages recruitment of underrepresented populations via community-based outreach.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill removes financial barriers to clinical trial participation through expense reimbursement and cost-saring support.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill prioritizes grants for outreach and recruitment in communities traditionally underrepresented in clinical trials.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this cut taxes for middle-income families? — The bill excludes up to $2,000 of clinical trial remuneration from gross income.
- 4/29/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Mark WarnerDemocrat · Virginia