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Excert: from
Representative
Sheila Jackson Lee (TX) Departments
of Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2005
Location:
Washington, DC
Date: 09/08/2004
Back in June of this year, I joined
the “Hepatitis C Movement for
Awareness” to call for a more
aggressive, and better informed,
national approach to the hepatitis C
epidemic in the United States.
Hepatitis C infects 300 million
people worldwide, including over 5.8
million Americans. Only 20 percent
of those infected know they are
infected, and scientists are still
unsure how the virus is spread, or
who is most likely to be infected.
This deadly epidemic cannot be
ignored any longer. We need action.
I commend the Hepatitis C Movement
for Awareness for its tenacity and
energy in galvanizing in Washington
to make its case for change.
Public Statements
Speaker:
Representative Sheila
Jackson Lee (TX)
Title:
Departments of Labor, Health
and Human Services, and
Education, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act,
2005
Location:
Washington, DC
Date:
09/08/2004
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND
EDUCATION, AND RELATED
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT,
2005 -- (House of
Representatives - September
08, 2004)
The SPEAKER pro tempore.
Pursuant to House Resolution
754 and rule XVIII, the
Chair declares the House in
the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the
Union for the consideration
of the bill, H.R. 5006.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, a number of my
colleagues have stood up
today to speak out against
various parts of the Labor,
Health and Human Services
and Education appropriations
bill. I recognize that
through our positions as
legislators, we have the
ability to create programs
and new initiatives that can
benefit our constituents and
our country. It is within
the scope of our job to
debate which programs
deserve particular funding.
Appropriations bills are
Congress' vehicle of funding
the public, not for creating
limitations and barriers for
their basic rights afforded
by the constitution.
Within this appropriation
bill is a provision that
effectively prohibits a
federal agency or program,
or State or local
government, from enforcing
any abortion-related laws or
regulations as they apply to
health care entities.
“Healthcare entity” is
defined to include
individual physicians or
other health care
professionals, hospitals,
provider-sponsored
organizations, HMOs,
insurance plans, or “any
kind of health care
facility, organization, or
plan.” This “refusal clause”
permits a broad range of
individuals and
institutions-including
hospitals, hospital
employees, health care
providers, employers, and
insurers-to refuse to
provide, pay, counsel or
even issue referrals for
medical treatment based on
their moral or religious
views.
Refusal clauses affect a
broad range of reproductive
services, including:
information and referrals
for family planning, genetic
counseling, infertility
treatment, rape treatment,
sterilization, STD and HIV
testing and treatment and
abortion.
Doctors and health care
providers have a duty to
ensure that women receive
accurate information and
appropriate care. Failure to
provide this care-even for
religious, political or
ideological
reasons-jeopardizes women's
health and violates bedrock
principles of medical
ethics.
OBEY OVERTIME AMENDMENT
I would like to join many of
my Democratic colleagues in
supporting Mr. OBEY's
amendment to restore
overtime protection to the
millions of workers who will
otherwise lose it if the
Bush administration
regulation that went into
effect on August 23 is
allowed to remain in effect.
Workers who are likely to
see their pay cut include
2.3 million “team” leaders;
almost 2 million low-level
supervisors; hundreds of
thousands of loan officers
and other financial service
employees; more than 1
million employees who lack
college or graduate degrees
or who may not be considered
“artistic” professionals;
90,000 computer employees,
funeral directors and
embalmers; and more than
30,000 nursery school and
Head Start teachers across
the country.
Those families that lose
overtime protection will
find they will have to work
longer hours for
significantly less money.
Overtime accounted for
approximately a quarter of
the income, more than $8,000
a year, for families who
earned overtime in 2000. As
the pool of workers who are
exempt from overtime is
expanded, those workers who
are not directly affected by
the regulation will lose
income as their opportunity
to be able to work overtime
is diminished.
The Bush administration has
justified the regulation on
the basis of a proposed
clarification of the rules
and limitation on
litigation; however,
virtually every observer of
the regulation has
acknowledged that the
regulations will incorporate
vague new terms, that
provisions of the regulation
are confusing and
conflicting, and that the
regulation will engender
substantial litigation for
years to come.
I will offer two amendments
to this legislation that
would address the horrific
effects of hepatitis C and
lupus-the silent killer.
The purpose of the
Jackson-Lee amendment
relating to hepatitis C is
to increase the research
activities at the Centers
for Disease Control for
patients who are
particularly at risk for the
disease or resistant to
conventional
treatments-African-Americans,
children and adolescents,
renal dialysis patients,
HIV/HCV positive patients,
and patients with
hemophilia. Because
hepatitis C is a
communicable disease, I
believe this is an important
step in getting this public
health issue under control.
Back in June of this
year, I joined the
“Hepatitis C Movement for
Awareness” to call for a
more aggressive, and better
informed, national approach
to the hepatitis C epidemic
in the United States.
Hepatitis C infects 300
million people worldwide,
including over 5.8 million
Americans. Only 20 percent
of those infected know they
are infected, and scientists
are still unsure how the
virus is spread, or who is
most likely to be infected.
This deadly epidemic cannot
be ignored any longer. We
need action. I commend the
Hepatitis C Movement for
Awareness for its tenacity
and energy in galvanizing in
Washington to make its case
for change.
The second of my amendments
relates to addressing the
silent killer, lupus. The
purpose of this amendment is
twofold. First the amendment
transfers $1,500,000 to the
account of NIH's National
Center on Minority Health to
increase educational
programs on Lupus for health
care providers and for the
general public. I believe
that this will help to
facilitate the diagnosis of
lupus today-particularly
among susceptible
populations. Second, I am
proposing to transfer
$2,500,000 to the Centers
for Disease Control to
expand the operation of the
National Lupus Patient
Registry. There are
presently four pilot
registry programs operating
in Michigan and in Georgia.
These pilot programs have
been a good start, but
additional data is needed to
distinguish between
environmental and other
factors that cause Lupus.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my
colleagues to support the
two Jackson-Lee amendments.
I hope that the deficiencies
that relate to the treatment
of hepatitis C and lupus can
be addressed in conference.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
AMENDMENT NO. 4 OFFERED BY
MS. JACKSON-LEE OF TEXAS
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, I offer an
amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will
designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is
as follows:
Amendment No. 4 offered by
Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas:
In title II, in the item
relating to “Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention-Disease Control,
Research, and Training”, in
paragraph (2) of the first
proviso, insert after the
dollar amount (relating to
the National Center for
Health Statistics surveys)
the following: “(increased
by $2,500,000)”.
In title II, in the item
relating to “National Center
on Minority Health and
Health Disparities”, insert
after the dollar amount the
following: “(increased by
$1,500,000)”.
In title II, in the item
relating to “Children and
Families Services Programs”,
insert “(decreased by
$4,000,000)” after the
aggregate dollar amount and
insert “(decreased by
$4,000,000)” after the
dollar amount in the tenth
proviso (relating to
competitive grants to
provide abstinence
education).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, let me,
because this is a very
important debate, again add
my appreciation to the
members of the Committee on
Appropriations, the chairman
and ranking of the full
committee, and, of course,
the ranking and subcommittee
chairman of this Labor-HHS.
I hope that the gentlewoman
from New York (Mrs.
McCarthy) will rise to
support this amendment and
share her thoughts as well
on another deadly health
issue, and that is the use
of guns and the resulting
injuries and deaths that
come about through that. I
do add my voice in this very
short time for having the
reauthorization of the
assault weapons ban. I
remember studying this issue
in Houston, and I found that
for an injured child, costs
were at that time, some
maybe 5 to 10 years ago,
$60,000 per their care. I
imagine it has quadrupled at
this point. So I hope that
we will move in that
direction.
I, too, raise an issue that
I hope my colleagues will
join me enthusiastically,
and I also will acknowledge
the hard work of a former
colleague, Congresswoman
Carrie Meek of Florida, who
at most times when we came
to the floor dealing with
the appropriations,
Labor-HHS, the Members can
be assured she was speaking
about the deadly disease of
lupus.
Today I am proposing two
amendments to the
Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations bill to
further research and
outreach on lupus, and I
urge the Members to support
these amendments. Lupus is a
chronic, disabling, and
potentially fatal condition
in which the immune system
attacks the body's own
organs and tissues. Lupus
strikes primarily women, and
it is twice as common among
people of color. Currently
it is estimated that 1.5
million to 2 million
Americans have lupus. There
is no cure for lupus. No new
drugs have been approved to
treat the disease in nearly
40 years, and no medically
validated measure to
diagnose and track the
disease's progression and
how it exists.
I, too, am concerned about
the National Institutes of
Health and the more
opportunities for research,
and I hope in conference we
can alter the configuration
so that many researchers in
labs around the country and
professors will not be
denied their opportunity to
find the cure for lupus.
That is why I am adding this
small of amount of dollars
that is budget-neutral as
evidenced and indicated by
CBO.
Early diagnosis and
treatment of lupus are
essential to minimizing
life-threatening
complications. Lack of
understanding of lupus
combined with the disease's
complexity leads to
significant underdiagnosis.
And I might say that it
strikes young women in a
potentially hardship manner.
I remember a young woman
that I knew in my church,
had two beautiful young
children and a beautiful
husband, was taken in the
prime of her life not
knowing that she had lupus,
and it was too late in order
to provide her with the
treatment that she needed,
and certainly there was no
cure at the time.
Symptoms of the disease may
resemble the flu or other
less severe instances. In
some instances, the
patient's apparent symptoms
may seem to subside, leading
up to a false sense of
security. Some surveys
indicate that some lupus
patients may suffer for 4
years or more and visit 3 or
more different physicians
before obtaining a
diagnosis. I know this
personally, because I had a
member of my family who I
had to take to doctors
trying to find out whether
it was or whether it was
not. And you can be assured
in our frustration, but also
our great concern and our
fear, that we were overcome
by the fact that it was
really a diagnosis that was
hard to pinpoint. The delay
in obtaining treatment can
be devastating, because time
is lost while irreversible
organ damage may appear.
The purpose of these
amendments is twofold.
First, the amendment
transfers $1.5 million to
the account of the NIH's
National Center for Minority
Health to increase
educational programs on
lupus for health care
providers and for the
general public.
Let me assure you that we
have yet addressed in this
House the disparities in
health care as it relates to
minorities. We have yet to
pass the equity to health
care bill that has been
promulgated or written by
the Hispanic Caucus, the
African American Caucus and
the Asian Pacific Caucus and
others. I believe that this
will help to facilitate the
diagnosis of lupus today,
particularly among
susceptible populations.
Second, I am proposing to
transfer $2.5 million to the
Centers for Disease Control
to expand the operation of
the National Lupus Patient
Registry. There are
presently four pilot
registry programs in
Michigan and in Georgia.
These pilot programs have
been a good start, but
additional data is needed to
distinguish between
environmental and other
factors that cause lupus.
Let me say to my colleagues,
no one knows when their
neighbor, their friend,
their constituent may be
diagnosed. There is one
strong point about this
disease: It is not easily
diagnosed, and many people
live with it for a very long
period of time. Mr.
Chairman, that is why we do
not know how many people
really have lupus. I would
ask my colleagues to join me
in this effort and support
this amendment, very, very
well balanced, and, might I
say, not violating CBO. I
ask for support of this
amendment.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York.
Mr. Chairman, I move to
strike the requisite number
of words.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in
support of the Jackson-Lee
amendment. This amendment
would increase funds for the
National Center for Health
Statistics surveys and for
the National Center For
Minority Health and Health
Disparities.
The cost of health care for
minorities is completely
disproportionate. Nowhere is
this truer than when it
comes to the cost of gun
violence. Although African
Americans and Hispanics make
up only 12.1 and 12.5
percent of the U.S.
population respectively,
these groups suffered 37
percent of all firearm
deaths in 2000.
In 2000, homicide with
firearms took the lives of
5,699 African Americans. In
2000, homicide with firearms
took the lives of 1,958
Hispanics.
In 2000, the death rate for
firearm injuries was two
times higher for the African
American population than the
Caucasian population. In
2000, firearms homicide was
the leading cause of death
for African Americans age 15
to 34.
The assault weapons ban
expires September 13, and we
are not allowed to bring it
up on the floor. This is
something that could go into
our communities, save lives
and keep down health costs.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, will the
gentlewoman yield?
Ms. McCARTHY of New York. I
yield to the gentlewoman
from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the
distinguished gentlewoman.
Mr. Chairman, let me
carefully say this adds more
money to the NIH. We
respectfully add the fact
that it is not necessarily a
specific designation for a
specific disease. But might
I say that because of the
discrepancies in access to
health care for minorities
and access to health care in
respect to those who are
being treated for lupus and
the definitive impact on
minorities as it relates to
minority women as it relates
to lupus, I would offer to
say that this is an
amendment that has vibrancy
and is necessary without in
any way undermining or
penalizing NIH.
I might also say that I have
from the CBO that this is
clearly budget-neutral and
does not have an impact on
the outlays.
So this is an amendment that
is viable for my colleagues
to support. I ask for all of
my colleagues to look
seriously at the opportunity
for NIH to make its own
determination on a very
vital disease, a disease
that is necessarily in need
of both a cure and research.
I would also offer to say to
my colleagues that when we
speak about lupus, it is
like a silent killer,
because you can have it
without knowing. You can
have it without being
diagnosed. Therefore, it is
extremely important to be
able to provide these
additional resources.
I ask my colleagues to
provide support for this
amendment.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, will
the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. McCARTHY of New York. I
yield to the gentleman from
Wisconsin.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I
want to say I am sure it is
not the intention of the
gentlewoman from Texas to
fund this amendment by
providing for an actual
reduction in NIH, but the
way she has drawn the
amendment, it has that
effect. I understand that is
not her intention, but that
is the effect of the
amendment as written.
The CHAIRMAN. The question
is on the amendment offered
by the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
The question was taken; and
the Chairman announced that
the noes appeared to have
it.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, I demand a
recorded vote.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MS.
JACKSON-LEE OF TEXAS
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, I offer an
amendment.
The Clerk read as follows:
Amendment offered by Ms.
Jackson-Lee of Texas:
Page 26, line 18, insert
after the aggregate dollar
amount the following:
“(increased by $1,000,000)”.
Page 46, line 4, insert
after the aggregate dollar
amount the following:
“(decreased by $1,000,000)”.
Page 48, line 2, insert
after the dollar amount the
following: “(decreased by
$1,000,000)”.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I
reserve a point of order
against the amendment. We do
not have a copy.
The CHAIRMAN. Will the
gentlewoman submit the
amendment to the desk? We do
not seem to have a copy of
it either.
Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I
reserve a point of order
against the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. A point of
order is reserved by the
gentleman from Wisconsin
(Mr. Obey) and the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Regula).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, let me again
join the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. McCarthy) on
the desire to attack another
health issue and that is of
course to see the ban on
assault weapons
reauthorized.
I rise to offer an amendment
on another and very
fast-growing epidemic in our
country called hepatitis C.
Mr. Chairman, I have an
amendment that relates to
this very grave matter as it
is being distributed to my
colleagues.
Our Nation is facing an
epidemic of hepatitis C
virus, or HCV infection. HCV
is the most common
blood-borne infection in the
United States. Although many
of them do not know it,
nearly 4 million Americans
are currently infected, and
35,000 new infections occur
each year.
I have been told about this
because of the sizable
population of hepatitis
C-infected veterans that I
have come across. And I want
to thank Ed Wendt, a
constituent of mine who has
raised the question of what
we are doing and how we are
doing it and how we can do
better by those who are
infected and the many, many
veterans who are infected by
this disease.
This insidious virus takes
thousands of lives annually,
primarily through cirrhosis
and liver cancer. HCV costs
millions of dollars in
health care and lost wages
each year, but it receives
inadequate attention from
the public, the medical
field, and the Federal
Government.
Hepatitis is an inflammation
of the liver. Inflammation
of the liver with swelling,
tenderness, and sometimes
permanent damage can be
caused by infection with
various viruses or by
substances such as
chemicals, drugs, and
alcohol. Current concern
over viral hepatitis stems
from the serious long-term
health consequences for
long-term sufferers.
Hepatitis C virus is one of
six known types of the
hepatitis viruses. The C
virus has emerged as a cause
of chronic liver disease,
both in the United States
and worldwide. It is of
concern because of its
potential for serious
long-term health
consequences. It resorts, or
causes, if you will, the
need for liver transplants
as evidenced by my
constituent who has suffered
long and had a difficult
health history. Its pattern
of infection among young,
hard-to-reach risk groups
and the current lack of
vaccine or curative therapy
impacts or increases the
number of deaths.
Some studies indicate that
minority populations in the
U.S. are disproportionately
affected by hepatitis C
virus, and some reports have
shown that African Americans
do not respond to the
current treatment of chronic
HCV infection with the same
efficacy as whites. This is
why I started out this
debate by saying it is time
now for us to pass the
equity in health care and
disparities in health care
in America. But this
amendment, as did the lupus
amendment, attempts in some
small way to address this
divide.
HCV is a particular problem
for patients coinfected with
HIV. According to Dr.
Raymond Chung, M.D.,
director of the Center for
Liver Disorders at
Massachusetts General
Hospital, “About 25 percent
of those with HIV are
coinfected with HCV, largely
because these viruses share
modes of transmission.”
Treatment of patients
coinfected with HCV and HIV
is particularly challenging,
because many of the
retroviral treatments
traditionally used in HIV
therapies are toxic to the
liver. Better information
about HCV will help develop
treatments that are
effective for HIV and
compatible with HCV. That is
all I am asking for in this
very simple and minimal
amendment of asking for $1
million.
The purpose of this
amendment is to increase the
research opportunities and
to be able to provide
patients who are at risk for
some control studies:
African Americans, children,
and adolescents, renal
dialysis patients, HIV- and
HCV-positive patients, and
patients with hemophilia.
Because hepatitis C is a
communicable disease, I
believe this is an important
step in getting this public
issue under control.
Back in June, I joined the
Hepatitis C Movement for
Awareness to call for more
aggressive and better
informed national approach
to the hepatitis C epidemic
in the United States.
Hepatitis C infects 300
million people worldwide,
including over 5.8 million
Americans. We must do
something more. And only 20
percent of those infected
know they are infected, and
scientists are still unsure
how the virus is spread or
who is most likely to be
infected. This deadly
epidemic cannot be ignored
any longer. We need action,
and I ask my colleagues to
support this amendment.
The grass-roots movement of
this organization is made up
of veterans, victims of
hepatitis C, and other
health care advocates; and
they came to Washington to
simply ask the question, can
we get help. They are
seeking our help, working
with the Veterans
Administration, which I must
say I applaud for looking at
this issue more closely.
This is not an issue for one
person or two persons, it is
for millions of people, and
those who go infected who do
not know they are infected.
I want to congratulate those
who worked on this effort,
including Ed Wendt and the
whole hepatitis C movement,
because they do it not for
themselves. They do it for
those who come after them.
They ask that we have a
wake-up call so that we can
stop the tragedy of the
hepatitis C epidemic.
Now it is time that we wake
up together and move forward
on an amendment that will
simply help us move in that
direction. I urge my
colleagues to join me in
supporting this important
amendment.
[Begin Insert]
Mr. Chairman, I have an
amendment at the desk that
relates to a very grave
matter with respect to the
status of minority health.
Our nation is facing an
epidemic of Hepatitis C
Virus (HCV) infection. HCV
is the most common
blood-borne infection in the
United States. Although many
of them do not know it,
nearly four million
Americans are currently
infected, and 35,000 new
infections occur each year.
This insidious virus takes
thousands of lives
annually-primarily through
cirrhosis and liver cancer.
HCV costs millions of
dollars in healthcare and
lost wages each year, but it
receives inadequate
attention from the public,
the medical field, and the
federal government.
Hepatitis is an inflammation
of the liver. Inflammation
of the liver, with swelling,
tenderness, and sometimes
permanent damage, can be
caused by infection with
various viruses or by
substances such as
chemicals, drugs, and
alcohol. Current concern
over viral hepatitis stems
from the serious long-term
health consequences for long
term sufferers.
Hepatitis C virus is one of
six known types of the
hepatitis virus. Hepatitis C
has emerged as a major cause
of chronic liver disease
both in the United States
and worldwide. It is of
concern because of its
potential for serious
long-term health
consequences, its pattern of
infection among young,
hard-to-reach risk groups,
and the current lack of a
vaccine or curative therapy.
Some studies indicate that
minority populations in the
U.S. are disproportionately
affected by the hepatitis C
virus (HCV), and some
reports have shown that
African-Americans do not
respond to treatment of
chronic HCV infection with
the same efficacy as whites.
HCV is a particular problem
for patients co-infected
with HIV. According to Dr.
Raymond Chung, MD, director
of the Center for Liver
Disorders at Massachusetts
General Hospital, “About 25
percent of those with HIV
are co-infected with HCV,
largely because these
viruses share modes of
transmission.” Treatment of
patients co-infected with
HCV and HIV is particularly
challenging because many of
the retroviral treatments
traditionally used in HIV
therapies are toxic to the
liver. Better information
about HCV will help to
develop treatments that are
effective for HIV and
compatible with HCV.
The purpose of this
amendment is to increase the
Hepatitis C research
activities at the Center for
Disease Control for patients
who are particularly at risk
for the disease or resistant
to conventional
treatments-African-Americans,
children and adolescents,
renal dialysis patients,
HIV/HCV positive patients,
and patients with
hemophilia. Because
Hepatitis C is a
communicable disease, I
believe this is an important
step in getting this public
health issue under control.
Back in June of this year, I
joined the “Hepatitis C
Movement for Awareness” to
call for a more aggressive,
and better informed,
national approach to the
Hepatitis C epidemic in the
United States. Hepatitis C
infects 300 million people
worldwide, including over
5.8 million Americans. Only
20% of those infected know
they are infected, and
scientists are still unsure
how the virus is spread, or
who is most likely to be
infected. This deadly
epidemic cannot be ignored
any longer. We need action.
I commend the Hepatitis C
Movement for Awareness for
its tenacity and energy in
galvanizing in Washington to
make its case for change.
The grassroots movement made
up of Veterans, victims of
Hepatitis C, and other
healthcare advocates, came
to Washington to tell
policymakers about the
pressing need for a viable
national Hepatitis C policy.
They feared that the present
policies are based on worn
out assumptions, and
untested hypotheses. I
agreed that more information
was needed to help lawmakers
craft appropriate strategies
for mitigation of the
rampant disease. I have been
pressing the GAO for a
comprehensive study of the
past and present Hepatitis
epidemic in the United
States. We have to know
where we stand, where
mistakes have been made, and
how we can do better. This
epidemic is devastating our
Veterans and our minority
communities.
The Hepatitis C Movement for
Awareness graciously
presented me with an award
for progress made toward the
GAO report. I appreciated
receiving this award. But,
what I appreciated more was
at the friendship and
cooperation of my
constituents Ed Wendt,
Tricia Lupole, and the whole
Hepatitis C Movement for
Awareness. Years ago, the
gave me a wake-up call on
the tragedy of the Hep C
epidemic. Now it is time to
wake up Washington, and the
nation by pursuing this
amendment.
I hope that my colleagues
will join me in supporting
this important amendment.
[End Insert]
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Mrs. McCARTHY of New York.
Mr. Chairman, I move to
strike the requisite number
of words.
Mr. Chairman, I support the
Jackson-Lee amendment on
hepatitis C. I spent over 30
years as a nurse before I
came to Congress; and,
unfortunately, hepatitis C a
number of times, when it is
diagnosed, it is far too
late for so many of the
patients. Unfortunately, the
signs do not show up until
the disease is very
advanced, and because we are
in a global world now and it
is becoming a communicable
disease, it is spreading
more rapidly. Much more
research needs to be done to
see how we can stop this.
But I know one of the ways
that we can have more money
so we have the money for
research is to try and stop
the amount of money that is
being spent every single
year because of gun
violence. And with the
assault weapons ban expiring
on September 13, we are
going to see more violence
on our streets; we are going
to see more of these
patients in our trauma
hospitals, which is going to
drive up the cost of health
care all the way around.
That is a shame. That is
preventable. We need,
certainly, the
administration to back the
police around this country
and to back the health care
providers around this
country who all want to see
the ban put in place.
If we do that, we can keep
down health care costs
because of the gun violence
and have money go into
research for hepatitis C and
for so many other issues
that all of us here care
about.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, will the
gentlewoman yield?
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I
yield to the gentlewoman
from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the
distinguished gentlewoman
for yielding.
I ask my colleagues to
simply help us. It is simply
asking $1 million for the
hepatitis C, and I thank the
gentlewoman from New York
(Mrs. McCarthy) for her
information.
This bill, with all the hard
work of the appropriators,
and I really appreciate
them, was sprung on Members
on Labor Day weekend. My
apologies for the amendment
being at the leg counsel,
and it is supposed to be at
the desk. It is now there,
but I really ask my
colleagues to look at the
need. I also know my staff
gave the amendment to both
managers of the bill.
We are talking about 300
million worldwide, close to
10 million around the
country, veterans, children
and others infected with
hepatitis C. The more we can
do, the better off we are.
I believe this is a
well-grounded amendment that
should warrant the support
of our colleagues on both
sides of the aisle, and I
would ask my colleagues to
support this.
As I indicated, CBO has
indicated this is
revenue-neutral, has no
impact with respect to the
issues at hand, and I would
simply ask that this
amendment be supported.
Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman,
will the gentlewoman yield?
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I
yield to the gentleman from
Ohio.
Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I
just want to point out, we
do have $22.5 million in the
bill now for hepatitis C
funding, and we recognize
the importance of that, and
we have done all that we
could within the budget
constraints, and there is a
sizable amount there.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, will the
gentlewoman yield?
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I
yield to the gentlewoman
from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, let me just
quickly say, I respect what
the gentleman has done. One
of the problems we have is
we are suffering because we
have such a great percentage
of our dollars going to the
tax cut. I think we can do
more. Certainly what we have
is what the gentleman has
been able to do, but I
believe this disease is so
deadly that adding
additional funds is a
priority and should be a
priority when we talk about
health care and also
inequity in health care, and
I thank the distinguished
gentleman.
The CHAIRMAN. Does any other
Member wish to be heard on
the Jackson-Lee amendment?
If not, the question is on
the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson-Lee).
The question was taken; and
the Chairman announced that
the noes appeared to have
it.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas.
Mr. Chairman, I demand a
recorded vote.
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