[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2028 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2028

 To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2000 for infant and child 
   health programs under chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign 
            Assistance Act of 1961, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 1999

Mr. Pitts (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. McIntosh, and Mr. 
    Wolf) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2000 for infant and child 
   health programs under chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign 
            Assistance Act of 1961, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Every year, an estimated 12,000,000 children under the 
        age of 5 years die, mostly of easily preventable causes, and 
        about 160,000,000 children are severely or moderately 
        malnourished throughout the world.
            (2) Despite significant progress made in child survival 
        efforts, 32,000 children continue to die every day, largely 
        from preventable causes.
            (3) Of the 12,000,000 children under 5 who die each year 
        from preventable causes, 6,000,000 die directly or indirectly 
        from malnutrition.
            (4) The under-5 mortality rate (171 per 1,000 live births) 
        in the least developed countries is nearly 25 times that of the 
        industrialized nations.
            (5) Diarrheal dehydration remains one of the world's most 
        widespread child killers, claiming over 2,000,000 children 
        under the age of 5 each year in developing countries, and for 
        just 7 cents per dose per child, oral rehydration therapy and 
        continued feeding (ORT), a simple, cost-effective treatment 
        given at home, could prevent as many as 90 percent of all child 
        deaths from diarrheal diseases.
            (6) Although 80 percent of children are now being 
        vaccinated against the 6 major killer diseases (measles, 
        tetanus, whooping cough, tuberculosis, polio, and diphtheria), 
        2,000,000 children are still dying from these diseases each 
        year. Only $30,000,000 ($15 per child) would provide vaccines, 
        syringes, needles, cold chain equipment, and health workers' 
        training and salaries needed to immunize 2,000,000 children 
        against these 6 major childhood diseases.
            (7) Malaria kills more than 1,000,000 children under the 
        age of 5 each year, or 1 child every 30 seconds, but for less 
        than $15,000,000, all of these children could be provided bed 
        nets to help protect them from this deadly disease.
            (8) An estimated 2,900,000,000 people lack access to 
        adequate sanitation, up from 2,600,000,000 in 1990, and without 
        a stronger commitment to sanitation, it will be difficult to 
        reduce the incidence of diarrhea, a leading child killer, and 
        other diseases that flourish in unsanitary conditions. For only 
        $5.50, 1 plastic latrine pan and outlet pipe could provide safe 
        sanitation for 1 family, and for $150, a handpump, pipe, and 
        accessories for equipping a shallow well could benefit up to 
        250 people.
            (9) 2,200,000 children under the age of 5 die each year in 
        developing countries of acute respiratory infections (ARI). 
        Appropriate treatment of ARI, including early diagnosis and the 
        proper use of antibiotics, could avert 30 to 60 percent of ARI-
        related child deaths.
            (10) About 100,000,000 children under the age of 5 suffer 
        from vitamin A deficiency, which impairs children's ability to 
        resist illnesses and contributes to nearly 25 percent of under-
        5 deaths in developing countries, but 6 cents can buy 3 vitamin 
        A capsules to protect a child against blindness and other 
        health risks from vitamin A deficiency for 1 year, or 
        $6,000,000 could protect 100,000,000 children annually against 
        such blindness and other health risks.
            (11) Because a major global immunization campaign is 
        nearing the goal of eradicating polio, a 10-year effort to 
        eradicate polio through childhood vaccination and surveillance 
        would cost only $100,000,000 per year.
            (12) Up to 1,500,000 children annually could be saved by 
        increased breast-feeding because breast-fed infants are up to 
        25 times less likely to die of diarrheal disease, and 4 times 
        less likely to die of acute respiratory infections.
            (13) Nevertheless, estimates that each year more than 
        540,000 infants are infected by Mother To Child Transmission 
        (MTCT) of the HIV virus in Africa alone indicate the urgent 
        need for safe and practical alternatives to breast-feeding by 
        nursing mothers who are HIV-positive to help prevent the 
        transmission of the virus to their babies.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR CHILD SURVIVAL PROGRAMS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated for 
        fiscal year 2000 $345,000,000 for infant and child health 
        programs under chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign 
        Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 and 2293 et seq.) that 
        have a direct, measurable, and high impact on reducing the 
        incidence of illness and death among children.
            (2) Additional requirement.--Of the amount appropriated 
        pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under paragraph 
        (1), not less than 25 percent of such amount shall be allocated 
        for programs of United States-based, citizen-supported, private 
        voluntary organizations that implement community-based 
        programs.
    (b) Limitation on Population Planning Assistance.--Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, not more than $285,000,000 of the amounts 
appropriated in title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, 
and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2000, to carry out any of the 
provisions of law described in such title may obligated or expended for 
population planning activities or other population assistance, 
including all programs and activities designed to control fertility or 
to reduce or delay childbirths or pregnancies.
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