[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 37 (Thursday, March 2, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SMASH VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES

  (Mr. SOTO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to help 
smash Zika and other vector-borne diseases.
  It is my privilege to reintroduce the bipartisan Strengthening 
Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act, or SMASH Act. H.R. 1310 
has over 14 cosponsors already, both Democrats and Republicans, coming 
together to tackle this great challenge.
  As we saw last year, in Florida, Puerto Rico, across Latin America, 
and beyond, mosquito-borne diseases are constantly evolving and can 
quickly have new and devastating consequences. We thought we knew Zika, 
but then it changed. So we have to stay a step ahead.
  That is what the SMASH Act does. It keeps us ahead of perennial 
threats like Zika, West Nile, and other diseases by expanding programs 
for mosquito-borne and vector-borne disease surveillance and control.
  Investing and fighting all these diseases together will protect the 
health of countless Americans and save us money down the road.
  The scientists and public health experts at the Centers for Disease 
Control in my home State know the tools they need. Colleagues, let's 
get together and give it to them.

                          ____________________