Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), who, as everyone has said, has worked so hard and tirelessly on behalf of this legislation.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1157, the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, legislation introduced by Representatives Nita Lowey and Sue Myrick. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women. Each year in America, approximately 182,000 women are diagnosed of breast cancer, of which nearly 41,000 lose their lives. While improved access to screening and treatment services have helped reduced breast cancer death rates over the past couple of decades, significant challenges still remain. For example, we are still unsure about what causes breast cancer or how to prevent it. While there have been a number of studies that have looked at various risk factors, we have not been able to draw any solid conclusions about what specifically causes breast cancer or what are the linkages between breast cancer and environmental factors. This legislation would help address, help facilitate and help coordinate research efforts on the links between breast cancer and environmental factors in the hopes that one day we might find a cure. Let me acknowledge the work of my colleagues, Mrs. Lowey and Mrs. Myrick, who have been tireless advocates on behalf of this legislation. They have been working nonstop over the past several months to develop the compromise legislation before us today. I would also like to commend the chairman of our committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Dingell, as well as his staff, for their hard work on this legislation. In particular I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Jessica McNiece, a member of the professional staff on the Energy and Commerce Committee, for her efforts to move this bill forward. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1157) to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of research centers regarding environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1343) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide additional authorizations of appropriations for the health centers program under section 330 of such Act, and for other purposes.

Mr. PALLONE. I yield back my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this critically important measure that will help ensure that all Americans have access to quality health care.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1333) supporting the goals and ideals of Tay- Sachs Awareness Month, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam 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 on the bill under consideration.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1810) to amend the Public Health Service Act to increase the provision of scientifically sound information and support services to patients receiving a positive test diagnosis for Down's syndrome or other prenatally and postnatally diagnosed conditions.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I would just urge passage of this important legislation relevant to ALS, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam 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 on the bill under consideration.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6568) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to encourage research and carry out an educational campaign with respect to pulmonary hypertension, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, the crisis on Wall Street is a direct result of the Bush administration's refusal to properly regulate the financial industry. Unfortunately, Senator McCain is a strong supporter of deregulation. In March, Senator McCain said, ``I am always for less regulation . . . I'd like to see a lot of the unnecessary government regulations eliminated.'' In May he told the Wall Street Journal, ``You are interviewing the greatest free trader you will ever interview, and the greatest deregulator you will ever interview.'' Senator McCain even endorses extending the same kind of regulation that has created chaos in the financial industry to our health care system. In an opinion piece this month, the Senator writes, ``Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of State-based regulation.'' Mr. Speaker, our Nation can't afford another 4 years of Wall Street running amok. It's time for change, and that is not Senator McCain.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, this evening I rise to encourage my fellow Members of Congress to support the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Deal. Recently the 45 nations of the Nuclear Suppliers Group waived the ban on nuclear trade with India. This paved the way for Congress to act swiftly to pass the U.S.-Indian Civil Nuclear Deal into law. This agreement will reduce pressure on energy markets, benefits both nations' economies and strengthens the U.S.-India strategic global partnership. It will bring positive benefits to both the United States and India. It will permit both countries to engage in shared civil nuclear research and development and commercial trade of technology and fuel while guaranteeing safeguards on all civil nuclear material. Mr. Speaker, completion of this agreement will represent an important milestone in accelerating commercial and cultural ties between the American people and the people of India. But obstacles remain. We must work with the administration to ensure the agreement comes up for a final vote this year, before Congress adjourns. The United States has a significant strategic partnership with India. This civilian nuclear cooperation agreement is a critical component to building on that successful partnership. The agreement strengthens energy security for the United States and India. By diversifying the energy markets and creating greater energy supply, the civil nuclear agreement promotes the development of stable and efficient energy markets in India. Expansion of U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation should, over time, lessen India's dependence on imported hydrocarbons, including those from Iran. The nuclear agreement will also bolster both nations' economies. For the United States, the agreement opens up a major new market for technology exports and investment that is currently off limits. And it brings India into the global nuclear nonproliferation regime as a fully invested partner. India is committed to preventing proliferation from its civilian nuclear program and protecting against diversion of nuclear materials and technologies. Finally, the civil nuclear agreement will provide the foundation of a promising U.S.-India alliance that will serve as a defense against terrorism and nuclear proliferation. The U.S. has an important stake in ensuring regional stability in South Asia, even as Pakistan continues to produce and test nuclear weapons without proper safeguards. With uncertainty in Pakistan and the continuing influence of al Qaeda on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, it is essential that India remain our strategic ally. Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago, I formed the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in order to work for a stronger bilateral relationship between the United States and India. Today the world's two largest democracies have established a remarkable strategic partnership that can only be strengthened by civil nuclear cooperation. Mr. Speaker, we should all do everything we can to see that the U.S. civil nuclear agreement receives final approval in Washington so that the world can begin to benefit from its implementation and we can embark on a new era of U.S.-India relations.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2583) to amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to establish a loan program for eligible hospitals to establish residency training programs, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to urge, strongly, passage of this important bill regarding consumer protection for controlled substances.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California. Again, Mrs. Capps has played such an important role on this and other bills of this nature that are important. Reading about this legislation, it really is so crucial.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6353, the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008. This legislation addresses serious concerns about the purchase of controlled substances through online pharmacies. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, nearly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs, more than the number who are abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, ecstasy and inhalants combined. Prescription pain relievers are new drug users' drug of choice. Nearly one in 10 high school seniors admits to abusing powerful prescription pain relievers. And prescription pain relievers appear to be among the drugs most heavily dispensed by certain Internet pharmacies using prescriptions that are issued based on online questionnaires. Most times, the doctor providing the prescription has never seen the patient or even had a conversation with them. This practice has sometimes been abused by rogue sites and it has led to instances of addiction, overdose and death. H.R. 6353 will go a long way in combating this harmful practice. The bill prohibits the delivery, distribution, or dispensing of controlled substances over the Internet without a valid prescription. A valid prescription is defined as a prescription that is issued for a legitimate purpose by a practitioner who has conducted at least one in- person medical evaluation of the patient. H.R. 6353 also imposes new registration and reporting requirements for online pharmacies. The legislation before us also increases criminal penalties involving controlled substances in Schedules II, IV and V of the Controlled Substances Act. H.R. 6353 is named after Ryan Haight, a young man who unfortunately was the victim of illegal sales of pharmaceuticals through the Internet. Ryan died on February 12, 2001 at the age of 18 from an overdose of prescription drugs he had purchased on the Internet. Ryan was prescribed the drugs by a doctor whom he never saw and was never examined by, and an Internet pharmacy delivered them to his home. H.R. 6353 is the result of the leadership of Representative Bart Stupak and the hard work and cooperation of the Democratic and Republican members of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Judiciary Committee. The bill is a bipartisan product. It enjoys the support of the administration and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. I strongly urge all of my colleagues to vote to prevent another needless death similar to that of Ryan Haight and vote for the passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. 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. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6353) to amend the Controlled Substances Act to address online pharmacies, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this important legislation relative to heart disease.