[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 25256-25257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS AND PREVENTION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, today I have introduced the 
Influenza Preparedness and Prevention Act, authorizing legislation that 
takes urgently needed steps towards preparing our Nation for the threat 
of pandemic flu. As an appropriator, I have rarely introduced 
authorizing legislation. It is something I have only

[[Page 25257]]

done a handful of times in my career in the House, but I firmly believe 
this looming catastrophe calls for action.
  In 1918, the Spanish flu killed 40 million people worldwide, and more 
died from the flu than through combat during World War I. Experts warn 
us that we are overdue for another pandemic flu outbreak. Although this 
avian flu virus has not yet transferred from human to human, it looks 
and acts like the virus of 1918, more so than any other influenza 
outbreak in this century. Of the more than 100 people known to have 
contracted the virus in Asia, 50 percent have died.
  If a pandemic flu hits our shores, all levels of government must work 
together if we are to avoid thousands of deaths. We in Congress must 
make sure the infrastructure and resources are in place to prepare for 
and combat a pandemic flu crisis.
  The President has issued a call for action by a National Strategy on 
Pandemic Influenza. The key components of this strategy are 
international surveillance, domestic surveillance, vaccine development, 
stockpiling antivirals, communication, and State and local 
preparedness.
  The legislation I have introduced today, the Influenza Preparedness 
and Prevention Act, supports and complements the administration's 
strategy. Most importantly, it sets us on a course to quickly develop 
and purchase vaccines and antivirals. For example, my bill calls for 
Health and Human Services to stockpile enough antivirals to treat 25 
percent of the U.S. population. As the President has made clear, 
though, stockpiling is only a part of the strategy to combat a 
pandemic.
  Vaccines are the ultimate defense against a pandemic. A vaccine 
developed by NIH shows early signs of promise for preventing the most 
dangerous strain of avian flu. My legislation calls on the Secretary of 
HHS to begin to stockpile doses of a viable vaccine. It also supports 
the continuing development by NIH of an effective vaccine and new 
technologies that will make it faster and easier to produce.
  Madam Speaker, we do not have the vaccine manufacturing capacity in 
the United States to produce the doses we need to combat a pandemic. 
The number one barrier is more vaccine production, and to that 
production is the threat of lawsuits. We must have sensible liability 
reform as we search for a vaccine and build manufacturing capacity. My 
bill proposes limited liability protections for vaccine manufacturers 
and providers, with an exception to allow suits to proceed against 
companies who act with willful misconduct.
  Education and communication are vital to prepare for a pandemic. The 
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention does fabulous work in public 
health education. My bill expands and supports their efforts to work 
with health providers and State and local health departments in this 
effort.
  It is critical that we educate the public on both pandemic influenza 
and the garden variety flu we see every year. The more people become 
used to taking the annual flu vaccine, the easier it will be to get 
them in quickly for vaccinations in a pandemic. And the more business 
we provide for vaccine makers, the better our chances they will be 
ready to gear up for the kind of production that we will need to stop a 
new strain from reaching pandemic levels.
  Of course, the way to stop the avian flu outbreak from becoming a 
pandemic is spotting it and containing it as soon as possible. The CDS 
is working across the globe to detect and identify the avian flu virus 
and is working with foreign health officials on strategies to prevent 
outbreaks. This bill will expand this critical program and create an 
assistance program for helping nations to combat avian flu.
  The pandemic may never happen, but we cannot put American lives at 
risk by failing to prepare and make proper investments. This 
legislation is just the beginning of the commitment that I will make to 
head off this potential pandemic. As chairman of the Appropriations 
Committee, I vow we will respond to the administration's emergency 
supplemental request, and the pipelines will be filled to meet this 
challenge.

                          ____________________