[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 618 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 618

  Honoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 75th 
   anniversary of its establishment and expressing deep gratitude on 
 behalf of the people of the United States to the scientists, disease 
detectives, career civil servants, and support staff at the Centers for 
 Disease Control and Prevention for their dedication to protecting the 
health, safety, and security of the United States and to strengthening 
             public health in the United States and abroad.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 31, 2021

  Ms. Williams of Georgia (for herself, Mr. Levin of California, Mrs. 
McBath, Miss Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Bourdeaux, and 
 Mr. David Scott of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 75th 
   anniversary of its establishment and expressing deep gratitude on 
 behalf of the people of the United States to the scientists, disease 
detectives, career civil servants, and support staff at the Centers for 
 Disease Control and Prevention for their dedication to protecting the 
health, safety, and security of the United States and to strengthening 
             public health in the United States and abroad.

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this 
        preamble as the ``CDC''), based in Atlanta, Georgia, was established by 
        the United States Government on July 1, 1946, initially to prevent the 
        spread of malaria in the United States, and soon became the premier 
        public health agency of the United States;
Whereas, because medical epidemiologists were scarce in the United States prior 
        to the establishment of the CDC, disease surveillance became the 
        cornerstone of the mission of service of the CDC to the States;
Whereas, since 1946, the scientists, disease detectives, career civil servants, 
        and support staff of the CDC have worked every day to combat diseases 
        like malaria, yellow fever, smallpox, polio, influenza, and Ebola;
Whereas the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the CDC has trained disease 
        detectives at home and abroad, producing some of the top epidemiologists 
        in the world;
Whereas the CDC has played a vital role in implementing high-profile and 
        innovative programs, including the President's Malaria Initiative, the 
        President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and the Global Health 
        Security Agenda, helping save millions of human lives;
Whereas the staff of the CDC were instrumental in global efforts to effectively 
        eradicate smallpox in 1980 and are currently working to eliminate polio 
        worldwide;
Whereas the CDC has spent decades building public health infrastructure and 
        capacity around the world to detect, respond to, and contain outbreaks 
        of deadly diseases like Zika and Ebola;
Whereas the CDC assisted with disaster relief in Haiti, partnering with the 
        Haitian public health ministry to respond to the cholera outbreak after 
        the devastating 2010 earthquake;
Whereas the CDC has an established record of working to improve access to cancer 
        screenings and treatment, prevent child malnutrition, protect workers, 
        reduce developmental disabilities and birth defects, prevent injuries, 
        and protect the public from dangerous environmental exposures;
Whereas the National Asthma Control Program of the CDC funds programs for 
        States, schools, and nongovernmental organizations to help train 
        professionals and educate people living with asthma and their families;
Whereas the CDC has worked to end the opioid overdose crisis by funding efforts 
        to improve data collection about opioid use and implement evidence-based 
        strategies to save lives;
Whereas a core principle of public health is that every person should be able to 
        reach his or her full health potential, and the CDC seeks to remove 
        barriers to health linked to race or ethnicity, education, income, 
        location, or other social factors, including vital work to improve 
        health equity;
Whereas the CDC employs more than 23,000 employees around the world, supporting 
        the agency's 24/7 mission of saving lives and protecting people from 
        health threats;
Whereas political leaders of the United States should support and empower the 
        public health experts at the CDC and other leading national health 
        agencies to guide with science during public health crises; and
Whereas the strength and efficacy of the public health system of the United 
        States and the response of the United States to the COVID-19 pandemic 
        depends upon the leadership, expertise, and professionalism of the CDC 
        staff who continue working tirelessly to fight COVID-19 and provide 
        science-based guidance to protect families and save lives in the United 
        States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this resolution 
        as the ``CDC'');
            (2) declares its deep gratitude on behalf of the people of 
        the United States to the scientists, disease detectives, career 
        civil servants, and support staff at the CDC for their 
        dedication to fighting diseases and working every day to combat 
        the COVID-19 pandemic;
            (3) urges Federal agencies, State and local governments, 
        and organizations nationwide to study and incorporate the 
        evidence-based public health guidance and recommendations 
        provided by the CDC;
            (4) expresses its confidence in the scientific method, 
        evidence-based policymaking, and the medical and public health 
        professions, including the scientific field of epidemiology; 
        and
            (5) honors the contributions of the CDC staff for their 
        leadership and dedicated public service to protecting the 
        health, safety, and security of the United States, and to 
        strengthening public health in the United States and abroad.
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