[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 1997

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2264) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
     Services, and Education, and related agencies, for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1998, and for other purposes:


  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Chairman, the House of Representatives passed the 
fiscal year 1998 Labor-HHS Appropriations Act. Included in the bill is 
a provision that deserves the support of every Member of Congress who 
wants to assist our Persian Gulf war veterans.
  The provision, authored by Representative Bernard Sanders, would 
provide $7 million over 5 years to the Department of Health and Human 
Services to use both the expertise of the National Institute of 
Environmental Health Sciences and the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention to study the possible connection between chemical and 
biological exposures and the mysterious ailments being suffered by our 
gulf war veterans. Representative Sanders deserves much credit for his 
efforts to ensure that we thoroughly investigate what is making our 
veterans sick.
  This provision comes at a time when more and more people are becoming 
convinced that chemical weapons may have played a substantial role in 
the illnesses that are afflicting Persian Gulf veterans. Just recently, 
the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses 
agreed to revise its final report to reflect that chemical weapons may 
have played some role in veterans' ailments. In addition, the final 
report will now say that research on the effect of chemical weapons 
exposure has been minimal and that it may take years of research to 
clarify the causes of these problems.
  I believe that we cannot leave any stone unturned in trying to find 
answers. As DOD continues to revise upward the number of veterans who 
may have been exposed to chemical weapons, it's obvious that we cannot 
allow our Government to do a minimal job of investigating what is 
becoming a compelling possibility.
  The provision could not have come at a better time. For too long, our 
Government has refused to fully investigate the possibility that low-
level chemical weapons exposure or exposure to multiple chemical 
substances may pose serious health consequences. We now have a chance 
to reverse this and ensure that every possible avenue is investigated 
in trying to help our sick Persian Gulf war veterans.
  Again, I applaud Representative Sanders for his work. I hope it 
finally signifies that we have turned the corner in our efforts to get 
to the bottom of this tragedy.

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