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Colorado Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette and Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton have been working on updating the 21st Century Cures Act since the fall. But with the country facing an unprecedented public health crisis, the bipartisan duo is hoping some elements of their upcoming bill are included in the next relief package Congress passes.

"We realized a number of the things we wanted to do could help us right now with the research that we're doing on COVID-19," DeGette said.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette released her blueprint for a "Cures 2.0" bill, an update to the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 that would address clinical trials, modernization of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, and pandemic preparedness in the future.

"We've seen a record number of new drugs approved, including new generics, which have helped lower health care costs for millions of Americans. And we're on the cusp of finding a cure for sickle cell," said DeGette and her co-sponsor Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. "But despite these successes, there's still much more work to be done."

Second to eliminating the coronavirus altogether, one of the most important things we, as a nation, can do to improve the public health during this unprecedented pandemic is improve air quality.

Nearly a million Americans have now tested positive for coronavirus – a respiratory disease that is wreaking havoc on the lungs of those infected.

But that's not all. Early evidence suggests that people with damaged lungs may be more vulnerable to the disease. Doctors also fear that coronavirus may have long-term negative impacts on our lungs.