[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 155 (Monday, October 15, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H11522-H11524]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY
FIBROSIS AWARENESS WEEK
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 182) recognizing the need to
pursue research into the causes, a treatment, and an eventual cure for
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, supporting the goals and ideals of
National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 182
Whereas idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a serious lung
disorder causing progressive, incurable lung scarring;
Whereas idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is one of about 200
disorders called interstitial lung diseases;
Whereas idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the most common
form of interstitial lung disease;
Whereas idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a debilitating and
generally fatal disease marked by progressive scarring of the
lungs, causing an irreversible loss of the lung tissue's
ability to transport oxygen;
Whereas idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis progresses quickly,
often causing disability or death within a few short years;
Whereas there is no proven cause of idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis;
Whereas more than 128,000 United States citizens have
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and more than 48,000 new cases
are diagnosed each year representing a 156-percent increase
in mortality since 2001;
Whereas idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is often misdiagnosed
or under diagnosed;
Whereas the median survival rate for idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis patients is 2 to 3 years; about two-thirds of
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients die within 5 years;
and approximately 40,000 patients die each year; and
Whereas a need has been identified to increase awareness
and detection of this misdiagnosed and under diagnosed
disorder as well as all incarnations of pulmonary fibrosis:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) recognizes the need to pursue research into the causes,
a treatment, and an eventual cure for idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis;
(2) supports the work of advocates and organizations in
educating, supporting, and providing hope for individuals who
suffer from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including efforts
to organize a National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Awareness Week;
(3) supports the designation of an appropriate week as
National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week;
(4) welcomes the issuance of a proclamation designating a
National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week;
(5) congratulates advocates and organizations for their
efforts to educate the public about idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis, while funding research to help find a cure for this
disorder; and
(6) supports the goals and ideals of National Idiopathic
Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
[[Page H11523]]
Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.
General Leave
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the resolution now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Wisconsin?
There was no objection.
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 182,
recognizing the need to pursue research into the causes, treatment and
eventual cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, IPF, supporting the
goals and ideals of National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Week, and
for other purposes.
IPF is a debilitating and generally fatal disease which afflicts more
than 128,000 Americans, with more than 48,000 new cases diagnosed each
year. IPF is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and is a disease marked
by progressive scarring of the lungs, causing an irreversible loss of
the lung tissue's ability to transport oxygen.
The legislation before us today recognizes the need to pursue
research into the causes of IPF. H. Con. Res. 182 expresses support for
the work of advocates and organizations in educating, supporting and
providing hope for individuals who suffer from the disease and supports
the designation of National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness
Week.
This is an important piece of legislation, and I would like to
commend my colleague and friend Mr. Deal for all of his hard work on
this issue. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this
resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FOSSELLA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I join my colleague from Wisconsin in urging the
support of H. Con. Res. 182 and at the outset commend our colleague Mr.
Deal from Georgia for introducing the resolution.
We all knew and remember Charlie Norwood who served in this House
with honor and distinction, and those who knew Charlie Norwood well
knew he was a fighter, passionate about his constituents, his belief,
and passionate about this country, and many fights he won. But the
fight he did not win was when he was diagnosed with a serious lung
disorder in 1998 called, shortly, IPF.
He received a single lung transplant but passed away in February of
this year and for that we miss him.
IPF is a progressive and generally fatal lung disease. It's marked by
debilitating scarring of delicate lung tissue and hinders the lungs'
ability to transport oxygen to vital organs. 40,000 people, 40,000
Americans will die this year from IPF, and there's no cure or treatment
for this debilitating irreversible disease. Far too many of those with
IPF face severe disability or death within a few short years, and we
saw that progression here with our colleague Mr. Norwood.
The purpose of this resolution is to bring awareness to the severity
of this devastating disease. Additionally, the resolution will support
the goals of the National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week
and encourage the work being done by the Coalition for Pulmonary
Fibrosis and partner organizations in educating the public about IPF.
40,000 people die in a year, Madam Speaker. We should do what we can
to bring attention and education and awareness to ensure it doesn't
happen.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield 5 minutes to my
friend and colleague from Washington State (Mr. Baird).
Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady, and I thank my
colleague from New York as well.
My colleague from New York did a very nice job of honoring our dear
friend Charlie Norwood who perished of this disease. My interest comes
from the fact that my father died of the disease, and I want to also
talk about Mike Castle who has been a strong supporter of this
legislation. Mike lost a sister and a brother to this disease.
What I would share with people is imagine getting a diagnosis for a
disease you may never have heard of, for which there is no known cause
and no known treatment, but it will be fatal. That's IPF, and as the
gentleman from New York pointed out, it is estimated that the deaths,
at least by some sources, that the deaths caused by IPF on an annual
basis exceed the number of breast cancer deaths in this country. But my
understanding is NIH currently allocates about $14 million total to
research on IPF.
So we have a disease that is growing in prevalence, that is fatal,
that we have no known cause and no known cure of, and it has claimed
the life of one of our dear colleagues here and the family members of
Members of the Congress. That's why we've introduced this resolution.
I want to commend families and friends from the Coalition for
Pulmonary Fibrosis who were here a couple of weeks ago on Capitol Hill
lobbying in support of this legislation. I'm pleased to see our
leadership bring this up.
We would hope that this is a first step. Our hope is that by
increasing the awareness of our colleagues here in Congress and of the
American public that we can not only increase awareness of the disease
but begin to work towards actual dedicated funding for this.
This is a cruel illness. Anyone who has seen a family member suffer
from it has seen the actually rather desperate effort to try to simply
breathe, and that's what happens when your lungs scar up and one goes
from a stage of diagnosis where you have a little shortness of breath.
Then you begin to need oxygen, to then you flat just cannot breathe and
you die of this thing. There are a host of other complications that
happen along the way that are not particularly pleasant, to say the
least.
So I want to urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I
would urge them to look forward to ways that we can actually do more to
actually identify the causes. There is believed to be some genetic
component. I know of one woman who has had five family members die of
the same illness. We don't know whether that is the cause of all cases.
We don't know how it's passed on.
But this is the kind of illness that is killing a number of our
friends, now one of our colleagues and many family members of Members
of Congress right here. So I urge my colleagues to support the
resolution.
I thank the gentleman from New York. I thank the gentlelady from
Wisconsin, and I particularly want to commend Nathan Deal who was one
of Charlie Norwood's closest friends. It's very personal for Nathan.
Obviously, it's personal for myself and Mike Castle. I would urge
passage, and I thank the gentlelady.
Mr. FOSSELLA. Madam Speaker, let me just in closing commend Mr. Baird
for his advocacy. I can only imagine what it meant to him and his
family in seeing the passing of his dad from this dreaded illness.
So in his honor and that of Mr. Castle, Mr. Norwood and especially
practically 40,000 fellow Americans, it's so important to solve the
problem, to acknowledge it exists, and become aware and educated on how
to solve it.
Let's not just acknowledge and become more aware, but give the
resources and funding and support those who ultimately want to find a
cure.
Madam Speaker, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, in closing, I think my colleagues have
most eloquently made the case for support of this resolution.
IPF is a debilitating disease and increased awareness will certainly
move us closer to finding the answers to the many unanswered questions
surrounding IPF.
Again, I commend my colleague Mr. Deal for his authorship and urge
passage of this resolution.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the remainder of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 182.
[[Page H11524]]
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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