[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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