Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 3 minutes to another champion of this bill from our committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have heard Members on the other side of the aisle talk about this as an entitlement program. I want to stress it is not an entitlement program. It is not a budget gimmick. The program sunsets in 10 years. The funding is capped. Enrollment is capped. The population can't grow beyond the enrollment cap in the bill. I hear from the opponents all about money, how much money is going to New York hospitals. I want to stress that this isn't really about who is going to pay for somebody's health insurance. One of the centers where people go for treatment is in my home State of New Jersey, in my district, at Rutgers, and my understanding is many, if not most of the people who go there, actually have health insurance. The problem is that we are creating these centers, and we want to make sure that they are there for a long time because they serve a very important purpose. People go there because they have particular diseases that come from the World Trade Center attack that can't be treated at other locations. And even if they go to their doctor, they end up coming here because they know how to treat and get the specialty care that they need. They also provide research. Many of these people don't contract the diseases until later in life; and I think, as time goes on, we are going to see, unfortunately, even more problems. At these centers they do the research to look and see what kind of treatment might be necessary as more and more people, unfortunately, come down with the diseases that resulted from the World Trade Center attack. So I know there is a lot of talk about money from the other side. And I don't mean to say that money isn't important, but I want people to understand, I want everyone to understand, this is not really about money. This is really about having a specialized program where people can be treated who sacrificed everything for America, and these centers need to be here. They need to be here a long time from now, even when there aren't people that are going to be down here and asking that this program continue. That is why this program has to be set up in this fashion today. It has to be properly funded. It has to be available for anyone who suffered any kind of disorder from this World Trade Center attack. Do I have any additional time, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. PALLONE. At this point, I would just close myself, unless someone else comes down. So if you would like to close on our Energy and Commerce time, then I will follow you.

Mr. PALLONE. At this time I would like to yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House and point out that if it wasn't for her efforts, we would not be here today moving this legislation.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1032) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1362, the National Neurological Diseases Surveillance System Act of 2010. H.R. 1362 seeks to improve our understanding of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and other neurological diseases by directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out systematic data collection analysis and interpretation. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 1362, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1226) commending EyeCare America for its work over the last 25 years, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1226. This resolution recognizes EyeCare America, a public service program with the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, for 25 years of service. I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1226. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask for passage of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6012) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review uptake and utilization of diabetes screening benefits and establish an outreach program with respect to such benefits, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I also yield back the balance of my time and urge passage of the bill.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2408) to expand the research and awareness activities of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to scleroderma, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3751) to amend the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. PALLONE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 3751, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2010, is identical to legislation sponsored by Representatives Young and Matsui, H.R. 6081, and passed by voice vote by the Energy and Commerce Committee. S. 3751 would reauthorize the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, which includes the national registry for adult donors of bone marrow, peripheral blood adult stem cells and umbilical cord blood units, the Office of Patient Advocacy, and the Stem Cell Therapeutic Outcomes Database. It would also reauthorize the National Cord Blood Inventory, which is a program that provides grants to public cord blood banks to assist them in collecting donated cord blood units that are then listed on the national registry. This is good legislation. It has strong bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1995) to amend the Public Health Service Act to prevent and treat diabetes, to promote and improve the care of individuals with diabetes, and to reduce health disparities, relating to diabetes, within racial and ethnic minority groups, including the African- American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaskan Native communities, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1995, the Diabetes in Minority Populations Evaluation Act of 2010. H.R. 1995 directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress on the Department's research and other public health activities with respect to diabetes among minority populations. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 1995. I reserve the balance of my time.