Lawmakers consider a potential census leader

There’s a handful of health care happenings around Capitol Hill this morning. Here’s what you need to know:

Census chief nominee: The Senate is holding a hearing on the nomination of Steven Dillingham, the White House's pick to lead the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau — which is responsible for collecting health and population statistics critical for medical research — hasn't had a permanent director since July 2017.
Rare disease treatments: This afternoon, Senate lawmakers will hear testimony from rare disease researchers, a patient advocate, and the founder of a biopharma company about expediting treatments for rare diseases.
Health care costs: The Senate Special Committee on Aging is meeting with a few health care execs to hear about how patient-focused care could cut health care costs.