Greg Walden

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), who has worked so diligently and hard on this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), the chair of our Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his kind comments on this bipartisan legislation. I think it is another fine work product from the Energy and Commerce Committee in the area of healthcare, health research, and helping families cope with these terrible tragedies that befall us. The Committee on Energy and Commerce, as you know, Mr. Speaker, has done a lot of good work this cycle. I am especially proud of their work on opioids and opioid addiction. Their investigative report now is public--over 300 pages of work--looking at how Americans got hooked on opioids, who is responsible, and what we should do going forward. This legislation on H.R. 1222, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2017, is another very important piece of legislation. It too will save lives and bring hope to American families. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1222, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, as amended by the Senate, which will ensure continued investment in surveillance research to evaluate the lifelong needs of individuals with congenital heart defects, or CHD. These surveillance efforts will help improve our understanding of CHD across the lifespan, from birth to adulthood. This research will help us learn more about demographic factors such as age, race, gender, or ethnicity. In addition, the legislation emphasizes the need for continued biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of CHD. NIH will further research into the causes of congenital heart defects, including genetic causes, and study long-term outcomes in individuals with CHD of all ages. NIH may study data to identify effective treatments and outcomes, and identify barriers to lifelong care for individuals with congenital heart defects. CHD is the most common birth defect and the leading cause of birth defect-related infant mortality. For the Down Syndrome Community, about half of children born with Down Syndrome have CHD. The road ahead may be scary and uncertain for any parent with a newborn who has CHD, but this bill gives hope to those coping with the diagnosis. Nearly 1 in 100 babies are born with CHD and more than five percent will not live to see their first birthday. Despite its prevalence and significance, there are still gaps in research and standards of care for CHD patients. But for the sake of the estimated 40,000 babies who will be born in the next year with CHD, there's more work to be done. Mr. Speaker, I began on this journey almost ten years ago when then- Congressman Zack Space and I, first introduced the Congenital Heart Futures Act back in 2009. Last Congress, Congressman Schiff and I introduced the reauthorization of the original law. During this time, I've met a lot of patients with Congenital Heart Defects, and I've been touched by their story. People like: Trey and Nicole Flynn, a young Floridian couple, who lost their son Holden while waiting for a heart transplant--he was only 2 years old. This bill supports the essential research necessary to make sure another family doesn't have to leave the hospital without their child in their arms. Lucas Iguina, a young man born with a complex congenital heart defect that essentially left him with half a heart. Despite having three open heart surgeries, and countless doctors' visits and medical procedures, Lucas has hopes and dreams. This bill ensures that the medical research will keep pace with his generation as they grow to be adults with this complex illness. Jackson Radandt, born with half a heart. He has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which means the left side of his heart was underdeveloped. He depended on life-saving research to help his failing heart survive until his heart transplant at age 11. He's about sixteen now and will live his life with a heightened sensitivity for his new heart. Nicholas B., he was born with a complex heart disease and wasn't getting blood to the lower half of his body requiring heart surgery when he was just two days old. He's now in the top of his class and this bill will ensure that his future remains bright as he navigates this chronic illness through adulthood. Abigail Adams, a young Florida advocate with Down Syndrome. Roughly half of the babies born with Down Syndrome have a congenital heart defect. Abigail continues to advocate for individuals with Down Syndrome. My friend, Dave, born with pulmonary stenosis, a condition where a heart valve will not open properly. He had emergency open-heart surgery when he was 2 days old, another surgery at age 10, and many hospital visits and procedures in the meantime. Today, he is a husband and father, but lives with atrial flutter. This bill will continue the surveillance program so we can collect data on children and adults with congenital heart problems. And Carolyn H., born with tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. She had open heart surgery when she was 10 days old to repair her heart, but she will need periodic surgical updates to replace the cadaver artery. This bill continues the NIH research into why these defects occur. These are just some of the patients that I've met over the years. Lastly, I want to thank some of the advocates that worked with me on getting this legislation passed. I want to thank David Kasnic, Amy Basken, Dr. Brad Marino, Jessica Chenevert, and Dave Peluso from the Pediatric Congenital Heart Association. I want to thank Mark Roeder, Danielle Hile, Johanna Gray, and Erika Miller from the Adult Congenital Heart Association. Additionally, I want to recognize Vince Randazzo, Sara Weir, and Nicole Patton, from the National Down Syndrome Society and all their support. I also want to thank many of the people that worked quietly behind the scenes, whose names are seldom mentioned, and who never get the recognition they deserve. People like Megan Perez, Kristin Seum, Shayne Woods, Katie Novaria, Adrianna Simonelli, Kristen Shatynski, Paul Edattel, Josh Trent, James Paluskiewicz, Peter Kielty, Karen Christian, Ryan Long, Mike Bloomquist, Ed Kim, Nolan Ahern, Ian Martorana, Macey Sevcik, and Elena Hernandez. This bill is a true team effort. I urge swift House passage of this life-saving bill.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1222) to amend the Public Health Service Act to coordinate Federal congenital heart disease research efforts and to improve public education and awareness of congenital heart disease, and for other purposes.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) to speak on the legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains on each side.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), who is a pharmacist on our committee and a great leader on health issues on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I, too, join my friend and colleague from New York and our friends across the building in the Senate in support of the BOLD Act, S. 2076. Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2076, the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act. I would like to thank Representative Brett Guthrie from Kentucky for his work to bring this bill to the House floor and for his terrific partnership as a member and real leader on our Energy and Commerce Committee. Now, the BOLD Act is another bipartisan bill. It will enhance our Nation's public health infrastructure. It will improve lives for patients. More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's. It is the most expensive disease in our country. It costs our health system hundreds of billions of dollars each and every year, and those numbers are only going up. This legislation before us now will help us address those trends by establishing centers of excellence to improve coordination of care with local public health departments for patients in our communities. These centers will increase data collection, analysis, and timely reporting to better inform researchers and policymakers across the country. For patients and their families, early intervention and coordination of care provided at these centers can make the burden of Alzheimer's just a little bit lighter. I have heard about the importance of the bill from Marya in Medford, who, in 2012, became one of the 180,000 Oregonians who serve as unpaid Alzheimer's caregivers for a loved one. In her case, that loved one was her father. When her father was diagnosed, she was faced with not only a daunting system and difficult choices to make without information, but also an unexpected cost of care of $342,000, on average. According to Marya, if passed, the BOLD Act would ensure States such as Oregon have the resources necessary to support earlier detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's and help healthcare givers like her to grapple with this devastating disease. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of patients and their families across our Nation, I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this important legislation as well. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2076) to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the expansion of activities related to Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, and brain health under the Alzheimer's Disease and Healthy Aging Program, and for other purposes.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from New York for his leadership on this issue as well. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), so that he can speak on the legislation.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), who is a cosponsor of this very important legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to thank Members on both sides of the aisle, my colleagues who have worked so hard on this legislation, and, frankly, our friends in the Senate, as well, who worked with us on this. We are glad to bring this to a conclusion and another very important healthcare bill will make its way to the President's desk. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2278, the State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act led by Senator Pat Roberts and by my Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues Representative Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and my fellow Oregonian, Kurt Schrader, here in the House. This important legislation reauthorizes and enhances Federal grants to States for improving healthcare in rural areas through the operation of State Offices of Rural Health. Now, in my home State of Oregon, the Oregon Office of Rural Health has been the coordinating body for frontier health since the 1970s. This office partners with the Oregon Health & Sciences University to improve the delivery of statewide resources to rural areas, such as the Second District. Telehealth, rotational programs for medical students in rural communities, and recruitment of healthcare providers are just a few examples of the Oregon Office of Rural Health's work to help patients in Oregon's rural areas. I am proud of the great work that they do, and this bill will enhance their ability and those of all State Rural Health Offices to equip communities with the tools they need to strengthen the delivery of healthcare in rural and underserved areas. So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support passage of this legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2278) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to improve health care in rural areas.

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

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 6615) to reauthorize the Traumatic Brain Injury program.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 1051 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (P.L. 115-232), I withdraw the appointment of November 13, 2018, and I appoint the following individual to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence: Mr. Andrew R. Jassy, Seattle, Washington.