Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

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. Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes a pilot program to address a serious public health problem, and that is infant mortality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. infant mortality rate is about 50 percent higher than the national goal of 4.5 infant deaths for per 1,000 births. As of 2005, the United States ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality. The pilot program authorized in this legislation would give grants to eligible entities to fight infant mortality in the most impacted areas. I want to thank Representative Cohen, the sponsor of the NEWBORN Act, as it is called, for his deep commitment to and tireless leadership on this very important issue. I would also like to thank Ranking Member Barton and Ranking Member Shimkus and their staffs for working in a bipartisan manner to help get this legislation to the House floor. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the bill, Representative Cohen of Tennessee.

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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. 5756) to amend title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to provide for grants and technical assistance to improve services rendered to children and adults with autism, and their families, and to expand the number of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service, 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. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5756, the Training and Research for Autism Improvements Nationwide Act of 2010, or the TRAIN Act, as it is called. The TRAIN Act builds upon the important work of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service, or the acronym UCEDD, in addressing the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities. H.R. 5756 authorizes targeted grants to support interdisciplinary training, continuing education, and technical assistance for children and adults on the autism spectrum, as well as their families. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that autism spectrum disorders are an urgent public health concern. Autism affects an estimated 1 in 110 children nationwide, and there are currently no cures for autism. However, research shows that early intervention services can greatly improve the development of children with autism. H.R. 5756 also seeks to promote the expansion of the UCEDD network to include minority-serving institutions. This parallels a 2009 effort to support partnerships between the existing UCEDDs and minority-serving institutions for all forms of development disabilities. UCEDDs play a critical role in providing a range of training activities and services, and in building capacity within communities. Experts and advocates have called for increased funding to ensure that these centers can continue their important work and meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities, particularly those with autism. It is also important not to lose sight of people from diverse backgrounds who oftentimes face greater challenges than others with autism in accessing services. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we have an opportunity today to consider a bill that both supports the efforts of UCEDDs and works to ensure that we do all that we can for people with and directly affected by autism. I want to mention that Representative Doyle has been a tireless advocate for autism issues. He is the bill's sponsor, and he current chairs the Congressional Autism Caucus, along with Chris Smith from my State, who I see on the floor, and I want to commend Representative Doyle for his work on this bill and for his leadership on this issue. If I could add, personally, during the August recess, I met on one occasion with a large group of families of children with autism, and I was amazed at how few services are available. Obviously anything like this that makes a difference for them and other children with autism and their families is really significant. I also want to recognize and thank Ranking Member Shimkus and Ranking Member Barton for working with Chairman Waxman and myself to bring this bill to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Doyle).

Mr. PALLONE. I urge the 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. 2923) to enhance the ability to combat methamphetamine, 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 to include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. PALLONE

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5710) to amend and reauthorize the controlled substance monitoring program under section 399O of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5710, the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act, or as I call it, NASPER. State prescription drug monitoring programs track prescriptions so that law enforcement officials can address and prevent diversion, and so prescribers and public health authorities can prevent and respond to the potentially devastating effects of prescription drug abuse. The NASPER program, as it's known, was first authorized in 2005 and allows the Secretary to make grants to support these State programs, and it also sets standards for privacy and interoperability. H.R. 5710 reauthorizes the NASPER program, enhances evaluation and reporting, and makes other updates to the program. An amendment agreed to in our subcommittee changed the authorization period from 5 to 3 years so the next reauthorization can take into account the results of an agency evaluation of the program scheduled to be completed in 2012. The amendment also clarified language regarding granting preference in certain other SAMSA programs to States that have prescription drug monitoring programs. I would like to thank Mr. Whitfield for his leadership on this issue as well as Mr. Stupak--both of them have been involved with the NASPER bill for some time, including the original authorization--and also our ranking members, Shimkus and Barton. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5710. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), who, as I said, has been involved with this NASPER legislation from the beginning.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5809) to amend the Controlled Substances Act to provide for take-back disposal of controlled substances in certain instances, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McMahon), who is the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as she may consume to the lead Democratic sponsor of the bill, the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Markey).

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1745, the Family Health Care Accessibility Act. The bill is authored by my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania and Mr. Green of Texas, and obviously it enjoys strong bipartisan support. The bill would provide liability protections for health care workers who volunteer to work at community health centers. Very similar protections are already provided for the employees and contractors of such centers. The bill, as introduced, would have provided such protection only to physicians and psychologists, but the committee adopted an amendment that expanded coverage to all health care workers who are volunteers at CHCs so long as they are working within their appropriate scope of practice and licensure and are performing work that is appropriate to the center. CBO has estimated that the bill will not affect mandatory spending or revenue and is not subject to the PAYGO rules. Versions of this legislation have passed in the House in previous years, so I hope this bill will become law. Again, I want to thank Mr. Murphy and Mr. Green for all their hard work on this legislation. As well, I want to express my appreciation to our minority leaders on health legislation in the committee, Mr. Shimkus and Mr. Barton, for their support and commitment in getting this bill to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from Texas, Representative Green. But before I do that, let me just say that he has been an outstanding leader on community health centers. He sponsored the bill that reauthorized the community health centers, and he is always looking out for ways to improve what goes on there.

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