[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4514-4515]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  H.R. 961, THE OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH AND INFORMATION AMENDMENTS OF 
                                  1999

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce that I 
have recently introduced H.R. 961, the Ovarian Cancer Research and 
Information Amendments of 1999,

[[Page 4515]]

and would like to invite my colleagues to join me in support of this 
bill.
  H.R. 961 builds upon the Ovarian Cancer Research and Information 
Amendments of 1997, H.R. 953 which had 85 cosponsors in the 105th 
Congress.
  The Ovarian Cancer Research and Information Amendments of 1999 has 
three components. First, it authorizes $150 million of ovarian cancer 
research. One half to be spent on basic cancer research and one half on 
clinical trials and treatment.
  Of this research, the bill requires that priority be given to: 
developing a test for the early detection of ovarian cancer; research 
to identify precursor lesions and research to determine the manner in 
which benign conditions progress to malignant status; research to 
determine the relationship between ovarian cancer and endometriosis; 
and requires that appropriate counseling, including on the issue of 
genetic basis, be provided to women who participate as subjects in 
research.
  Second, the bill provides for a comprehensive information program to 
provide the patients and the public information regarding screening 
procedures; information on the genetic basis to ovarian cancer; any 
known factors which increase risk of getting ovarian cancer; and any 
new treatments for ovarian cancer.
  Finally, it requires that the National Cancer Advisory Board include 
one or more individuals who are at high risk for developing ovarian 
cancer.
  Unlike the bill from the previous Congress, H.R. 961 does not contain 
the section authorizing a Specialized Program of Research Excellence 
(SPORE) for Ovarian Cancer. Although this was a major component of the 
previous bill, I am pleased to report that the Scientific Advisory 
Board at the National Cancer Institute approved a SPORE for Ovarian 
Cancer last year and funding for it should be released this summer.
  I would like to commend the National Cancer Research Institute for 
their efforts on this particular subject.
  I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this bill and help to give women 
a fighting chance against ovarian cancer.


H.R. 473--PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS FOR CROP DISEASES AND VIRUSES

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced H.R. 473, to 
ensure that farmers who suffer crop losses due to plant viruses and 
plant diseases are eligible for crop insurance and noninsured crop 
assistance programs and that agricultural producers who suffer such 
losses are eligible for emergency loans.
  Pandemics of plant viruses and diseases regularly destroy the crops 
of entire farms and often the crops of entire geographic areas. A 
single plant virus or disease outbreak can send farms into bankruptcy 
and farmers are left without any means of recovering. Agriculture 
producers can qualify for emergency loans when adverse weather 
conditions and other natural phenomena have caused severe physical crop 
property damage or production losses, however, under current law, crop 
viruses and diseases are not considered ``natural disasters'' and thus 
are not eligible for these types of loans.
  For example, in Hawaii, the State recently ordered the eradication of 
all banana plants on the entire island of Kauai and in a 10 square-mile 
area on the Big Island in an effort to eradicate the banana ``bunchy 
top'' virus. A court order required compliance of all who did not 
cooperate and farmers were ordered to destroy their entire farm and 
livelihood without any compensation. These farmers do not qualify for 
emergency loans or disaster assistance and many were left with no other 
option but to sell their farms.
  The survival of our Nation's farmers is largely dependent upon the 
unpredictable temper of mother nature. We provide our farmers with 
assistance when adversely affected by severe weather but that is not 
enough. Emergency loans and disaster assistance must be made available 
to farmers for crops suffering from calamitous plant viruses and 
diseases.
  H.R. 473 would enable farmers to qualify for crop insurance programs, 
noninsured assistance programs, and low-interest emergency loans, when 
devastated by crop losses due to plant viruses and diseases.
  I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this worthy legislation and I 
urge immediate consideration of H.R. 473 in the House.

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