[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16950-16951]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       NEGLECTED INFECTIONS OF IMPOVERISHED AMERICANS ACT OF 2010

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5986) to require the submission of a report to the Congress 
on parasitic disease among poor Americans.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5986

       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 ``Neglected Infections of 
     Impoverished Americans Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON THE CURRENT STATE OF PARASITIC 
                   DISEASES THAT HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED AMONG THE 
                   POOREST AMERICANS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services shall report to the Congress on the epidemiology of, 
     impact of, and appropriate funding required to address 
     neglected diseases of poverty, including neglected parasitic 
     diseases such as--
       (1) Chagas disease;
       (2) cysticercosis;
       (3) toxocariasis;
       (4) toxoplasmosis;
       (5) trichomoniasis;
       (6) the soil-transmitted helminths; and
       (7) other related diseases, as designated by the Secretary.
       (b) Required Information.--The report under subsection (a) 
     should provide the information necessary to guide future 
     health policy to--
       (1) accurately evaluate the current state of knowledge 
     concerning diseases described in such subsection and define 
     gaps in such knowledge; and
       (2) address the threat of such diseases.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) 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 in the Record.
  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 rise today in strong support of H.R. 
5986, the Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2010. 
This bill

[[Page 16951]]

requires a report that will help CDC and Congress to determine the best 
and most effective next steps for addressing neglected infections of 
poverty in the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 5986, the Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 
2010, would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue 
a report on neglected diseases of poverty, including parasitic 
diseases. Researchers have suggested that poor citizens are affected by 
infections, including those caused by parasites. Under the bill, the 
Health and Human Services Department must conduct a study within 12 
months on the epidemiology and impact of neglected parasitic infections 
associated with poverty. The report would provide the information to 
guide future health policy so we can accurately evaluate the current 
state of knowledge concerning such diseases and define gaps in the 
knowledge so that we can properly address the threat of such illnesses. 
It's a worthwhile endeavor. It's been significantly modified by the 
committee process, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my 
bill H.R. 5986, the Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act 
of 2010. This bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to report to Congress on the epidemiology of, impact of, and 
appropriate funding required to address neglected diseases of poverty, 
including neglected parasitic diseases such as Chagas disease, 
cysticercosis, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, the soil-
transmitted helminths, and other related diseases. The bill requires 
the report to provide the information necessary to guide future health 
policy to accurately evaluate the current state of knowledge concerning 
these diseases and define gaps in such knowledge and address the threat 
of these diseases.
  Mr. Speaker, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), neglected infections of poverty are a group of 
parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections that disproportionately 
affect impoverished groups, cause illness in a significant number of 
people, and receive limited attention in tracking, prevention, and 
treatment. A CDC fact sheet on Neglected Infections of Poverty states 
that improved tracking and research would help combat these diseases.
  Neglected infections of poverty are associated with communities with 
contaminated playgrounds or other public spaces and lack of access to 
the health care system. This bill will help public health officials 
understand where these illnesses are and how many Americans are 
infected so that we can begin to deal with the negative health outcomes 
associated with these infections.
  I support our efforts to fight neglected infections abroad and it is 
time that we begin to fight these infections here at home.
  This bill has bipartisan support because we can all agree that better 
information is necessary to understand the threat of these diseases and 
guide future health policy.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H.R. 5986, the Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 
2010.
  H.R. 5986 would require HHS to submit a report to Congress on the 
current state of parasitic diseases that have been overlooked among the 
poorest Americans.
  A 2008 study by the George Washington University and Sabin Vaccine 
Institute identified high prevalence rates of parasitic infections in 
the poorest areas of the United States and along our border regions.
  Scientists estimate that there may be up to 100 million infections of 
the neglected diseases identified in our legislation including Chagas 
Disease, Cysticercosis, Toxocariasis, Toxoplasmosis, and Trichomoniasis 
and other neglected diseases of poverty in the United States.
  These diseases and other neglected diseases of poverty collectively 
infect up to 1.7 billion people around the world, but they 
disproportionately affect minority and impoverished populations across 
the United States, producing effects ranging from asymptomatic 
infection to asthma-like symptoms, seizures, and death.
  This study is especially important because these neglected diseases 
receive less financial support than they deserve. A mere $231,730 of 
research funding was allocated by NIH since 1995.
  This discrepancy in funding is known as the ``10/90 gap''; a mere 10 
percent of global health research funding is directed towards diseases 
affecting 90 percent of the global population.
  The Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2010 would 
provide an up-to-date evaluation of the current dearth of knowledge 
regarding the epidemiology of these diseases and the socioeconomic, 
health and development impact they have on our society.
  I'd like to thank Rep. Hank Johnson and Rep. Gingrey for their 
efforts on this legislation. This will mark the second time we've 
passed this legislation out of the House and I'm hopeful we can swiftly 
move it through the Senate.
  I'd also like to thank Chairman Waxman, Chairman Pallone, and Ranking 
Member Barton for their efforts on this bipartisan legislation.
  Mr. BURGESS. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  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. 5986.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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