Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I will reserve my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I would urge support of the legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Arcuri).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1333, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of Tay-Sachs Awareness Month. Tay-Sachs is a rare genetic disorder that causes destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It usually develops in infants and leads to blindness and paralysis before ultimately giving way to death. Unfortunately, there is presently no treatment or cure for this disease. The resolution before us today supports education and continued research efforts to combat Tay-Sachs disease so that one day we may find a cure. I want to thank my colleague, Representative Arcuri from New York, for his work in raising this important issue. I know this issue is close to his heart and I want to express my gratitude to him. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I would ask that we all support this very important legislation. I know that it constantly comes up in my State about possible links between breast cancer and various cancers and environmental risk, so I know how important this is. I ask that everyone support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Commerce be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 6946) to make a technical correction in the NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests. I urge support of the bill, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2932, the Poison Control Center Support Enhancement and Awareness Act sponsored by Senator Patty Murray of Washington. I also want to thank my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Towns and Mr. Terry, who have worked very hard on the House companion legislation which they have cosponsored. Madam Speaker, Poison Control Centers are our Nation's primary defense against injury and deaths from poisoning. These centers are on call 24 hours a day to help providers and the public with possible exposures to poison. In addition, poison centers provide essential follow-up care, professional health care provider education, nationwide data collection on poisoning, as well as a number of other services. Madam Speaker, these centers are of tremendous value to our communities. The bill would provide our Nation's Poison Control Centers with the necessary funding to continue their important mission. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to offer their support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2932) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the poison center national toll-free number, national media campaign, and grant program to provide assistance for poison prevention, sustain the funding of poison centers, and enhance the public health of people of the United States.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time and ask that everyone support this legislation.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1810, the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act, legislation introduced by Senator Brownback. Madam Speaker, this legislation would ensure that pregnant women or mothers of newborns with a prenatally or postnatally diagnosed condition have timely access to updated, scientific information about the life expectancy, intellectual and functional development and treatment options for their child. In addition, this legislation would provide families with referrals to support services; improve our Nation's epidemiological understanding of prenatally and postnatally diagnosed conditions; and support health care providers to provide the results of prenatal or postnatal tests to patients. I would like to once again thank all of my colleagues, especially Mr. Sensenbrenner, the sponsor of the House companion legislation, for all of their hard work. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support its passage. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1382, the ALS Registry Act. ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting approximately 5,600 Americans each year. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have ALS at any given time, with an average life expectancy of 2 to 5 years from time of diagnosis. Today, no single national patient registry collects and stores information on the prevalence and incidence of ALS. The ALS Registry Act would create a nationwide registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for ALS and other related motor neuron disorders. The patient registry would collect data which is urgently needed for ALS research, disease management, and the development of standards of care. This will allow us to make real progress in better understanding ALS, and to develop measures for prevention, treatment, and eventually a cure for this dreaded disease. I would like to thank my dear friend and colleague on the Energy and Commerce Committee Representative Eliot Engel for his dedication to bringing this bill before us today. Eliot and I, along with Nita Lowey, started the same time in Congress, which is about 20 years now. I remember when we had the hearing on this. Mr. Engel is from New York and talked a little about Lou Gehrig. I had actually been to a Yankees' game just a few days before, and I saw so many people wearing Lou Gehrig shirts, and I was amazed after so many years that that would still be the case. On October 16 of last year, we overwhelmingly passed the House companion to S. 1382, and I strongly urge us to pass this bill by the same margin. Please join me in enacting this important legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1382) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment of an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Registry.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I would ask that everyone support this legislation, not only because of the issue of pulmonary hypertension and research and the need for it, but also as a tribute to Representative Lantos. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the sponsor of the legislation, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6568, the Tom Lantos Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Education Act of 2008, as introduced by representative Kevin Brady and my good friend and the Health Subcommittee's vice chair, Lois Capps. Pulmonary hypertension is a rare lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rises far above normal levels, usually with no apparent reason. Symptoms include chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pains, palpitations, and fainting. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2002 there were 15,668 deaths and 260,000 hospital visits among persons with pulmonary hypertension. The number of hospitalizations related to pulmonary hypertension has been increasing in recent years, especially among women. This measure would help improve current research efforts on pulmonary hypertension, as well as increased public awareness. I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Brady and Mrs. Capps for their work on this legislation. I also want to recognize my colleague, Mr. Lantos, who passed away earlier this year. Passage of today's bill is a fitting tribute to Representative Lantos and his work in raising awareness about pulmonary hypertension and thousands of patients who suffer from it. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to offer their support for this very important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.