[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23828-23829]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               NATIONAL HANSEN'S DISEASE PROGRAMS CENTER

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2441) to amend the Public Health Service Act to redesignate 
a facility as the National Hansen's Disease Programs Center, and for 
other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2441

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL HANSEN'S DISEASE PROGRAMS 
                   CENTER.

       (a) References in Public Health Service Act.--Section 
     320(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     247e(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``Gillis W. Long Hansen's 
     Disease Center'' and inserting ``National Hansen's Disease 
     Programs Center''.
       (b) Public Law 105-78.--References in section 211 of Public 
     Law 105-78, and in deeds, agreements, or other documents 
     under such section, to the Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease 
     Center shall be deemed to be references to the National 
     Hansen's Disease Programs Center.
       (c) Other References.--Any reference in a law, map, 
     regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United 
     States to the Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center shall be 
     deemed to be a reference to the National Hansen's Disease 
     Programs Center.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2441.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2441, changing the name of the 
Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center housing the National Hansen's 
Disease Program to The National Hansen's Disease Programs Center.
  This change is necessary to avoid further confusion in mail delivery 
between the former location of the NHDP and its current location. Mail 
is often misdirected, delaying important research and legal documents. 
Name confusion has also delayed critical patient medical information.
  NHDP continues to treat some 6,000 people in the United States with 
Hansen's disease. Receiving patient medical records is critical to that 
treatment. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  The National Hansen's Disease Programs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is 
the only institution in the U.S. exclusively devoted to the complex 
infectious disease known as Hansen's disease. Hansen's disease can 
cause nerve damage, resulting in the loss of muscle control and the 
crippling of the hands and feet.
  Fortunately, considerable progress has been made over the last 40 
years to treat successfully the majority of Hansen's disease cases. 
There are roughly 6,500 cases of this disease in the United States.
  In the 105th Congress, the National Hansen's Disease Programs, 
located in the Gillis Long Disease Center in Carville, Louisiana was 
relocated to Baton Rouge. Although the programs moved from Carville to 
Baton Rouge, they still bear the name Gillis Long Hansen's Disease 
Center. Likewise, the Louisiana National Guard in Carville is named the 
Gillis Long Center.
  As a result of these two facilities sharing a name, the National 
Hansen's Disease Program has suffered from unnecessary postal delays. 
This bill clears up confusion and reinforces the unique function of the 
Baton Rouge facility by renaming it the National Hansen's Disease 
Programs Center.
  H.R. 2441 is straightforward legislation. It is located in the State 
of the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Tauzin), and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Tauzin).
  Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, again my thanks to the chairman for yielding 
me this time.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 2441, sponsored by my friend and 
colleague, the gentleman from the great State of Louisiana (Mr. Baker).
  The National Hansen's Disease Programs has a long history of 
excellence, beginning with the humane treatment rather than detention 
of those with leprosy in the late 1800s, the development of the 
treatment for leprosy in the 1940s, and the current extension of 
research to tuberculosis and diabetes.

[[Page 23829]]

It has been an important part of Louisiana's great history and this 
Nation's great history. Countless lives were changed in what many 
called the ``Miracle of Carville.''
  In the 105th Congress, we passed a bill transferring ownership of the 
Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center in Carville, Louisiana from the 
Department of Health and Human Services to the State of Louisiana and 
moving it to Baton Rouge. The NHDP has continued its fine work in Baton 
Rouge instead of Carville, but the Carville facility has retained the 
name the Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center. As required by law, 
the new facility in Baton Rouge is also called the Gillis W. Long 
Hansen's Disease Center.
  You can imagine the confusion. The bill simply straightens out the 
confusion, to make sure the mail goes to the proper party, and changes 
the name of the NHDP to the National Hansen's Programs Center to 
eliminate that confusion. It has the support, by the way, of our good 
friend, former Congresswoman Long, who is Gillis' widow, and a dear 
friend of ours, and I urge the adoption of this resolution.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Baker), who is responsible for this legislation.
  Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time and wish to express my appreciation to both gentlemen for their 
courtesies in facilitating such prompt consideration of this important 
matter.
  For those not familiar with the fine institution in Louisiana, in 
Carville, known as the Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center, it is in 
fact a very historic facility which has provided immeasurable service 
to many people throughout its longstanding history.
  It is important that the Congress favorably act on this important 
name change today, for a very simple but important administrative 
reason. The National Hansen's Disease Programs have been relocated from 
the Carville facility to a new institution at the Summit Hospital 
within Baton Rouge. However, under the current regulatory provisions, 
that secondary site must also be designated as the Gillis W. Long 
Center, therein creating problems for the patients of the new Hansen's 
Disease Programs in Baton Rouge.
  Even simple matters such as delivery of mail now is necessitated to 
go through the Carville Academy site, as opposed to going directly to 
the National Hansen's Disease Center Programs.

                              {time}  1600

  This name change facilitates that. However, it in no way diminishes 
the importance of the Gillis W. Long Center, where there has been an 
extraordinary change over the past several years in the scope and 
direction of that valuable property.
  For well over 100 years, it was the target for treatment and research 
for Hansen's disease. But in an act passed by this Congress a few years 
ago, ownership of the facility was transferred to the State of 
Louisiana and a youth at-risk education program has been created there. 
In this brief time since the program's initiation, the Youth Challenge 
Program has seen 3,582 students graduate from this new programmatic 
activity. What is remarkable is the likelihood of these individuals 
completing their high school education was seriously in question.
  After exposure to this fine program, 3,500 students have successfully 
completed the educational curricula. Twenty-four percent of our 
graduates have gone on to engage in military service, while another 50 
percent have been employed or are in some job training program, while 
the remaining 20 percent have gone on to higher education pursuits. 
Some 13 percent have gone on to college.
  It is a remarkable program which carries on in the random tradition 
of Congressman Gillis Long, a tireless servant of the American public, 
and his spouse, a former Member as well, Cathy Long, who is well aware 
of this name change.
  This programmatic activity is in the highest of American principles. 
We give nothing away except a chance; and young people from across our 
great State who are unlikely to be successful in any other endeavor, 
come here to find renewed hope and opportunity through discipline, 
education, and job training. It, in fact, is carrying on the mission of 
the Sisters of Charity who served countless numbers of hopeless social 
outcasts for many years at the Hansen's Disease Center. They too have 
signed on to the program at Carville Academy, seeing the hope and 
vision that this opportunity creates for the innumerable graduates of 
this fine program.
  To both chairmen, I ask that the House do concur in this 
recommendation.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2441.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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