[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 26, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7124-H7126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              GABRIELLA MILLER KIDS FIRST RESEARCH ACT 2.0

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 623) to require certain civil penalties to be transferred to 
a fund through which amounts are made available for the Gabriella 
Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program at the National Institutes 
of Health, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 623

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Gabriella Miller Kids First 
     Research Act 2.0''.

     SEC. 2. FUNDING FOR THE PEDIATRIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

       The Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is 
     amended--
       (1) in section 402A(a)(2) (42 U.S.C. 282a(a)(2))--
       (A) in the heading--
       (i) by striking ``10-year''; and
       (ii) by striking ``through common fund'';
       (B) by striking ``to the Common Fund'' and inserting ``to 
     the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic 
     Initiatives'';
       (C) by striking ``10-Year'';
       (D) by striking ``and reserved under subsection 
     (c)(1)(B)(i) of this section''; and
       (E) by inserting before the period the following: ``, and 
     $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027'';
       (2) in each of paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(C) of section 
     402A(c) (42 U.S.C. 282a(c)), by striking ``section 
     402(b)(7)(B)'' and inserting ``section 402(b)(7)(B)(i)''; and
       (3) in section 402(b)(7)(B)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 
     282(b)(7)(B)(ii)), by striking ``the Common Fund'' and 
     inserting ``the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, 
     and Strategic Initiatives''.

     SEC. 3. COORDINATION OF NIH FUNDING FOR PEDIATRIC RESEARCH.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress 
     that the Director of the National Institutes of Health should 
     continue to oversee and coordinate research that is conducted 
     or supported by the National Institutes of Health for 
     research on pediatric cancer and other pediatric diseases and 
     conditions, including through the Pediatric Research 
     Initiative Fund.
       (b) Avoiding Duplication.--Section 402(b)(7)(B)(ii) of the 
     Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282(b)(7)(B)(ii)) is 
     amended by inserting ``and shall prioritize, as appropriate, 
     such pediatric research that does not duplicate existing 
     research activities of the National Institutes of Health'' 
     before ``; and''.

     SEC. 4. REPORT ON PROGRESS AND INVESTMENTS IN PEDIATRIC 
                   RESEARCH.

       Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
     submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
     that--
       (1) details pediatric research projects and initiatives 
     receiving funds allocated pursuant to section 
     402(b)(7)(B)(ii) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     282(b)(7)(B)(ii)); and

[[Page H7125]]

       (2) summarizes advancements made in pediatric research with 
     funds allocated pursuant to section 402(b)(7)(B)(ii) of the 
     Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282(b)(7)(B)(ii)).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 623.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 623, the Gabriella Miller Kids 
First Research Act 2.0.
  We are considering this bill in the memory of Gabriella Miller, who 
was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and sadly passed at the 
age of 10 in 2013.
  Mr. Speaker, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in American 
children, but only 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute's budget 
is dedicated to pediatric cancer research.
  The Kids First program was first established at the National 
Institutes of Health in 2014 after Congress passed the original 
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research bill. The goal of this program is 
to enhance collaborative research on childhood cancer and structural 
birth defects, including the development of a large-scale database of 
clinical and genetic data to discover shared genetic pathways between 
the disorders.
  Since its creation, the Kids First program has recruited over 40 
pediatric cancer and structural birth defect cohorts for whole genome 
sequencing, representing 20,000 pediatric patients and 48,000 genomes. 
The database developed and maintained by the Kids First program has 
become a critical tool for pediatric cancer researchers and 
practitioners across the country.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us reauthorizes and transfers the Kids 
First program from the NIH Common Fund to the Division of Program 
Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which will give the 
program more stability and allow for appropriate planning. The 
legislation also increases the funding authorization to $25 million 
annually for 5 years.
  I thank Representative Wexton for her leadership on this issue and 
Ranking Members Rodgers and Guthrie for working with us on this 
important bill.
  Finally, I thank Ellyn and Mark Miller for their relentless advocacy 
in honor of their daughter. The Kids First program may lead to the next 
big medical breakthrough for some of the rarest cancers, and those 
breakthroughs simply would not be possible without their longtime 
commitment to this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for 
H.R. 623, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0.
  This bill, which is supported by a large bipartisan group of 
cosponsors, including my Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues 
Bilirakis, Mullin, and McKinley, would reauthorize the Gabriella Miller 
Kids First Pediatric Cancer Research Initiative at the National 
Institutes of Health.
  Cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease among 
children. According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 
10,500 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed among children from birth 
to 14 years, and over 1,000 children are expected to die from the 
disease.
  Children are not just little adults, and childhood cancer is not 
always treated like adult cancers. That is why it remains important to 
continue to support a robust pediatric oncology portfolio at the 
National Institutes of Health.
  This legislation further prioritizes pediatric research and 
complements existing research activities of the National Institutes of 
Health.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this reauthorization honoring 
the courage and life of Gabriella Miller, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on 
this legislation.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Wexton), the sponsor of the bill.
  Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, transformative 
legislation that would vastly increase funding for lifesaving research 
of treatments and cures for childhood cancer and rare diseases.
  This legislation would reauthorize the Gabriella Miller Kids First 
Pediatric Research program, which is set to expire next year, for an 
additional 5 years and increase funding to $25 million annually, which 
is nearly double the current amount. I am proud that this bill has 
broad bipartisan support, with over 110 cosponsors. It also passed 
through committee unanimously.
  I am proud to carry this legislation in honor of Gabriella, who is 
from Virginia's 10th Congressional District. Gabriella was diagnosed 
with an inoperable brain tumor and passed away in 2013 at age 10.
  She was a fierce fighter not only in her own battle with cancer but 
as an advocate on behalf of the millions of other children who have 
suffered from this terrible disease. In the months following her 
terminal diagnosis, Gabriella became a national force for change, 
urging Congress to ``stop talking, start doing'' and increase funding 
to discover better treatments and cures.
  Her heroic efforts delivered a successful push to pass the Gabriella 
Miller Kids First Research Act in 2014, bipartisan legislation named in 
her honor. Gabriella's family joined sponsor Representative Eric Cantor 
of Virginia and President Barack Obama in the Oval Office for the bill 
signing.
  The Kids First program has done remarkable work these past few years, 
sequencing more than 20,000 samples from childhood cancer and 
structural birth defect cohorts and starting the Gabriella Miller Kids 
First Data Resource Center, a comprehensive data resource for research 
and patient communities meant to advance discoveries.

  It has been almost 9 years since we lost Gabriella, and there is 
still a long fight ahead to better understand, treat, and ultimately 
cure childhood cancer.
  Tragically, cancer is the number one cause of disease-related death 
in children aged 14 and younger. This year alone, it is estimated that 
over 10,000 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 will be diagnosed 
with cancer. Yet, despite these staggering statistics, the tools we 
have to treat these diseases are woefully inadequate.
  Many of the treatments available today for kids battling cancer 
haven't seen significant advances in decades. In fact, Gabriella Miller 
died from the same brain cancer that Neil Armstrong's daughter died 
from in 1962. Fifty years later, she was receiving the same kind of 
treatment. That is outrageous. We are failing our kids, and we can, and 
we must do better.
  My bipartisan Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 nearly 
doubles funding for the Kids First program. With this major boost in 
Federal funding, we will unlock the full potential of Kids First and 
enable the hardworking doctors, scientists, and researchers to step up 
their work to find ways we can help these children suffering from 
cancer and rare diseases.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a lifesaving bill. For the Millers, who are here 
in the Capitol watching us advance this bill today, and the millions of 
American families who have had to go through the torment of hearing a 
doctor deliver a cancer diagnosis for their child, I urge all of my 
colleagues to heed Gabriella's call to ``stop talking, start doing'' 
and pass this bipartisan bill.
  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 623, the Gabriella Miller Kids 
First Research Act 2.0. As many people know, I try to be fairly 
conservative when it comes to spending Federal dollars or authorizing 
Federal dollars to be spent. But, Mr. Speaker, if we are going to spend 
money at the Federal level on all kinds of things, near the top of that 
list ought to be research for cures for cancer. And even higher on that 
list should be research for children who

[[Page H7126]]

have cancer and for diseases that affect specifically the young people 
of this Nation.
  I don't think that anyone is going to oppose this. I am sure that I 
will be proven wrong in a floor vote later. But for me, this one 
reaches the bar that we ought to have unanimous or near unanimous 
support on the floor, as we did in the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, again, I think this is a very important 
bill, and I thank Representative Wexton for her leadership on this 
issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that Members on both sides of the aisle support 
the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 623, the 
``Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0.'' As Chairwoman of the 
House Health Subcommittee, I'm proud to have advanced this bipartisan 
bill and I'm pleased to support it on the Floor today.
  Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 reauthorizes the 
Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program and nearly 
doubles critical funding for pediatric cancer research to $25 million 
each year for the next five years.
  Pediatric cancer is the number one disease killer for children in the 
U.S., claiming roughly 1,800 lives every year. Children with certain 
birth defects have an increased risk of pediatric cancer, yet the 
genetic relationship between these conditions is still poorly 
understood.
  First launched in 2014, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric 
Research Program connects the dots between birth defects and childhood 
cancers, with the hope of fostering data-driven solutions for 
personalized treatments. This program is named in honor of Gabriella 
Miller, a fierce advocate for childhood cancer research who died of 
brain cancer at the young age of 10. Ellyn Miller, Gabriella's mother, 
when testifying at my Subcommittee last year, said that Gabriella told 
her that she wanted elected officials to ``stop talking and start 
doing.''
  I urge my colleagues to stop talking and start doing by passing this 
important bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 623, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CLYDE. Mr. 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, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________