[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 56 (Thursday, April 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE RICKY RAY RELIEF ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES M. TALENT

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 1999

  Mr. TALENT. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in strong support of funding 
for the Ricky Ray Relief Act. The time has come for the federal 
government to accept its share of the responsibility for failing to 
protect the nation's blood supply and failing to properly regulate the 
sale of blood-clotting products used by sufferers of hemophilia. As a 
result of the government's failure more than 8,000 people with 
hemophilia have been devastated by HIV/AIDS.
  Mr. Speaker, the financial burden of hemophilia and HIV is 
overwhelming. The average cost of hemophilia therapy is nearly $100,000 
per year. If a person has an inhibitor, a condition that requires 
extensive treatment, therapy can exceed $1,000,000 in a year. These 
costs are further compounded by the costs of HIV/AIDS care which was 
estimated to be $10,000-$50,000 annually in 1995. These staggering cost 
are far beyond the financial capacities of most hard working American 
families.
  The Ricky Ray Relief Act was named for a young Florida boy who came 
to symbolize the tragedy that is hemophilia-associated AIDS. This 
legislation establishes a $750 million trust fund from which victims of 
this tragedy can claim $100,000 each as partial compensation for their 
physical, emotional, and financial suffering. This legislation is not 
about charity, but about acknowledging the government's responsibility 
for this tragedy.
  It has taken almost 5 years for members of the hemophilia community 
who are living with HIV/AIDS to reach this point. The Ricky Ray Relief 
Act was first introduced in 1995 and was reintroduced in 1997. When it 
passed both the House and the Senate by unanimous consent, this bill 
had the support of 270 bipartisan cosponsors in the House and 61 
bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate. On November 12, 1998, the 
President signed the Ricky Ray Relief Act into law.
  I was proud to be both a cosponsor and advocate of this legislature. 
Mr. Speaker, the time has come for the government to admit 
responsibility for failure to protect our nation's blood supply. We 
must fund the Ricky Ray Relief Act. The funding of this legislation 
will make a tremendous difference in the lives of many members of the 
hemophilia community who have faced and continue to face living with 
hemophilia and HIV/AIDS.

                          ____________________