[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18421-18435]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                GABRIELLA MILLER KIDS FIRST RESEARCH ACT

  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2019) to eliminate taxpayer financing of presidential campaigns 
and party conventions and reprogram savings to provide for a 10-year 
pediatric research initiative through the Common Fund administered by 
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. 2019

       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''.

     SEC. 2. TERMINATION OF TAXPAYER FINANCING OF POLITICAL PARTY 
                   CONVENTIONS; USE OF FUNDS FOR PEDIATRIC 
                   RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

       (a) Termination of Payments for Conventions; Use of Funds 
     for Pediatric Research.--Section 9008 of the Internal Revenue 
     Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following 
     new subsection:
       ``(i) Termination of Payments for Conventions; Use of 
     Amounts for Pediatric Research Initiative.--Effective on the 
     date of the enactment of the Gabriella Miller Kids First 
     Research Act--
       ``(1) the entitlement of any major party or minor party to 
     a payment under this section shall terminate; and
       ``(2) all amounts in each account maintained for the 
     national committee of a major party or minor party under this 
     section shall be transferred to a fund in the Treasury to be 
     known as the `10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund', 
     which shall be available only for the purpose provided in 
     section 402A(a)(2) of the Public Health Service Act, and only 
     to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance 
     in appropriation Acts.''.
       (b) Continuation of Priority of Payments From Accounts Over 
     Payments to Candidates.--
       (1) Availability of payments to candidates.--The third 
     sentence of section 9006(c) of such Code is amended by 
     striking ``section 9008(b)(3),'' and inserting ``section 
     9008(i)(2),''.
       (2) Availability of payments from presidential primary 
     matching payment account.--The second sentence of section 
     9037(a) of such Code is amended by striking ``section 
     9008(b)(3)'' and inserting ``section 9008(i)(2)''.
       (c) Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Elimination of reports by federal election 
     commission.--Section 9009(a) of such Code is amended--
       (A) by adding ``and'' at the end of paragraph (2);
       (B) by striking the semicolon at the end of paragraph (3) 
     and inserting a period; and
       (C) by striking paragraphs (4), (5), and (6).
       (2) Elimination of penalties.--Section 9012 of such Code is 
     amended--
       (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking the second sentence;
       (B) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (2) and 
     redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (2);
       (C) in subsection (e)(1), by striking the second sentence; 
     and
       (D) in subsection (e)(3), by striking ``, or in connection 
     with any expense incurred by the national committee of a 
     major party or minor party with respect to a presidential 
     nominating convention''.

     SEC. 3. 10-YEAR PEDIATRIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

       (a) Allocation of NIH Funds in Common Fund for Pediatric 
     Research.--Paragraph (7) of section 402(b) of the Public 
     Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282(b)) is amended to read as 
     follows:
       ``(7)(A) shall, through the Division of Program 
     Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives--
       ``(i) identify research that represents important areas of 
     emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health 
     challenges, or knowledge gaps that deserve special emphasis 
     and would benefit from conducting or supporting additional 
     research that involves collaboration between 2 or more 
     national research institutes or national centers, or would 
     otherwise benefit from strategic coordination and planning;
       ``(ii) include information on such research in reports 
     under section 403; and
       ``(iii) in the case of such research supported with funds 
     referred to in subparagraph (B)--
       ``(I) require as appropriate that proposals include 
     milestones and goals for the research;
       ``(II) require that the proposals include timeframes for 
     funding of the research; and
       ``(III) ensure appropriate consideration of proposals for 
     which the principal investigator is an individual who has not 
     previously served as the principal investigator of research 
     conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health;
       ``(B)(i) may, with respect to funds reserved under section 
     402A(c)(1) for the Common Fund, allocate such funds to the 
     national research institutes and national centers for 
     conducting and supporting research that is identified under 
     subparagraph (A); and
       ``(ii) shall, with respect to funds appropriated to the 
     Common Fund pursuant to section 402A(a)(2), allocate such 
     funds to the national research institutes and national 
     centers for making grants for pediatric research that is 
     identified under subparagraph (A); and
       ``(C) may assign additional functions to the Division in 
     support of responsibilities identified in subparagraph (A), 
     as determined appropriate by the Director;''.
       (b) Funding for 10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative.--
     Section 402A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     282a) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as 
     subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively, and moving the 
     indentation of each such subparagraph 2 ems to the right;
       (B) by striking ``For purposes of carrying out this title'' 
     and inserting the following:
       ``(1) This title.--For purposes of carrying out this 
     title''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) Funding for 10-year pediatric research initiative 
     through common fund.--For the purpose of carrying out section 
     402(b)(7)(B)(ii), there is authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Common Fund, out of the 10-Year Pediatric Research 
     Initiative Fund described in section 9008 of the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986, and in addition to amounts otherwise 
     made available under paragraph (1) of this subsection and 
     reserved under subsection (c)(1)(B)(i) of this section, 
     $12,600,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023.''; 
     and
       (2) in subsections (c)(1)(B), (c)(1)(D), and (d), by 
     striking ``subsection (a)'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``subsection (a)(1)''.
       (c) Supplement, Not Supplant; Prohibition Against 
     Transfer.--Funds appropriated pursuant to section 402A(a)(2) 
     of the Public Health Service Act, as added by subsection 
     (b)--
       (1) shall be used to supplement, not supplant, the funds 
     otherwise allocated by the National Institutes of Health for 
     pediatric research; and
       (2) notwithstanding any transfer authority in any 
     appropriation Act, shall not be used for any purpose other 
     than allocating funds for making grants as described in 
     section 402(b)(7)(B)(ii) of the Public Health Service Act, as 
     added by subsection (a).

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert 
extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?

[[Page 18422]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Gabriella Miller Kids 
First Research Act of 2013. H.R. 2019, authored by my colleague, Gregg 
Harper, is a bill that will help countless kids and families across the 
country.
  The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act would prioritize funding 
for the research of pediatric diseases and disorders such as cancer, 
autism, and Fragile X. It would eliminate taxpayer financings of party 
conventions, political money, and use these funds instead to expand 
pediatric research at the NIH Common Fund through their common fund. 
This bill certainly does put kids first.
  You know, Gabriella Miller was a little warrior in the battle against 
childhood cancer. At only 10 years of age, she had the courage miles 
beyond her years. A frying pan and a walnut is all you need to 
understand her brave outlook on life.
  When she was diagnosed with brain cancer, she was told that the size 
of that tumor was about like a walnut; and from then on, Gabriella 
traveled with her trusty frying pan squashing countless walnuts along 
the way all over the world.
  That is the kind of courage and outlook on life that she had. 
Advancing health research for millions of young patients who suffer 
from rare and genetic diseases has got to be a priority. While we have 
made great strides in the country in finding cures and treatments, we 
certainly have a great amount of work to do. Included in the work is 
pushing for research that is going to help uncover cures for pediatric 
diseases.
  In order for clinical trials and other advancements to meet their 
full potential, adequate resources have got to be directed for 
pediatric research. The legislation is an example of how much can be 
accomplished by ending wasteful spending and redirecting those funds 
towards national priorities like pediatric research.
  This effort is going to help families like the Kennedys in Mattawan, 
Michigan, my constituents. Eric and Sarah have two wonderful little 
girls, Brooke and Brielle, who have the rare disease called spinal 
muscular atrophy. Those two little angels, who are fighting SMA with 
the same vigor and sunny outlook exhibited by Gabriella, are decorated 
little generals in the effort to boost research for rare diseases and 
serve as inspiration for every one of us.
  The sad reality is that it is often difficult to conduct research 
into rare diseases due to the small number of individuals with those 
diseases; but we are working to change that--yes, we are--and provide 
families with greater hope for a cure and in advances of treatment.
  This bill has over 150 cosponsors and is supported by a long list of 
patient advocacy groups including Autism Speaks, Juvenile Diabetes 
Research Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and FightSMA.
  I wholeheartedly agree with the bill's Democrat sponsor, Peter Welch 
from Vermont, who recently said last night on CNN:

       Can we just put the battle axes down for a while and take a 
     step forward?

  He thinks we can. We need to.
  With all of us today with so many diseases, we need to pass this 
bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                                 Angelman Syndrome Foundation,

                                         Aurora, IL, July 5, 2013.
     Hon. Eric Cantor,
     Majority Leader, House of Representatives, United States 
         Capitol, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Leader Cantor and Congressman Harper: On behalf of the 
     Angelman Syndrome Foundation, ASF, I write in strong support 
     for H.R. 2019, the Kids First Research Act. This important 
     legislation will expand pediatric medical research activities 
     at the National Institutes of Health, NIH, by approximately 
     $130 million. Pediatric research should be a national 
     priority, and ASF applauds Congressman Harper for his 
     leadership on this issue. This legislation has the potential 
     to develop treatments and unlock the cure for thousands of 
     impacted children, including those with Angelman Syndrome.
       Angelman syndrome is a single-gene neurodevelopmental 
     disorder that is related to autism. Continued research for 
     pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Angelman 
     syndrome, will lead to effective treatments that will help 
     combat the autism epidemic in the U.S. The Angelman Syndrome 
     Foundation's mission is to advance the awareness and 
     treatment of Angelman syndrome through education and 
     information, research, and support for individuals with 
     Angelman syndrome, their families and other concerned 
     parties. We exist to give all of them a reason to smile, with 
     the ultimate goal of finding a cure.
       On behalf of ASF, thank you again for your leadership and 
     for supporting the Kids First Research Act.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Eileen Braun,
     Executive Director.
                                  ____



                                          ASCO, July 10, 2013.

     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Harper: On behalf of the American 
     Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), thank you for the 
     introduction of The Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 
     2019). In this difficult budget environment, we are pleased 
     to see any amount of available funds transferred to vital 
     medical research and offer our endorsement of the 
     legislation. We commend this bipartisan effort in 
     acknowledging that medical research should be a priority for 
     federal spending.
       ASCO is the national organization representing more than 
     30,000 physicians and other health care professionals 
     specializing in the treatment and research of both pediatric 
     and adult cancers. Through its support of research leading to 
     breakthrough improvements in cancer treatment, the NIH 
     consistently provides a dramatic return on investment, both 
     in the form of lives saved and economic growth. Our members 
     witness first hand on a daily basis the high risk, high 
     reward research that begins with NIH funding and results in 
     safer, more effective treatment options for cancer patients.
       Given its track record of unmatched successes, we are truly 
     alarmed by the impact of recent budget cuts to the NIH and 
     the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Budget stagnation in the 
     last few fiscal years now compounded by cuts due to 
     sequestration has led to the lowest number of new grants 
     being funded at NIH since 1998. This is a devastating blow to 
     the pace of medical research progress especially since it is 
     occurring at a time of unprecedented basic and clinical 
     science discoveries that point to rapid progress against many 
     cancers. It has put life-saving discoveries on hold, stalled 
     the careers of the young medical scientists who would be 
     developing cures, and slowed one of our nation's areas of 
     historical technology leadership that is also a key economic 
     driver. Given the human and economic costs of these cuts, 
     ASCO calls on Congress to repeal sequestration and return to 
     regular order in budget negotiations. It is urgent that we 
     prevent the $19 billion in sequestration cuts to the NIH 
     expected over the next ten years and return the NIH to a 
     priority position in federal budget negotiations.
       The Kids First Research Act is a great step in the right 
     direction to put the NIH back on a plan for reasonable growth 
     and can make a difference. Through NIH's time-tested peer 
     review process, this infusion of $130 million over the next 
     ten years will turn available dollars into new hope for the 
     health of America's children and all of our citizens. But it 
     is important to note that it will not compensate for the 
     larger cuts in this area of investment that have already 
     happened and are on track to worsen.
       ASCO stands ready to help in your efforts to support 
     medical research at the NIH. If you have any questions or 
     would like assistance from ASCO on any issue involving cancer 
     research, please do not hesitate to contact Amanda Schwartz 
     at Amanda
     .[email protected] or 571-483-1647.
           Sincerely,

                                  Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP,

                                       President, American Society
     of Clinical Oncology.
                                  ____

                                                 Bear Necessities,


                                  Pediatric Cancer Foundation,

                                        Chicago, IL, July 3, 2013.
     Re: Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019)

     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Harper: On behalf of the countless 
     children waging their courageous battle against pediatric 
     cancer, we strongly and respectfully urge you to support the 
     Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019).
       This measure will provide much needed additional federal 
     support to complement ongoing research supported by 
     substantial private funding from national non-profit 
     childhood cancer organizations, as well as by the National 
     Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute. Passage of 
     this bill will ensure that the investments of both public and 
     private resources reach their fullest potential by enabling a 
     critical mass of research and discovery required to culminate 
     into promising medical treatments that are ``safe

[[Page 18423]]

     and effective'' for many childhood diseases, including 
     childhood cancer.
       As you may know, one in every 330 children in the United 
     States develops cancer before the age of nineteen. The 
     incidence of cancer among children is increasing. Each school 
     day, enough children are diagnosed with cancer to empty two 
     classrooms. Depending on the type of cancer and the 
     development upon diagnosis, approximately 2,300 children will 
     die from cancer in any given year. The number of children 
     diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. each year puts more 
     potential years of life at risk than any single type of adult 
     cancer. Cancer remains the number one disease killer of 
     America's children.
       There are more than 360,000 childhood cancer survivors of 
     all ages in the United States. Unfortunately, 74% of 
     childhood cancer survivors have chronic illnesses, and some 
     40% of childhood cancer survivors have severe illnesses or 
     die from such illnesses. Survivors are at significant risk 
     for secondary cancers later in life. Current cancer 
     treatments can affect a child's growth, fertility, and 
     endocrine system. Child survivors may be permanently 
     immunologically suppressed. Radiation therapy to a child's 
     brain can significantly damage cognitive function, especially 
     if given at a very young age. While currently there is very 
     little in terms of ``safe and effective'' cures for any 
     particular type of childhood cancer, the underlying genetics 
     of the disease and recent research breakthroughs make such 
     treatments foreseeable.
       Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation thanks you for 
     sponsoring the Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019) 
     and we applaud your ongoing commitment to improving the lives 
     of thousands of children diagnosed with life-threatening 
     diseases and sparing families from the devastation that these 
     types of diagnoses cause. We look forward to working with you 
     to pass this important bill to help ensure a brighter future 
     for America's children.
           Sincerely,
                                                Kathleen A. Casey,
     CEO and Founder.
                                  ____

                                        March of Dimes Foundation,


                                 Office of Government Affairs,

                                    Washington, DC, July 17, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Tom Cole,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Peter Welch,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives Harper, Cole and Welch: On behalf of 
     the March of Dimes, a unique collaboration of over 3 million 
     volunteers affiliated with 51 chapters representing every 
     state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, I would like 
     to express our support for H.R. 2019, the Kids First Research 
     Act. This legislation would provide a welcome infusion of 
     resources directed to pediatric research at the National 
     Institutes of Health, NIH.
       Our nation must commit to a sustained investment in 
     pediatric research to build our future by improving the 
     health of the next generation of children. As one example, 
     over 500,000 infants are born preterm in the U.S. each year. 
     Among those who survive, one in five faces health problems 
     that persist for life such as cerebral palsy, intellectual 
     disabilities, chronic lung disease, and deafness. Research 
     breakthroughs that allow us to reduce the rates of preterm 
     birth would lead to significant declines in infant mortality 
     and save millions in healthcare and special education costs.
       The March of Dimes takes no position on H.R. 2019's 
     elimination of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, but 
     if this step is pursued, we strongly support directing the 
     resultant funds to pediatric research. In addition, we urge 
     Congress and the Administration to work together to find a 
     balanced approach to deficit reduction that ensures the 
     necessary resources are available to fund lifesaving research 
     across the federal health agencies.
       Thank you again for your leadership in introducing the Kids 
     First Research Act. We look forward to working with you to 
     make pediatric research a national priority.
           Sincerely,
                                            Dr. Jennifer L. Howse,
     President.
                                  ____

                                          Brooke's Blossoming Hope


                              for Childhood Cancer Foundation,

                                                December 10, 2013.
     Hon. Blake Farenthold,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Farenthold: As a medical research organization 
     working to accelerate the development of promising medical 
     discoveries or cures for cancers common to children, 
     adolescents, and young adults, we write to express our strong 
     support for your legislation, the Kids First Research Act of 
     2013 (H.R. 2019).
       This measure provides much needed additional federal 
     support to complement ongoing research supported by 
     substantial private funding from national non-profit 
     childhood cancer organizations, as well as by the National 
     Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute. Passage of 
     this bill will ensure that the investments of both public and 
     private resources reach their fullest potential by enabling a 
     critical mass of research and discovery required to culminate 
     into promising medical treatments that are ``safe and 
     effective'' for many childhood diseases, including childhood 
     cancer.
       As you know, one in every 330 children in the United States 
     develops cancer before the age of nineteen. The incidence of 
     cancer among children is increasing. Each school day, enough 
     children are diagnosed with cancer to empty two classrooms. 
     Depending on the type of cancer and the development upon 
     diagnosis, approximately 2,300 children will die from cancer 
     in any given year. The number of children diagnosed with 
     cancer in the U.S. each year puts more potential years of 
     life at risk than any single type of adult cancer. Cancer 
     remains the number one disease killer of America's children.
       There are more than 360,000 childhood cancer survivors of 
     all ages in the United States. Unfortunately, 74% of 
     childhood cancer survivors have chronic illnesses, and some 
     40% of childhood cancer survivors have severe illnesses or 
     die from such illnesses. Survivors are at significant risk 
     for secondary cancers later in life. Current cancer 
     treatments can affect a child's growth, fertility, and 
     endocrine system. Child survivors may be permanently 
     immunologically suppressed. Radiation therapy to a child's 
     brain can significantly damage cognitive function, especially 
     if given at a very young age. While currently there is very 
     little in terms of ``safe and effective'' cures for any 
     particular type of childhood cancer, the underlying genetics 
     of the disease and recent research breakthroughs make such 
     treatments foreseeable.
       Brooke's Blossoming Hope for Childhood Cancer Foundation 
     thanks you for sponsoring the Kids First Research Act of 2013 
     (H.R. 2019) and we applaud your ongoing commitment to 
     improving the lives of thousands of children diagnosed with 
     life-threatening diseases and sparing families from the 
     devastation that it causes. We look forward to working with 
     you to pass this important bill to help ensure a brighter 
     future for America's children.
           Sincerely,
                                         Jessica Hester, M.A. Ed.,
     Chief Executive Officer and Founder.
                                  ____



                                             Rally Foundation,

                             Sandy Springs, GA, December 10, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Harper: As a non-profit organization that exists 
     to fund childhood cancer research, the Rally Foundation for 
     Childhood Cancer Research, we write to express our strong 
     support for your legislation, the Kids First Research Act of 
     2013 (H.R. 2019).
       This measure provides much needed additional federal 
     support to complement ongoing research supported by 
     substantial private funding from national non-profit 
     childhood cancer organizations, as well as by the National 
     Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute. Passage of 
     this bill will ensure that the investments of both public and 
     private resources reach their fullest potential by enabling a 
     critical mass of research and discovery required to culminate 
     into promising medical treatments that are ``safe and 
     effective'' for many childhood diseases, including childhood 
     cancer.
       As you know, one in every 330 children in the United States 
     develops cancer before the age of nineteen. The incidence of 
     cancer among children is increasing. Each school day, enough 
     children are diagnosed with cancer to empty two classrooms. 
     Depending on the type of cancer and the development upon 
     diagnosis, approximately 2,300 children will die from cancer 
     in any given year. The number of children diagnosed with 
     cancer in the U.S. each year puts more potential years of 
     life at risk than any single type of adult cancer. Cancer 
     remains the number one disease killer of America's children.
       There are more than 360,000 childhood cancer survivors of 
     all ages in the United States. Unfortunately, 74 percent of 
     childhood cancer survivors have chronic illnesses, and some 
     40 percent of childhood cancer survivors have severe 
     illnesses or die from such illnesses. Survivors are at 
     significant risk for secondary cancers later in life. Current 
     cancer treatments can affect a child's growth, fertility, and 
     endocrine system. Child survivors may be permanently 
     immunologically suppressed. Radiation therapy to a child's 
     brain can significantly damage cognitive function, especially 
     if given at a very young age. While currently there is very 
     little in terms of ``safe and effective'' cures for any 
     particular type of childhood cancer, the underlying genetics 
     of the disease and recent research breakthroughs make such 
     treatments foreseeable.
       The Rally Foundation thanks you for sponsoring the Kids 
     First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019) and we applaud your 
     ongoing commitment to improving the lives of thousands of 
     children diagnosed with life-threatening diseases and sparing 
     families from the devastation that it causes. We look forward 
     to working with you to pass this important bill to help 
     ensure a brighter future for America's children.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Dean Crowe,
                                                  Founder and CEO.

[[Page 18424]]

     
                                  ____
                                         Solving Kids' Cancer,

                                                December 10, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Harper: On behalf of Solving Kids' 
     Cancer, I am writing to express our strong support for your 
     legislation, the Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019), 
     which would supply critical funds to the National Institutes 
     of Health for pediatric medical research.
       As you know, cancer kills more kids in the U.S. than any 
     other disease. Each school day, enough children are diagnosed 
     with cancer to empty two classrooms. We at Solving Kids' 
     Cancer believe that Every Kid Deserves to Grow Up. For kids 
     with the deadliest childhood cancers, including 
     neuroblastoma, sarcomas and brain tumors, their chances of 
     ever living long enough to be able to cast their first ballot 
     are less than 50 percent. This is unacceptable.
       Children with cancer need new treatment options today. As 
     we enter a new era in cancer research with advances in 
     immunotherapy, innovative clinical trials that harness a 
     child's own immune system to fight cancer will help change 
     the future of childhood cancer. But without the necessary 
     funding, children battling cancer will be left behind, with 
     limited treatment options.
       Solving Kids' Cancer is proud to lend our support of the 
     Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019). On behalf of the 
     families and children with cancer, thank you for turning 
     awareness into action and for helping to change the world for 
     children.
           Sincerely,
                                               Scott Kennedy, MBA,
                                Co-Founder and Executive Director.

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the bill before us today because 
it is a disingenuous and empty attempt by the Republicans to divert 
attention from the fact that they have voted to cut research time and 
time again. So instead, they will stand before the American public with 
words that they have no action to back up.
  The National Institutes of Health serve a vital mission of supporting 
biomedical research so that we may better understand and better treat 
diseases that burden American families; and I stand firmly in favor of 
supporting NIH research funding, especially as it relates to pediatric 
research.
  Let me be very clear for the record here today. H.R. 2019 does not 
achieve this purpose. Had this bill, which had been introduced back in 
May, gone through regular order and come to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce for hearings and markup, we would have had the opportunity to 
discuss and debate the merits of the legislation.
  This bill claims to support research on childhood diseases by 
authorizing--and I note not appropriating, but only authorizing--$12.6 
million for NIH pediatric research grants through savings from ending 
the public contribution to the cost of political party nominating 
conventions.
  I emphasize that the bill only authorizes funding because I would 
like to point out that the appropriations needed to actually make these 
funds available to NIH would still be subject to discretionary spending 
caps of the Budget Control Act and sequestration cuts.
  Now, the sequester alone has cut $1.5 billion out of NIH'S funding in 
fiscal year 2013. Even worse, through the Ryan budget, the Republicans 
adopted spending allocations for fiscal year 2014 that would make 
additional cuts to NIH, which could result in $6.7 billion in cuts in 
total.
  For pediatric research, the proportional cut would amount to $800 
million, which is 60 times more than the increase that this bill claims 
to provide. That's why I think the Republicans are not making a sincere 
effort to support NIH research. This is a joke.
  The best thing, Mr. Speaker, we can do to support NIH and research on 
pediatric diseases is to pass a balanced and constructive budget 
package and to provide the Appropriations Committee with a reasonable 
and realistic amount of funding to work with.
  Until then, I would urge my colleagues to oppose this bill that is 
nothing but a guise. It is a ruse. It does nothing to ensure that we 
are increasing pediatric cancer research dollars.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend from Virginia 
(Mr. Wolf), a member of the Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. WOLF. I thank the chair.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of legislation I have cosponsored, the 
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act. I particularly want to thank 
the bill sponsors, Gregg Harper, Eric Cantor, and Mr. Welch of Vermont, 
for honoring the memory of my constituent, Gabriella Miller, Loudoun 
County's volunteer of the year.
  Gabriella was a 10-year-old straight A student at Loudoun County Day 
School, who died on October 26 after a courageous 1-year battle with an 
inoperable brain cancer tumor. In a short amount of time, they achieved 
many goals. She started the Smashing Walnuts Foundation--which refers 
to the walnut-sized tumor in her brain--a childhood cancer foundation; 
she co-wrote a children's book and received an honorary degree from 
Shenandoah University out in Winchester, Virginia.
  Last December at her request I wrote to Macy's as part of the massive 
250,000 letter campaign she organized to benefit the Make-a-Wish 
Foundation. Gabriella raised a lot of money, and more importantly she 
touched a lot of lives; and I am sure she touched a lot of lives of 
Members who are in this body.
  The bill before us today will help supplement existing NIH research 
efforts for childhood cancers and disorders by creating a 10-year 
pediatric research initiative fund, paid for with the remaining 
Presidential Election Campaign Fund.
  I know her parents, Mark and Ellyn, who are with us here today. Her 
younger brother Jake and her family and friends know of the remarkable 
impact she has had on our community, on our country, and on families 
that are facing this nationwide.
  I urge, hopefully, a unanimous vote on this.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Waxman), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce 
Committee.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise, reluctantly, to oppose this bill.
  First of all, I want to express to Gabriella Miller's family my 
sincere sympathies.
  We all want to fund more research to fight pediatric disease. Nothing 
could be a more worthy objective. If we could only reverse the cuts 
that this House has adopted under Republican leadership, the National 
Institutes of Health could make an even greater amount of progress in 
understanding and treating so many different devastating diseases for 
children and others.
  This bill was never heard in committee. We never had a chance to have 
witnesses come forward and talk about it or debate how best to achieve 
the bill's stated goals. That is why many of us think it is more a 
statement than a credible proposal, especially when you look at the 
Republican House majority's record on biomedical research funding. It 
is a dismal one.
  They wrote and passed a bill which would have significantly cut NIH. 
They supported sequestration, which similarly reduced the NIH budget by 
nearly $2 billion in 2013 alone. And now this bill comes along, where 
they claim to provide NIH with about $13 million a year for pediatric 
research. That is a miniscule amount compared to the funding for 
pediatric research NIH lost due to Republican budget cuts and 
sequestration.
  The way we usually handle NIH is the Appropriations Committee issues 
a bill appropriating money for NIH. They can do that. If we increase 
the money for NIH, they can do that. They don't need this bill to 
increase funding for pediatric research. What they need is a higher 
spending cap. This bill doesn't bring about a higher spending cap.
  And then I have concerns I want to express about the way they 
structure the investments in pediatric research by funding it through 
the NIH Director's Common Fund. By design, that fund is not disease or 
population specific, giving NIH flexibility to determine funding 
priorities each year. It also doesn't take into consideration the 
existing pediatric research initiative, which we strengthened with the

[[Page 18425]]

recent enactment of pediatric research network legislation.
  Researchers all across the country have echoed the importance of 
sustained NIH funding for our Nation's health, our economic growth, and 
our global leadership on biomedical research.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. PALLONE. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Regrettably, this legislation before us does nothing to 
truly advance research at NIH. If we really had a sincere commitment to 
strengthen research at NIH, let's work together on a bipartisan basis. 
Let's have hearings on the legislation. Let's make sure that we have 
funding for all the research activities.
  I think that we need to find a solution to restore NIH funding rather 
than purely symbolic legislation.
  This reminds me of the time when the Republicans closed the 
government. They refused to pass an appropriations bill for the 
government to function. And then people said, Well, what about the 
parks? They said, Well, we'll have a bill just to open the parks. What 
about NIH research? Well, we'll do NIH research, but not the Centers 
for Disease Control and not other things.
  If you are going to do the job, do it right, and don't pretend, 
especially to a family that is grieving, that you are really doing more 
for pediatric research when the overall NIH funds are not increased.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind my friends that this is bipartisan 
legislation. I congratulate Mr. Welch for being the lead Democratic 
sponsor.
  I just want to say, too, in terms of looking at the money, the bill 
itself says:

       All amounts in each account maintained for the national 
     committee of a major party or minor party under this section 
     shall be transferred to a fund in the Treasury to be known as 
     the ``10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund,'' which 
     shall be available only for the purpose provided in section 
     402A(a)2 of the Public Health Service Act, and only to the 
     extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in 
     appropriations Acts.

  Tell me how to write it tougher. We did it.
  I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California, (Mr. McCarthy), 
the majority whip.
  Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank Chairman Upton.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2019, named in the memory of a 
remarkable young lady, Gabriella Miller.
  The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act gives pediatric research 
a shot in the arm through additional targeted funding, funding that is 
fully offset by reining in taxpayer funding of political conventions.
  The National Institutes of Health works admirably in distributing 
important Federal funding on basic medical research, but more can be 
done for childhood illness. In 2012, only 2 percent of NIH funding was 
spent on pediatric cases.
  Today's bill provides additional funding for the NIH to help address 
the need for coordinated research on various childhood diseases, 
including cancer, autism, and juvenile diabetes. It helps provide a 
down payment to the promise that we have to our next generation by 
helping our scientists and researchers find the cures today to 
childhood illnesses.
  There is no Republican or Democrat form of childhood illness, and 
there is no Republican or Democrat way to fight it. By working together 
on this bipartisan bill, we can put our children above the Presidential 
politics of every 4 years.
  I want to thank my good friends Congressman Gregg Harper and 
Congressman Peter Welch for their work on this legislation. I also want 
to thank Majority Leader Cantor for his continued leadership on these 
issues affecting America's families across the country.
  Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2019.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Vermont (Mr. Welch).
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, but I want to go 
through the controversy.
  First of all, the argument about campaign finance reform, this is 
about taking money away from political conventions. The majority on 
both sides of the aisle have supported that.
  Number two, there is an argument that this does not restore NIH 
funding. That is absolutely true, and we should restore full funding 
for the National Institutes of Health. Passing this bill doesn't stop 
us from doing that. It may even put us a step forward.
  Third, there is an argument that the money will not get to the 
intended target because of the way it is designed. But if there is any 
expression of good faith, it is that the appropriators have made a very 
clear indication that they are willing to do everything they possibly 
can in order to make this happen.
  Fourth, it is limited in its scope and in its funds. That is true. 
But the fact is it does do something. It takes a step forward.
  We are having an argument here about whether this is bipartisan or 
not. We are having an argument about bipartisan or not. We are having 
an argument about process. But I think if we are candid, we have to 
acknowledge that, as an institution, both sides have failed when it 
comes to an overall comprehensive budget, including for the NIH.
  On August 12, 2011, this Congress voted 269-161 to implement the 
sequester, and in the I-told-you-so brand of argument, I voted against 
that. I voted against it because, in my view, the consequences of that 
sequester were predictable and foreseeable. These across-the-board cuts 
from the NIH to the Pentagon made no sense, but that is the box this 
institution, this House of Representatives, has put itself in.
  What we have with this bill, in my view, is an opportunity to lay 
down the battle axes for just a moment and take a step forward. No one 
is here--least of all, me, where I am being used, to some extent, as a 
bipartisan face--to suggest that this does more than it does. But what 
it does do is something good, and it can begin a process, which is my 
hope, where we restore full funding to the National Institutes of 
Health.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Cantor), majority leader of the House.
  Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, the gentleman from 
Michigan.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Gabriella Miller Kids 
First Research Act. I also would like to thank my colleague, the 
gentleman from Vermont, for his courage in providing bipartisan 
support, along with some other colleagues in support of this bill, as 
well as the Republican cosponsors, Gregg Harper from Mississippi and 
Tom Cole, my colleague from Oklahoma who is here in this Chamber.
  For those colleagues who are here in the Chamber, we are joined by 
Gabriella Miller's parents, Ellyn and Mark Miller, who are in the 
gallery. I want to thank them for their courage in being here and for 
their understanding of what goes on on this floor and to not take it in 
any other way other than we are trying to do what is right in terms of 
delivering on the legacy of their daughter.
  Mr. Speaker, Gabriella Miller, a young girl from Virginia, was only 9 
years old when she found out she had an inoperable brain tumor the size 
of a walnut and wasn't given long to live. Despite her diagnosis, 
Gabriella and her family chose to fight and share her dream with others 
of overcoming childhood disease.
  Gabriella was so determined that she captivated people's hearts at 
rallies, through online videos, and raised hundreds of thousands of 
dollars for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. She even wrote a book for other 
children about understanding cancer. She poured every remaining ounce 
of her life into raising awareness for pediatric research for other 
children, with the hope that they would not have to suffer the same 
fate. In her last few months, Gabriella left a mark on the world that 
will never be forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no question that Washington has a spending 
problem. The problem is not only that we

[[Page 18426]]

spend too much, but that we are spending taxpayer dollars on the wrong 
priorities. Medical research for children should be a national 
priority.
  The first NIH bill I scheduled as majority leader was a bipartisan 
bill authored by Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and 
Representative Lois Capps to strengthen pediatric research networks. 
The President signed the bill into law last month.
  The bill before us today builds on that legislation by providing 
resources through the NIH Common Fund for high-risk, high-reward 
research that has the potential to transform pediatric research for 
children suffering from many different diseases and disorders. For the 
first time, Congress will establish a Pediatric Research Initiative 
Fund that will serve as an accountability mechanism to help ensure that 
dollars are reaching their intended target.
  While all of us support the NIH, this bill is an opportunity to push 
the agency to make big discoveries that will improve and ultimately 
save so many lives. We don't have to accept the status quo as the best 
we can achieve. Yes, the NIH needs taxpayer resources, but it also 
matters how we invest and apply those dollars.

                              {time}  1500

  Now, Mr. Speaker, some of my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle say this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the sequester 
cuts. I agree. The sequester cuts were, unfortunately, indiscriminate, 
and I and my colleagues have proposed alternatives to them, but let's 
not let Washington politics get in the way of any effort to help these 
kids. This is one step of many that we should take together.
  How many times do we meet parents and families who share their 
stories and ask for help? I recently had the privilege of meeting 
Gabriella's parents, Ellyn and Mark, and they personally shared with me 
Gabriella's fighting spirit. In fact, in one of her last interviews--
and you can view this online--when asked what Gabriella would like to 
tell our political leaders, she said, ``Stop talking. Start doing. We 
need action.''
  This, Mr. Speaker, is our opportunity to act.
  Outside of this building, this legislation has tremendous support. 
The leading children's research hospitals, United for Medical Research, 
and over 100 patient advocacy groups support this bill. Currently, it 
leads all other bills on cosponsor.gov with over 2,500 citizen 
cosponsors. This kind of support is great, but what matters now are the 
Members of this House and how they vote. The question before the 
Members today is simple: What is more important--finding cures for our 
children or balloons for party conventions and catering for 
politicians?
  The bottom line is that this bill is a choice between allocating 
moneys for political conventions or pediatric medical research. That is 
the choice. The bill isn't just about a government agency or taxpayer 
dollars. It is not about Democratic issues or Republican issues. It is 
about a cause, frankly, that should unite each and every one of us.
  Yes, I would say to my colleague from California that this is a 
serious first step--it is not everything--but to not sit here and 
impugn anyone's motives, much less say something that is somehow a 
commentary that this isn't constructive towards the plight of the 
parents like the Millers who are around this country and who are 
searching for some indication that we can break the political gridlock 
on an issue like this. I align myself with the comments of my colleague 
from Vermont, who says, Can't we just put down the battle axes for 
something like this? Can't we all do that for somebody like Gabriella?
  Now, Gabriella may no longer be with us, but her fight lives on. I 
ask, Mr. Speaker, that all of us stand united today and join in this 
fight.
  Again, I want to thank Congressman Gregg Harper, and I want to thank 
Congressman Peter Welch for introducing this bill as well as to thank 
Congressman Cole from Oklahoma. Earlier this year, they began the 
effort to join with so many who have come before in order to raise 
awareness of the need for medical research and, yes, this time, of the 
need for us to prioritize the funding for pediatric research.
  I would like to thank Gabriella's parents, the Millers, who are so 
brave in their commitment to this effort and who realize this is just a 
first step--being here with us today and joining us in this fight.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All Members are reminded that it is not in 
order to introduce or to bring to the attention of the House occupants 
of the gallery.
  The Chair will remind all persons in the gallery that they are here 
as guests of the House and that any manifestation of approval or 
disapproval of proceedings is in violation of the rules of the House.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this legislation because it is 
window dressing, and it is not the big picture.
  Thirteen million dollars is less than 1 percent of the $1.5 billion 
sequester cut. It is less than 1 percent. The NIH is our research 
institution. It is our Department of Defense. It defends us from cancer 
and heart disease and Alzheimer's and AIDS and diabetes, but it is not 
being prioritized. It should be the number one priority of this House--
keeping Americans safe and alive. Now, the $13 million was picked 
because that is the amount of money we put into political conventions. 
It just so happened to fit. We could have picked the F-35 bomber and 
saved billions of dollars and taken that out, which we don't need, and 
put in that money, which would have made a real difference in research.
  As for Kids First Research, I live in the city that has the best 
pediatric cancer facility in the world, St. Jude Children's Research 
Hospital. It needs more than this. Kids later will get Alzheimer's and 
AIDS and heart disease and cancer, and they need to be protected. In 
the long run, they can only be protected with the full funding for the 
NIH. I urge the full funding for the NIH and not smoke and mirrors.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Harper), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. HARPER. First of all, I want to thank Congressman Peter Welch for 
his hard work on this bill, and I certainly thank Leader Eric Cantor 
and Congressman Tom Cole.
  Mr. Speaker, creating a lifetime of hope and opportunity for our most 
vulnerable kids is more important than subsidizing weeklong political 
pep rallies for the Democratic and Republican parties. This is why the 
House must advance H.R. 2019, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research 
Act, a bill that pays for children's medical research with the $126 
million that the Federal Government currently sets aside for political 
conventions.
  On November 14, 2013, I had the privilege to meet in Leader Cantor's 
office with Ellyn and Mark Miller. I watched them struggle to come up 
with the words to express their grief, which I saw become steadfast 
determination to do something special for Gabriella by allowing this 
bill to be named after their precious daughter. I am wearing the yellow 
``Smashing Walnuts'' bracelet that they gave me that day. I have 
watched numerous videos of Gabriella in which she has made moving and 
profound statements, such as, ``Once you get cancer, you kinda gotta be 
all grown up,'' and ``Sometimes you have to stop talking and start 
doing.''
  As the father of a 24-year-old son who is living with Fragile X 
syndrome, I understand the challenges families face in raising children 
with special needs, but I also recognize the value of expanded and 
improved medical research. While raising a child with a genetic 
disorder can be very difficult, for my family, it has been a blessing, 
especially knowing that my son, Livingston, is here today.
  Mr. Speaker, Evie Horton and her cousin, Reese McDonald, who are kids 
from Mississippi who fight with all of

[[Page 18427]]

their strength to overcome the struggles of spinal muscular atrophy, 
are two more reasons that I introduced this bill. Recent scientific 
research breakthroughs have also given hope to so many families, but in 
order for clinical trials and other advancements to meet their full 
potential, additional Federal research must be directed to pediatric 
research.
  Mr. Speaker, Members of both parties have an opportunity to 
demonstrate the priorities of this body. Will it be research for our 
most vulnerable kids or will lawmakers vote to continue funding 
political party conventions at the taxpayers' expense?
  I have listened to how this has been described by the other side. It 
has been called a joke, a ruse, a fraud, not credible, window dressing, 
smoke and mirrors, and their referring to Republicans supporting 
sequestration, I guess, means that it has been forgotten by our friends 
on the other side of the aisle that 95 Members of the Democratic Party 
voted in favor of sequestration.
  Mr. Speaker, let's get our priorities straight. Let's vote ``yes'' on 
the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.

                                National Fragile X Foundation,

                                  Walnut Creek, CA, June 12, 2013.
     ATTN: Scot Malvaney, Policy Director.

     Representative Gregg Harper,
     Cannon Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Harper: Confirming our earlier 
     conversations with your office, the National Fragile X 
     Foundation indeed agrees that additional research is needed 
     to find the cures for fragile x syndrome, autism spectrum 
     disorder, childhood cancer, and many other diseases impacting 
     children.
       We are therefore pleased to add our support to The Kids 
     First Research Act (H.R. 2019) that you recently introduced 
     with Representative Tom Cole.
       As you well know, Fragile x syndrome is one of the 
     conditions for which a cure (or targeted treatments) exist 
     right around the corner.
       We wholeheartedly support this critical research initiative 
     which seeks both to identify much needed additional funding 
     for the NIH and to promote collaborations and collaborative 
     spending across related conditions like fragile x syndrome 
     and autism.
       Thank you for your leadership on this important issue.

                                            Jeffrey Cohen, JD,

     Director, Government Affairs.
                                  ____



                                   Global Genes, Rare Project,

                                                  Aliso Viejo, CA.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Harper, Global Genes/RARE Project is one 
     of the leading rare and genetic disease patient advocacy 
     organizations in the world. What began as a grassroots 
     movement in 2009 with a few rare disease parent advocates and 
     foundations has grown to over 800 global organizations. Our 
     mission is centered on increasing rare disease awareness, 
     public and physician education, building community through 
     social media and supporting research initiatives to find 
     treatments and cures for rare and genetic diseases.
       We, along with the organizations listed below, are writing 
     to support The Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019). 
     This bipartisan bill would eliminate taxpayer financing of 
     presidential campaigns and party conventions and reprogram 
     those savings to provide for a 10-year pediatric research 
     initiative through the Common Fund administered by the 
     National Institutes of Health.
       During these trying fiscal times, we are pleased to see 
     efforts that would increase funds for pediatric research.
       Unfortunately, pediatric research is terribly underfunded 
     and largely overlooked, as medicines and devices are often 
     untested in children. Children are usually prescribed 
     medications that have only been tested in adults, which is 
     unacceptable. Children are not adults. More efforts must be 
     made to properly research drugs and devices in the pediatric 
     population, and this is an important step in that process.
       We are pleased to express our strong support for H.R. 2019, 
     and believe this legislation will help to bring increased 
     funding and awareness to pediatric medical research. We look 
     forward to working with you and your staff to ensure this 
     bill is enacted into law.
           Sincerely,
       Global Genes/RARE Project, Alstrom Angels, Cure AHC, Dravet 
     Syndrome Foundation, FMDSA, Gavin R Stevens Foundation, GT23 
     Foundation, Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, Hannah's Hope Fund 
     for GAN, Hereditary Disease Circle, I Have IIH Foundation, In 
     Need of a Diagnosis, INOD, Jonah's Just Begun, Joshua 
     Hellmann Foundation for Orphan Disease Klippel-Feil Syndrome 
     Alliance.
       Little Miss Hannah Foundation, MPS Society, National 
     Gaucher Foundation, Inc., National Tay-Sachs & Allied 
     Diseases Association, Inc., Noah's Hope, Noonan Syndrome 
     Foundation, Peace, Love, and Trevor Foundation, Rasopathies 
     Foundation, Sanfilippo Foundation for Children, Sarcoma 
     Foundation of America, Stop ALD Foundation, Team Sanfilippo, 
     United Leukodystrophy Foundation, U.R. Our Hope.
                                  ____



                               National Down Syndrome Society,

                                        New York, NY, May 9, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon HOB, Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressmen Gregg Harper: On behalf of the National 
     Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), I am pleased to offer this 
     letter of support for your legislation H.R. 1724, the Kids 
     First Research Act. This legislation will expand pediatric 
     research at the National Institutes of Health by prioritizing 
     resources for research for children with Down syndrome which 
     are currently underrepresented in the NIH budget process.
       NDSS supports over 400,000 Americans with Down syndrome 
     along with their families, friends, teachers, coworkers and 
     others who make people with Down syndrome a priority. Our 
     mission is to be the national advocate for the value, 
     acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
       The re-directing of federal dollars that are currently 
     spent on presidential campaigns and party conventions will 
     expand pediatric research at NIH through the NIH Common Fund. 
     This funding will be used for research that is critical to 
     improve the quality of life for individuals with Down 
     syndrome other pediatric conditions.
       NDSS is the largest nonprofit dedicated to advocating for 
     people with Down syndrome and their families at the federal, 
     state and local levels of government. At NDSS, we envision a 
     world in which all people with Down syndrome have the 
     opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their 
     life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming 
     communities. Your legislation aligns directly with our 
     mission, and we are proud to support your efforts.
       Our organization applauds your work on behalf of people 
     with Down syndrome and other pediatric conditions, and looks 
     forward to working with you. On behalf of all individuals and 
     families from the Down syndrome community, I thank you for 
     your leadership on this legislation and offer our 
     enthusiastic endorsement.
           Sincerely,

                                               Sara Hart Weir,

                                                   Vice President,
     Advocacy & Affiliate Relations.
                                  ____



                                                         JDRF,

                                       New York, NY, May 10, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Harper: On behalf of JDRF and its 
     volunteers, I write to share JDRF's support for your 
     legislation, the Kids First Research Act of 2013, which would 
     provide additional funds to the National Institutes of Health 
     (NIH) for research on pediatric diseases and disorders.
       Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a costly and burdensome autoimmune 
     disease for which there is no cure. The disease usually 
     strikes in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood, and 
     lasts a lifetime. People with T1D must closely monitor their 
     blood sugar levels and inject or infuse insulin in order to 
     live. Even with the best of efforts and latest technology, 
     blood sugar levels in patients still fluctuate widely and 
     over the long-term can result in devastating complications, 
     such as kidney disease.
       Unfortunately, the incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is 
     rising at an alarming rate. From 2001 to 2009, T1D among 
     youth increased 23 percent. If unabated, the prevalence of 
     T1D in youth would double every generation.
       JDRF is doing its part to advance research to better treat, 
     prevent and ultimately cure T1D. Last year, JDRF spent $110 
     million on T1D research. Our work complements the research 
     being done at NIH. The additional funding provided to NIH by 
     the Kids First Research Act of 2013 could help us realize new 
     therapies and research breakthroughs, that could improve the 
     quality of life for people with T1D and help reduce the 
     associated costs of the disease, sooner rather than later.
       Your leadership on this issue and strong support of other 
     issues that affect the T1D community are greatly appreciated.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Jeffrey Brewer,
     President & Chief Executive Officer.
                                  ____



                                                Autism Speaks,

                                       New York, NY, May 14, 2013.
     Hon. Greg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Harper: I am writing to thank you for your 
     leadership on behalf of America's autism community, as 
     demonstrated by your commitment to prioritize autism and 
     pediatric research through the Kids First Research Act. As 
     you know, recent CDC data suggests the prevalence of autism 
     is closer to 1 in 50 children. As you also know, many of 
     these individuals also have Fragile X Syndrome and your 
     commitment

[[Page 18428]]

     to this community has made a real difference during your time 
     in Washington, DC. It is critical to the autism community 
     that we have national leadership to address the epidemic 
     growth of this disorder.
       I am grateful that you and your colleagues recognize this 
     crisis and are striving to address it in several policy 
     areas, including research, disability savings accounts and 
     improved services for our military families affected by 
     autism. I am particularly encouraged by your desire to see 
     autism and pediatric research elevated as a priority at the 
     National Institutes of Health through the Kids First Research 
     Act.
       I look forward to working with you in the days and weeks 
     ahead in addressing America's autism crisis.
           Sincerely,
                                                         Liz Feld,
     President.
                                  ____

                                                 The Coalition for


                                   Pediatric Medical Research,

                                                     June 6, 2013.
     Hon. Fred Upton,
     Chairman Committee on Energy & Commerce, U.S. Congress, 
         Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Joe Pitts,
     Chairman, Committee on Energy & Commerce, Subcommittee on 
         Health, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Henry Waxman,
     Ranking Member, Committee on Energy & Commerce, U.S. 
         Congress, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Frank Pallone,
     Ranking Member, Committee on Energy & Commerce, Subcommittee 
         on Health, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairmen Upton and Pitts & Ranking Members Waxman and 
     Pallone: On behalf of the Coalition for Pediatric Medical 
     Research (CPMR), a group of more than 20 of our nation's 
     leading children's research hospitals, I am writing to offer 
     our support for H.R. 2019, the Kids First Research Act of 
     2013.
       For too long, our nation has underinvested in pediatric 
     research as a proportion of the overall population. Healthy 
     living begins with a healthy infancy and childhood, and 
     inadequate support for pediatric research negatively affects 
     our nation's children, particularly those suffering from 
     devastating diseases and disorders. It also hinders our 
     ability to prevent and/or treat adult-onset disorders, such 
     as diabetes and heart disease, whose causes are rooted in the 
     childhood years.
       H.R. 2019 is a much-needed step forward to address this 
     imbalance. This legislation will help make clear that the 
     health and well-being of our children is a national priority 
     by reallocating scarce public resources to support pediatric 
     research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health 
     (NIH). This infusion of funds would provide a much-needed 
     boost to our pediatric research community, enabling it to 
     expand research efforts to identify causes of and treatments 
     for many of the most devastating diseases and disorders that 
     affect children. The Coalition is particularly pleased that 
     the legislation would fund multi-institute research 
     activities under the Common Fund, helping drive coordination 
     and collaboration.
       The Coalition strongly believes that if enacted into law, a 
     portion of this funding should be used to provide competitive 
     awards to support the research infrastructure and resources 
     necessary to conduct a comprehensive 21st Century pediatric 
     research agenda. Such support should focus on shared and core 
     resources such as biobanks, data warehouses, bioinformatics 
     infrastructure, and the advanced computing technologies 
     needed to process increasingly large data sets. It should 
     also help expedite clinical trials in patients with rare 
     diseases, helping link sites and enabling researchers to 
     recruit a critical mass of kids with any one condition. In 
     addition to the Kids First Research Act, the Coalition 
     continues to strongly support H.R. 225 and S. 424, the 
     National Pediatric Research Network Act, which would 
     authorize NIH to establish a National Pediatric Research 
     Network. We see these two proposals as highly synergistic and 
     complementary and applaud your committees and the full house 
     for quickly passing this bill--for the fourth time--earlier 
     this year.
       On behalf of the Coalition, I thank you for your attention 
     to this. If you have any questions, please feel free to 
     contact me at 202.312.7499 or via nicholas.manetto@
faegrebd.com.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Nick Manetto,
     Coalition Advisor.
                                  ____



                                  Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,

                                     Washington, DC, June 6, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon HOB, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Peter Welch,
     House of Representatives, Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Tom Cole,
     House of Representatives, Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives Harper, Cole and Welch: The Leukemia & 
     Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary 
     health agency dedicated to blood cancer. Each year, over 
     140,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with blood cancers, 
     accounting for nearly 10 percent of all newly diagnosed 
     cancers in the United States. LLS funds lifesaving blood 
     cancer research around the world and provides free 
     information and support services. The mission of LLS is to 
     cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and 
     provide our patients with affordable, sustainable access to 
     quality healthcare.
       LLS is writing to support H.R. 2019, the Kids First 
     Research Act, which will increase funding for pediatric 
     medical research activities administered through the Common 
     Fund at National Institutes of Health (NIH). H.R. 2019 
     provides much needed funding for crucial research projects, 
     at a critical time in our nation's progress in medical 
     research. In cancer research in particular, we are yielding 
     unprecedented examples of precision based medicine that are 
     fundamentally altering the way in which we will categorize 
     and treat cancers going forward. These funds will help 
     advance the important projects funded by the NIH in areas of 
     high unmet medical need.
       LLS understands and appreciates the tremendous challenges 
     and fiscal constraints Congress currently faces and the need 
     to identify a balanced approach to funding necessary national 
     priorities. We appreciate the bi-partisan support that this 
     legislation has received, and look forward to serving as a 
     resource for your offices.
           Best,

                                                 Emily Shetty,

                                                  Senior Director,
     Federal Legislative Affairs.
                                  ____



                              Children's Hospital Association,

                  Alexandria, VA, Overland Park, KS, June 8, 2013.
     Hon. Fred Upton,
     Chairman, Committee on Energy & Commerce, Rayburn House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Henry Waxman,
     Ranking Member, Committee on Energy & Commerce, Rayburn House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman, On behalf of 
     over 220 of the nation's children's hospitals, I am writing 
     in support of H.R. 2019, the Kids First Research Act of 2013.
       As you know, children are not just ``small adults.'' 
     Children require highly-specialized care and equally 
     specialized research. Despite children accounting for nearly 
     20 percent of our nation's population, the National 
     Institutes of Health (NIH) has historically invested a far 
     smaller percentage of research dollars--between five and 10 
     percent--in pediatric biomedical research. Healthy living 
     begins with a healthy infancy and childhood, and inadequate 
     support for pediatric research does a disservice to our 
     nation's children.
       The Kids First Research Act of 2013 would enhance our 
     nation's commitment to pediatric research and help make clear 
     that the health and well-being of our children is a national 
     priority. The legislation would provide a much-needed boost 
     to the pediatric research community, supporting expanded 
     research efforts to identify causes of and treatments for 
     many of the most devastating diseases and disorders that 
     affect children.
       In addition to the Kids First Research Act, the Association 
     continues to strongly support the National Pediatric Research 
     Network Act, H.R. 225, and its companion bill in the Senate, 
     S. 424. This legislation would authorize the NIH to establish 
     a National Pediatric Research Network. The Association views 
     these two proposals as collaborative and applauds the 
     committee and the House for quickly passing H.R. 225 earlier 
     this year.
       IA On behalf of the Children's Hospital Association, thank 
     you for your support on this important issue.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Jim Kaufman,
                                    Vice President, Public Policy.

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Price).
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this is a sad and, indeed, 
depressing debate because there is such a transparent effort underway 
to weaken our Nation's campaign finance laws even further by the 
perfectly legitimate, compelling case for sick children in our country. 
This represents the worst of Republican cynicism--I have just got to 
say it--and since this measure stands no chance of passing in the 
Senate, it is a fitting end to the least productive session of Congress 
in modern history.
  The passage of this bill will do nothing to increase the Federal 
funding of pediatric disease research. That is why it is so cynical. 
Simply authorizing a new program will not translate into additional 
funding in the current appropriations environment. If the majority were 
really serious, it wouldn't have passed a budget that makes adequate

[[Page 18429]]

funding for medical research impossible or, perhaps, it would actually 
try to negotiate a comprehensive budget agreement that lifts 
sequestration once and for all from pediatric research and many other 
priorities. To make matters worse, this bill would make it more 
difficult to modernize and reinvigorate one of the most successful 
examples of campaign finance reform in our Nation's history--the 
Presidential public financing program--which has given candidates a 
viable alternative to private and corporate fund-raising for more than 
three decades.
  Now, I agree with my colleagues from both parties in that paying for 
Presidential nominating conventions is not a wise use of taxpayer 
dollars, but if the House majority is truly concerned about this issue, 
I would encourage it to schedule a vote on my bill, the Empowering 
Citizens Act, which not only would prevent taxpayer dollars from being 
used for conventions, but it would also include important ``soft 
money'' provisions to prevent high-dollar special interests from 
funding conventions. The Empowering Citizens Act would mend, not end, 
the Presidential public financing system, bringing it up to date with 
campaign realities. It would also establish a voluntary small donor 
public funding program for congressional campaigns as well as strong 
rules forbidding the coordination between super-PACs and political 
parties or campaigns.
  I believe we are at a tipping point in the short history of campaign 
finance reform in our country. We can either choose to stand by the 
commonsense reforms that restored America's faith in elections after 
the Watergate scandal or we can choose to cede the control of political 
campaigns entirely to wealthy corporations and interest groups.
  The responsible choice is clear, so I strongly urge my colleagues to 
oppose this measure in the hope that the Republican majority will both 
get serious about medical research funding and will get serious about 
the oversized influence of millionaires and billionaires and super-PACs 
in our democracy.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, at this point, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance), a cosponsor of the bill and a 
member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.
  My colleagues have told the story of Gabriella Miller. She was one of 
the many young people every year who leaves this world too early due to 
disease. Too many families share this grief.
  Today, we take a step in making a difference in the lives of those 
who are struggling with pediatric diseases and disorders, such as 
cancer and autism. Today, Congress, in working together, will target 
taxpayer funding for scientific research and lifesaving treatments that 
can lead to better outcomes and, I hope, someday, to a cure.
  Especially during the holiday season, we should be thankful for our 
many blessings. I am thankful, in part, for the families and advocates 
whose challenges we may never understand but whose commitment and love 
for their children is unyielding and inspiring. Today, we take action 
in their name.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, can I ask how much time is remaining on 
both sides.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) has 
8 minutes remaining, and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) 
has 8 minutes remaining.
  Mr. PALLONE. Thank you.
  I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), 
the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Gabriella 
Miller and her courage and the courage of her parents, but I oppose 
this hypocritical bill.
  I have spent my career fighting to ensure that our researchers have 
every resource to find lifesaving treatments and cures. This bill would 
do nothing to increase investments in medical research.
  It is unfathomable to me that those who championed the cuts of $1.55 
billion to the NIH now try to authorize with no promise to fund. That 
cut of $1.55 billion led to a cut of $255 billion to the National 
Cancer Institute and $66 million to the Child Health Institute that 
funds pediatric research.
  My heart is with the family of Gabriella Miller and my dear friends 
who lost a little girl of about 6 years old from a childhood cancer, 
and I will never forget it. Let's work together to truly fund, to 
appropriate money, not pretend by authorizing. It is a nice thing to 
do, but we have to vote ``no'' on this cynical bill.
  I ask today that we join together to increase investments, to 
increase funding for pediatric research, not support cuts to the 
National Cancer Institute, cuts to the National Institutes of Health.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, at this point, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a member of the Appropriations 
Committee and a cosponsor of the bill.
  Mr. COLE. I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by praising my friend Gregg Harper and 
my friend Peter Welch, who come to this floor with a very worthy 
purpose, and that is to redirect government funding toward something 
that is not particularly important toward something that is very 
important--medical research for children.
  The question when you have a worthy goal is always: How do you pay 
for it? Where will you actually get the resources?
  For many years, I have brought to this floor legislation that would 
eliminate public funding for political party conventions and 
Presidential campaigns. I could go into debate ad infinitum. The 
President has never used any public funding--didn't feel the need for 
it--in either of his two campaigns. Neither did Mr. Romney. On the 
political conventions, both political parties this year actually did 
take the money.
  I can tell you as a former chief of staff on the Republican National 
Committee who put on the convention in 2000, they do not need it. They 
absolutely do not need it. They can raise all the money they need from 
private sources, just as their nominees raised money from private 
sources.
  That bill has actually passed this House on multiple occasions with a 
bipartisan vote. I was prepared to do that again and I got a call from 
Leader Cantor. He said: Tom, I know you have been working on this 
problem for a long time. I know you are concerned about it. What if we 
redirected that money towards something that is a better purpose, a 
better use of public dollars? And he mentioned Gregg's bill. I couldn't 
agree with him more.
  So for those of you that are looking for something sinister or trying 
to link this to something it is not connected to, like the sequester, 
it is simply a modest step in the right direction. It takes money that 
we know is wasted and puts it to good use.
  For those of you that say it can't pass the other body, the other 
body in the last Congress on amendment voted 95-5 to take away public 
funding of political conventions. We still have a disagreement on 
Presidential campaigns. But funding political conventions really is 
more important than directing this money to a more worthy purpose? We 
are not even trying to take it out of the Federal budget. I just think 
that kind of logic defies imagination.
  This is a good-faith effort to do something that ought to bring us 
together instead of pull us apart. It is a modest step. I would be the 
first to admit that. But let's take the modest step in the right 
direction, take public dollars that we are now wasting on political 
conventions, give them to researchers, and let them do their work. That 
is just simply a better use of the public purse in a time of limited 
means.
  So I urge support for my friends' bill, H.R. 2019, Mr. Harper and Mr. 
Welch. I want to thank Leader Cantor. This was his idea of bringing two 
ideas together. I think it is a good one. I hope this House embraces it 
in a bipartisan fashion.

[[Page 18430]]

  I want to thank my friend, the chairman of Energy and Commerce, for 
his effort to bring this forward and advance it.

                                              Everylife Foundation


                                             for Rare Disease,

                                        Novato, CA, June 10, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Harper: The EveryLife Foundation for Rare 
     Diseases is dedicated to accelerating biotech innovation for 
     rare disease treatments through science-driven public policy.
       We are writing to support the Kids First Research Act of 
     2013 (H.R. 2019). This bipartisan bill would eliminate 
     taxpayer financing of presidential campaigns and party 
     conventions and reprogram those savings to provide for a 10-
     year pediatric research initiative through the Common Fund 
     administered by the National Institutes of Health.
       During these trying fiscal times, we are pleased to see 
     efforts that would increase funds for pediatric research. 
     Unfortunately, pediatric rare diseases and cancer is terribly 
     underfunded and largely overlooked by drug companies and 
     research institutions. Public funding is essential to help 
     spur the development of treatments for these children.
       We are pleased to express our strong support for H.R. 2019, 
     and believe this legislation will help to bring increased 
     funding and awareness to pediatric medical research. We look 
     forward to working with you and your staff to ensure this 
     bill is enacted into law.
           Sincerely,
                                      Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D.,
     President.
                                  ____

                                                    June 27, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Rep. Harper: On behalf of United for Medical Research 
     (UMR), a coalition of leading research institutions, patient 
     and health advocates, and private industry joined together in 
     support of medical research funded by the National Institutes 
     of Health (NIH), we write to thank you for the introduction 
     of the Kids First Research Act (H.R. 2019). We strongly 
     support increased funding for NIH, and appreciate your 
     identification of medical research as a priority in a time of 
     deficit reduction and fiscal austerity.
       The lifesaving research funded by NIH has already yielded 
     extraordinary benefits to human health and serves as a beacon 
     of hope for those still suffering from disease or disability, 
     including the families of children afflicted with 
     heartbreaking conditions. NM also plays a role in sustaining 
     the U.S. economy, supporting over 400,000 jobs and generating 
     nearly $60 billion in nationwide economic output in 2012 
     alone. Unfortunately, recent cuts to the NIH budget threaten 
     both our ability to improve human health and our worldwide 
     leadership in medical research. UMR believes it is critical 
     to renew our commitment to funding NIH, and we are grateful 
     for your effort to find creative solutions to support medical 
     research.
       To ensure continued success in our quest for treatments and 
     cures to our most devastating childhood and adult diseases, 
     as well as continuing to reap the substantial return on 
     investment to our economy, it is imperative that funding for 
     NIH be sustained through regular, annual increases in 
     appropriations. The Kids First Research Act is an important 
     step in mitigating the loss of funding caused by a decade of 
     reduced budgets, we thank you for it, and we look forward to 
     working with you to reinvigorate our investment in the life 
     sciences.
           Sincerely,
     United for Medical Research.
                                  ____

                                        Just-In-Time Neuroblastoma


                                             Foundation, Inc.,

                             Greenwood Village, CO, June 28, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Harper: As a non-profit organization working to 
     promote awareness of childhood cancer, we write to express 
     our strong support for your legislation, the Kids First 
     Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019).
       This measure provides much needed additional federal 
     support to complement ongoing research supported by 
     substantial private funding from national non-profit 
     childhood cancer organizations, as well as by the National 
     Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute. Passage of 
     this bill will ensure that the investments of both public and 
     private resources reach their fullest potential by enabling a 
     critical mass of research and discovery required to culminate 
     into promising medical treatments that are ``safe and 
     effective'' for many childhood diseases, including childhood 
     cancer.
       As you know, one in every 330 children in the United States 
     develops cancer before the age of nineteen. The incidence of 
     cancer among children is increasing. Each school day, enough 
     children are diagnosed with cancer to empty two classrooms. 
     Depending on the type of cancer and the development upon 
     diagnosis, approximately 2,300 children will die from cancer 
     in any given year. The number of children diagnosed with 
     cancer in the U.S. each year puts more potential years of 
     life at risk than any single type of adult cancer. Cancer 
     remains the number one disease killer of America's children.
       There are more than 360,000 childhood cancer survivors of 
     all ages in the United States. Unfortunately, 74% of 
     childhood cancer survivors have chronic illnesses, and some 
     40% of childhood cancer survivors have severe illnesses or 
     die from such illnesses. Survivors are at significant risk 
     for secondary cancers later in life. Current cancer 
     treatments can affect a child's growth, fertility, and 
     endocrine system. Child survivors may be permanently 
     immunologically suppressed. Radiation therapy to a child's 
     brain can significantly damage cognitive function, especially 
     if given at a very young age. While currently there is very 
     little in terms of ``safe and effective'' cures for any 
     particular type of childhood cancer, the underlying genetics 
     of the disease and recent research breakthroughs make such 
     treatments foreseeable.
       The Just-In-Time Neuorblastoma Foundation thanks you for 
     sponsoring the Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019) 
     and we applaud your ongoing commitment to improving the lives 
     of thousands children diagnosed with life-threatening 
     diseases and spearing families from the devastation that it 
     causes. We look forward to working with you to pass this 
     important bill to help ensure a brighter future for America's 
     children.
           Sincerely,
                                               Katrina M. Brohman,
     Co-Founder & Vice President.
                                  ____



                                 The Nicholas Conor Institute,

                                     San Diego, CA, June 17, 2013.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Harper: As a medical research organization working 
     to accelerate the development of promising medical 
     discoveries or cures for cancers common to children, 
     adolescents, and young adults, we write to express our strong 
     support for your legislation, the Kids First Research Act of 
     2013 (H.R. 1724).
       This measure provides much needed additional federal 
     support to complement ongoing research supported by 
     substantial private funding from national non-profit 
     childhood cancer organizations, as well as by the National 
     Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute. Passage of 
     this bill will ensure that the investments of both public and 
     private resources reach their fullest potential by enabling a 
     critical mass of research and discovery required to culminate 
     into promising medical treatments that are ``safe and 
     effective'' for many childhood diseases, including childhood 
     cancer.
       As you know, one in every 330 children in the United States 
     develops cancer before the age of nineteen. The incidence of 
     cancer among children is increasing. Each school day, enough 
     children are diagnosed with cancer to empty two classrooms. 
     Depending on the type of cancer and the development upon 
     diagnosis, approximately 2,300 children will die from cancer 
     in any given year. The number of children diagnosed with 
     cancer in the U.S. each year puts more potential years of 
     life at risk than any single type of adult cancer. Cancer 
     remains the number one disease killer of America's children.
       There are more than 360,000 childhood cancer survivors of 
     all ages in the United States. Unfortunately, 74% of 
     childhood cancer survivors have chronic illnesses, and some 
     40% of childhood cancer survivors have severe illnesses or 
     die from such illnesses. Survivors are at significant risk 
     for secondary cancers later in life. Current cancer 
     treatments can affect a child's growth, fertility, and 
     endocrine system. Child survivors may be permanently 
     immunologically suppressed. Radiation therapy to a child's 
     brain can significantly damage cognitive function, especially 
     if given at a very young age. While currently there is very 
     little in terms of ``safe and effective'' cures for any 
     particular type of childhood cancer, the underlying genetics 
     of the disease and recent research breakthroughs make such 
     treatments foreseeable.
       The Nicholas Conor Institute for Pediatric Cancer Research 
     thanks you for sponsoring the Kids First Research Act of 2013 
     (H.R. 1724) and we applaud your ongoing commitment to 
     improving the lives of thousands children diagnosed with 
     life-threatening diseases and spearing families from the 
     devastation that is causes. We look forward to working with 
     you to pass this important bill to help ensure a brighter 
     future for America's children.
           Sincerely,

                                   Beth Anne Baber, Ph.D., M.B.A.,
                           Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder.

[[Page 18431]]

     
                                  ____
                                            Pulmonary Hypertension


                                                  Association,

                                 Silver Spring, MD, June 21, 2013.
     Hon. Joe Pitts,
     Chairmen, Subcommittee on Health Energy & Commerce Committee, 
         Cannon House Building.
     Hon. Kevin Brady,
     Chairmen, Subcommittee on Health Ways & Means Committee, 
         Cannon House Building.
     Hon. Frank Pallone,
     Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Health Energy & Commerce 
         Committee, Cannon House Building.
     Hon. Jim McDermott,
     Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Health Ways & Means 
         Committee, Longworth House Building.
       Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members: I write you today on 
     behalf of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) to ask 
     for your support of the public health goals of the Kids First 
     Research Act (H.R. 2019). Please work to advance this 
     legislation through the legislative process so that its 
     provisions establishing a new pediatric research initiative 
     at the National Institutes of Health (N111) might be enacted.
       The pulmonary hypertension (PH) community understands the 
     value of investing in critical pediatric medical research. PH 
     is a disabling and often fatal progressive condition where 
     the blood pressure in the lungs rises to dangerously high 
     levels. In PH patients, blood flow between the heart and 
     lungs is blocked or constricted. As a result, the heart must 
     pump harder causing it to enlarge and ultimately fail. PH can 
     be idiopathic, and occur without a known cause, or be 
     secondary to other conditions, such as, scleroderma, lupus, 
     blood clots, and sickle cell. PH impacts individuals of all 
     races and ages, including children. Similar to other disease 
     states, pediatric research into PH lags behind adult 
     research. While there are nine FDA-approved treatments 
     available for adults with PH, none are approved for children.
       PHA supports a pediatric research program to improve the 
     lives of children impacted by PH and we are pleased that 
     Congress is interested in supporting pediatric research at 
     NIH. In the interest of improving care for PH patients, PHA 
     also engages in advocacy activity, including advocating for 
     the Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Diagnosis Act (H.R. 
     2073), budget neutral legislation designed to improve 
     diagnosis of PH before the condition reaches an advanced 
     stage. We hope you will continue to support and advance 
     legislative efforts focused on bolstering research activities 
     and improving care for patients with PH, such as H.R. 2019 
     and H.R. 2073.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Rino Aldrighetti,
     President & CEO.
                                  ____

                                           Foundation for Angelman


                                        Syndrome Therapeutics,

     Hon. Eric Cantor,
     Majority Leader, House of Representatives, United States 
         Capitol, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     Member of Congress, House of Representatives, Cannon House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Leader Cantor and Congressmen Harper: On behalf of the 
     Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST), I am 
     pleased to offer this letter of support for H.R. 2019, the 
     Kids First Research Act. This legislation will expand 
     pediatric medical research activities administered through 
     the Common Fund at the National Institutes of Health. By 
     prioritizing resources for pediatric research, this bill will 
     provide much needed funding to bolster FAST's commitment to 
     find treatments, and eventually a cure for Angelman Syndrome.
       The Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (or FAST) 
     is an organization of families and professionals dedicated to 
     finding a cure for Angelman Syndrome and related disorders 
     through the funding of an aggressive research agenda, 
     education, and advocacy. Angelman Syndrome (or AS) is a 
     neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 1 in 
     15,000 live births. Although the cause of AS is known, there 
     are currently no treatments available for this disorder. FAST 
     is committed to assisting individuals living with Angelman 
     Syndrome realize their full potential and quality of life.
       On behalf of FAST, I thank you for your leadership and for 
     supporting this important legislation. If you have any 
     questions, please feel free to contact me.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Paula Evans,
     Chairperson.
                                  ____

                                          Brain Injury Association


                                                   of America,

                                        Vienna, VA, June 26, 2013.
     Hon. Joseph R. Pitts,
     Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, 
         Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Pitts: The Brain Injury Association of 
     America (BIAA) is the nation's oldest and largest brain 
     injury patient advocacy organization. BIAA supports H.R. 
     2019, the Kids First Research Act. Thank you for introducing 
     this very important legislation. The Kids First Research Act 
     will ensure important pediatric research is funded at the 
     National Institutes of Health (NIH).
       Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a misdiagnosed, 
     misunderstood, under-funded neurological disease affecting at 
     least 1.7 million children and adults in the U.S. each year. 
     Depending on type and severity, brain injuries can lead to 
     physical, cognitive, and psychosocial or behavioral 
     impairments ranging from balance and coordination problems to 
     loss of hearing, vision or speech. Fatigue, memory loss, 
     concentration difficulty, anxiety, depression, impulsivity 
     and impaired judgment are also common after brain injury. 
     Even so-called ``mild'' injuries can have devastating 
     consequences that require intensive treatment and long-term 
     care. Often called the ``silent epidemic,'' brain injury 
     affects people in ways that are invisible. The injury can 
     lower performance at school and at work, interfere with 
     personal relationships and bring financial ruin.
       Thank you for supporting pediatric research at NIH. Please 
     contact Amy Colberg, BIAA's Director of Government Affairs 
     with any questions.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Susan H. Connors,
                                                    President/CEO.

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), who is the ranking member of the Labor-HHS 
Appropriations Subcommittee.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the so-called Kids 
First Research Act, which despite its name does absolutely nothing to 
support kids or pediatric research.
  This bill does not include a single additional dollar for pediatric 
research. It just ends another program. It merely suggests this money 
should be used to fund NIH if, and only if, a later appropriations bill 
calls for it. The money does not automatically go for pediatric 
research.
  This is a feel-good messaging bill that plays a bait-and-switch on 
American families hoping and praying for research dollars to save their 
children. This majority wants to pretend that they are supporting 
medical research when, in fact, they have continually cut this 
fundamental priority since 2011.
  Consider the very first bill passed in this House in 2011, H.R. 1. 
That bill was supported by all but three Republicans. Almost every 
single Member of this majority voted to cut $1.6 billion from the 
National Institutes of Health. Most of those who have spoken this 
morning were those who voted to make that cut.
  That cut is 100 times larger than the $12.6 million increase that 
this legislation pretends to provide. Because of the deep and reckless 
sequestration cuts, NIH has been cut by $1.5 billion more. We don't 
know whether the budget deal that is being discussed today will put 
that money back.
  Because of these misguided policies, the National Cancer Institute 
has been slashed by $255 million and the Child Health Institute by $66 
million.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional minute to the 
gentlewoman from Connecticut.
  Ms. DeLAURO. I strongly support investing in medical research. My 
heart goes out to the Miller family. I am a cancer survivor. One of my 
proudest accomplishments in this body is working in a bipartisan 
fashion to double the NIH budget between 1998 and 2003. We did it then, 
and it is something that we need to do again; but this bill, this bill 
is a sham.
  If the majority believes, as I do, that we should increase funding 
for pediatric research, then let us increase funding for pediatric 
research. Let us not waste time playing games and misleading the 
American people.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Collins), a cosponsor of the bill.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to add my name to the list of those 
who support this legislation. H.R. 2019 bears the name of a child whose 
bravery and wisdom should inspire us all.
  Gabriella Miller reminds us that government has the ability and the 
obligation to strive for the greater good--to protect the innocent, to 
preserve their futures. If we lose sight of that goal, we have failed.

[[Page 18432]]

  In the year that I have been in Congress, most of my time has been 
spent fighting against bad policies and bad politics, but today is 
different. Today, I stand before this body and proclaim we can do 
something and we can help. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 
prioritizes pediatric research to help children with autism, cancer, 
and other diseases.
  If you were to ask me what defines Doug Collins, I would tell you 
three things: I am a man of faith; I am a husband; and a father, a 
father to a daughter who has spina bifida, but also inspires me to be 
the type of person that I would want to be.
  She is a lot like Gabriella Miller. Gabriella Miller really won her 
fight. My daughter continues. It reminds us that you can help and when 
you can help, you should. When you can make a difference, no matter how 
small, it still matters. It is still worth doing.
  I am a freshman here, but what amazes me is when you take a step 
forward in putting something productive on the floor which makes at 
least a small statement--and Congressman Harper brings forth that with 
others--when you take a small step forward and bring something down to 
this floor and are ridiculed and it is said it is window dressing, I am 
sorry, this is not window dressing. It is a step to being the 
government we are called to be, and that is prioritizing, that is 
putting faith back into a system in which people have lost faith.
  On the floor today, it is no wonder that they have lost faith. When a 
good-faith effort is put forward and it is criticized in light of 
children and research to make other political points, that is what is 
truly appalling today; that is what is bad.
  This is a simple step that was brought forth in good faith. All I am 
saying is let's prioritize. I agree with my friends across the aisle: 
it is time we prioritize our mission; it is time we prioritize our 
battles here. This is one step forward.
  I would encourage all Members to support something that actually does 
make a difference.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our Democratic whip.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman who preceded me said he is a freshman. I 
have been here for 33 years. For 23 of those years I served on the 
Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. I served 
under some extraordinary Republicans and some extraordinary Democrats 
who chaired that committee. The ones I served under made sure that the 
NIH got the resources it needed to investigate, research, and try to 
come up with the cures that will ameliorate the afflictions of mankind 
from a health perspective.
  Of the sponsors of this bill, 134 of them voted for the Ryan budget. 
The Ryan budget--had it been adopted, had it been implemented--would 
have cut the National Institutes of Health by $6 billion.
  The budget that we are going to consider will still require 
reductions in NIH funding by perhaps as much as 80 times to 100 times 
the money that is theoretically in this bill. By the way, there is no 
money in this bill. This is an authorization. As I am sure Ms. DeLauro, 
who is the ranking member, has pointed out it provides no money.
  Many of you, perhaps, are going to vote for a budget that will cut 
NIH; but you are going to pass a bill, and that is what Mr. Collins 
apparently is concerned about, because we are saying that this is a 
facade, a pretense of support. Paper will not help pediatric research. 
Money will, investment will.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. PALLONE. I yield an additional minute to the gentleman from 
Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. To that extent, this is not real. It is a message. 
Everybody on this floor, I presume, is for children's health, is for 
pediatric research, is for trying to make sure that our children are 
healthy and saved from disease and affliction. I presume all of us are 
for it, but talk is cheap.
  The Ryan budget would have cut $800 million from pediatric research 
alone; 134 of the sponsors of this bill voted for the Ryan budget. In 
other words, on one hand you are given--theoretically, if there was 
money available to do this--$11 million for pediatric research with 
this hand--that is 113 over 10--and $800 million being taken away with 
this hand.
  Who do you think you are fooling?

                              {time}  1530

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has again expired.
  Mr. PALLONE. I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from 
Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. So let's not fool the public that we are doing something 
for pediatric research. I know my friend, Mr. Upton, has been a 
supporter of NIH in years past. And he is my dear friend and a good 
Member, but I tell my friend, this bill does not do anything for 
pediatric research.
  You will have an opportunity to vote for pediatric research; vote to 
get rid of the sequester. Vote to invest in the National Institutes of 
Health, not to cut it. That will make a difference for pediatric 
research.
  I urge the defeat of this bill.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I did appreciate the nice words that were directed to me 
by my friend, Mr. Hoyer, in support of the NIH. And I will remind those 
that don't know that I was the Republican lead a number of years ago 
with Mr. Waxman and Mr. McCain and Mr. Wellstone to double the money 
for the NIH, one of the most significant things that this Congress, I 
think, has ever done.
  But I have got to say, I simply don't understand the opposition to 
this bill. Yes, I am absolutely supportive of the NIH bill, and will 
continue to do that, and more money. The Ryan-Murray budget agreement 
which we will be voting on tomorrow, I will be supporting it. It 
includes programs like the NIH, which I am told will be increased about 
$23 billion, or 2 percent over the current levels.
  In today's ``The Hill,'' there is a full-page ad offered by First 
Focus Campaign for Children. It says, ``Thank you for making children 
your First Focus,'' and it lists maybe as many as 80 to 100 Members, 
including many of those who spoke today against the bill, but it says, 
``Thank you for making children your First Focus.'' That is what this 
bill is about.
  It is not just a simple authorization. Yes, we do pass those from 
time to time. This actually directs. The language of the bill says, 
``shall be transferred.'' Shall. It doesn't use the word ``may,'' ``may 
be,'' whatever. ``Shall be transferred to a fund in the Treasury to be 
known as the `10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund' which 
shall''--not may--``which shall be available only for the purpose 
provided in . . . the Public Health Service Act, and only to the extent 
and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts.''
  We made it pretty tight. The authors of this bill made it pretty 
tight. Tell me how we can make it tighter.
  Mr. HOYER. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. UPTON. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. I will be glad to make a suggestion on how you could do 
that.
  Mr. UPTON. Well, to me, we use ``shall'' a number of different times.
  Mr. HOYER. You have got to have money.
  Mr. UPTON. Well, that is what we do. We take money.
  Mr. HOYER. If you don't have any money, you can't spend it.
  Mr. UPTON. The money comes from the political conventions. I mean, 
that is the direct offset that is used.
  All of us cry for these families that lose these beautiful little 
kids. This bill, if it passes and gets enacted, will provide money to 
help families like Gabriella's, who lost a beautiful little girl, who 
really used the last year of her life to promote a fund like this and 
work with the NIH. That is what this should be all about, and I commend 
Mr. Cantor and others.

[[Page 18433]]

  The rule that we hear is you have to find an offset when you increase 
spending. That is what this bill does. And it finds an offset that I 
think many of us could accept to actually fund the program and direct 
the dollars to a fund within the NIH to make sure that it works. That 
is what we want to have happen.
  I would urge my colleagues to vote for this bill. Yes, it is under 
suspension, no amendments. We need a two-thirds vote, so I ask my 
colleagues to support this bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2019, the Kids 
First Research Act. This among the most hypocritical bills I have seen 
during my time in Congress, and it should be rejected. My friends on 
the other side of the aisle say this bill will increase pediatric 
research funding at the National Institutes of Health, when in fact it 
does nothing of the sort. Furthermore, their record demonstrates that 
they have little interest in actually funding life-saving medical 
research for children.
  This legislation does not give NIH a single dollar to spend on 
pediatric research. Instead, it only provides an authorization for 
future funding to be provided by the Appropriations Committee. The 
unfortunate fact is this funding is still subject to sequestration 
which has resulted in $1.55 billion being cut from NIH during fiscal 
year 2013. Therefore, this bill does not increase spending at NIH at 
all. It seems this is nothing more than a distraction to confuse people 
about the terrible record the GOP has on this issue.
  Since my friends on the other side of the aisle have been in the 
majority, NIH funding has decreased by $4.2 billion, or 13 percent. 
Furthermore, the funding allocation provided to the Labor-HHS-Education 
Subcommittee for fiscal year 2014 is 22 percent below the enacted 
level, meaning more cuts are coming. The small, $16 million 
authorization that this bill provides will do nothing to reverse the 
damage that these policies have had on medical research across our 
country.
  If my Republican colleagues are serious about helping children and, 
promoting medical research, they should work with Democrats in a 
bipartisan manner to repeal sequestration and replace it with sensible 
spending cuts, rather than allowing these damaging cuts to NIH to 
continue. NIH does not need another meaningless authorization that goes 
unfunded, they need actual dollars that go to research. I find it hard 
to believe that my friends on the other side of the aisle truly care 
about funding pediatric research when their record demonstrates just 
the opposite. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this cynical 
legislation.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the 
``Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.'' H.R. 2019 purports to end 
the public's contribution to political party conventions and redirect 
the savings into research on childhood diseases at the National 
Institutes of Health. In fact, the bill does no such thing.
  While I strongly support efforts to increase funding for pediatric 
research and other research at NIH, I do not believe H.R. 2019 does 
anything to advance this goal. This bill claims to make available to 
NIH, the $12.6 million per year raised as public support for the 
expenses of party conventions. In actuality, that bill would not do 
anything to restore the funding cuts that Republicans have strongly 
supported over the last few years, because it does not actually provide 
any additional funds to NIH. It only directs the money to be made 
available in appropriations.
  These funds will still have to go through the regular appropriations 
process, fully subject to the Budget Control Act caps--as reduced by 
sequestration--and will have to comply with the spending allocations of 
the Appropriations Committee. It is this exact process, caps, and 
especially sequestration that cut $1.55 billion from NIH last year 
alone, dramatically reduced NIH funding for cancer and other research 
capabilities.
  This bill only authorizes $12.6 million per year, which is four-
tenths of one percent of the roughly $3.6 billion that NIH spent on 
pediatric research last year. Adding one more unfunded authorization 
will not interrupt the destructive downward trend this country is 
experiencing in research funding. It is not even an honest attempt to 
do this. NIH is already authorized to spend well beyond the $12.6 
million a year this legislation allows.
  Republicans aim to show that pediatric research is a priority, but 
you only have to look at H.R. 1, the House Republican spending proposal 
from the 112th Congress, to see what their true priorities are. That 
proposal, which the vast majority of Republicans supported, slashed 
total funding for the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee by 22 percent, 
which would have cost NIH $6.7 billion. The reality is that few 
Republicans are genuinely interested in providing adequate funding for 
the NIH.
  Mr. Speaker, if my Republican colleagues truly want to support 
pediatric research, they should restore the $4.2 billion that has been 
cut from NIH's funding since they took the majority, and they could 
support my bill, H.R. 900, which fully repeals sequestration.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend this chamber for 
coming together to pass The Gabrielle Miller Kids First Research Act. 
Ask any parent, our kids always come first, so when it comes to 
utilizing taxpayer dollars; it only makes sense that Washington places 
the children of our nation ahead of partisan politics.
  This bill prioritizes allocations for scientific research of 
pediatric diseases and disorders such as cancer and autism. By 
eliminating taxpayer funding for the Republican and Democratic national 
conventions, and applying these funds to critically needed research for 
cures to childhood disorders, we are truly doing important and lasting 
work for our constituents--including the most precious and vulnerable.
  As a member of the Autism Caucus, the chance to prioritize federal 
dollars for critical research on Autism, and those families living with 
it, is a great opportunity. Ensuring the best for our children, 
especially those with pediatric disorders, is vital for the continued 
success of our nation. It is heartening that this Congress was able to 
come together and work on their behalf.
  I am proud to have the opportunity to work with Autism groups in my 
community, in Pennsylvania's 8th District, that are ready to work with 
the us in putting an end to Autism and all other pediatric diseases.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the Senate to quickly take up this bill and show 
that Washington is ready to put our kids first.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
opposition to H.R. 2019, The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act. 
This bill completely bypassed procedure in the House, skipping any 
committee action prior to a full House vote and leaving no opportunity 
for discussion as to what could be the best way to fund pediatric 
research.
  While my colleagues and I fully support increased funding to the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pediatric research, the ``Kids 
First Research Act'' would not provide any additional funds to the NIH 
for this purpose. The bill merely authorizes that the Presidential 
Election Campaign Fund be available to a certain extent. These funds 
would still be subject to the Budget Control Act caps and the normal 
Appropriations Committee process.
  H.R. 2019 is merely a messaging tactic for House Republicans to 
appear to be supportive of biomedical research funding. House 
Republicans attempted to cut $1.6 billion from NIH funding in 2011. 
This year, sequestration cut the NIH budget by $1.55 billion and took 
an additional $255 million from the cancer institute and $66 million 
from the child health institute within the NIH.
  If House Republicans intend to increase funding for NIH research, 
they should do so by replacing sequestration with a more balanced 
approach. This bill not only restricts funding for the NIH, it 
represents Congressional micromanagement of research. Overall, HR. 2019 
does nothing to advance the goals of biomedical research. I urge my 
colleagues to support the work of our scientists and researchers and 
oppose the Kids First Research Act.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, today House Republicans forced a vote on 
the cynically misnamed ``Kids First Research Act.'' The bill purports 
to increase funding for pediatric research by transferring $12.6 
million from the public financing for party nominating conventions. 
That might sound substantial if it weren't designed to mask the fact 
that House Republicans have slashed NIH funding by $4.2 billion in the 
last three years. In fact, their most recent budget proposal would have 
cut NIH funding by another 20%. It's one of the most cynical acts I've 
seen in a Congress and reminds me of what my friend, humorist Jim 
Boren, used to say, ``If you're going to be a phony, at least be 
sincere about it.''

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill, the 
so called Kids First Research Act.
  The bill that we are considering here today has been brought up under 
the pretense of providing funding for pediatric research at the 
National Institutes of Health by redirecting the funds from the 
Presidential Election Campaign Fund to the amount of $12.6 million per 
year.
  As I am sure my colleagues know, I have always been a strong 
supporter of research at the NIH.
  But the legislation before us is nothing more than a duplicitous 
attempt by Republicans to act as if they are providing support to the 
NIH.

[[Page 18434]]

Yet in reality, NIH has seen its budget attacked and slashed in recent 
years. In 2011, the Republican budget proposed a $1.6 billion cut to 
the NIH in a single year. I wonder where the compassion for children 
was then.
  This very day the Republicans are bringing forward a budget agreement 
they want us to support that cuts $172 billion in discretionary 
spending from levels President Obama and Democrats proposed in 2011. 
This so called compromise will maintain a majority of cuts imposed by 
sequestration.
  When sequestration went into effect, the NIH saw a $1.55 billion cut 
to its budget. Of that, sequestration cut $255 million from the NIH's 
cancer institute and $66 million from the child health institute. Where 
was the outrage when those cuts went into effect?
  If we truly cared about research at the NIH, we would not be 
proposing a $12.6 million dollar increase in funding, we would be 
talking about restoring the $1.55 billion cut by sequestration and then 
some.
  The Kids First Research Act has a nice name and a noble intent, but 
no substance, and thus I cannot support this sad pretense.

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gabriella Miller, 
a brave little girl who was taken from the world much too soon. I know 
Gabriella's parents are here in the House gallery and I want to express 
to them how sorry I am for their loss. Gabriella was a real fighter, 
not only for herself but for the thousands of other children across the 
country who are battling cancer. I'm pleased to join my colleague, 
Michael McCaul, in co-chairing the Congressional Childhood Cancer 
Caucus in the House. Over the years, I've had the privilege of meeting 
hundreds of young people like Gabriella and families like the Millers. 
I've heard their heartbreak and frustration, and share their commitment 
to finding a cure for this devastating disease. The National Institutes 
of Health play a critical role in this effort--conducting basic 
research toward finding cures, supporting clinical trials, and 
developing treatments for childhood cancer and other pediatric 
illnesses. I firmly believe that as a nation we should be investing 
more in pediatric research but the bill on the floor won't do that.
  Today's bill purports to increase pediatric research by $13 million 
per year by terminating public financing for political conventions. 
Assuming last year's 5 percent sequester at NIH was spread evenly 
across their programs, then pediatric research would have been cut by 
roughly $182 million in 2013. The bill's $13 million would return less 
than 10 percent of the funding to pediatric research that was lost to 
sequester last year. On top of that, the bill doesn't actually 
appropriate any funding, but instead authorizes appropriations, which 
does not guarantee that these funds will be available.
  Mr. Speaker, today's bill isn't a sincere effort to increase funding 
for pediatric research and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. 
Since the Republican majority took office in 2011, they've racked up a 
dismal record on NIH, having cut its budget by total of $4.2 billion or 
13 percent when adjusted for inflation. If Republicans are really 
serious about pediatric research, and in fact want to put kids first, 
then they should work with us to replace the sequester with a balanced 
budget package.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2019, 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. PALLONE. 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, this 15-
minute vote on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 2019 will be 
followed by 5-minute votes on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 
2319, S. 1471, H.R. 3212, and H.R. 1992.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 295, 
nays 103, not voting 33, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 632]

                               YEAS--295

     Aderholt
     Amash
     Amodei
     Bachmann
     Bachus
     Barber
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barrow (GA)
     Barton
     Benishek
     Bentivolio
     Bera (CA)
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NY)
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Bonamici
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Braley (IA)
     Bridenstine
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Cantor
     Capito
     Capuano
     Carney
     Carter
     Cartwright
     Cassidy
     Castor (FL)
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Coble
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cooper
     Costa
     Cotton
     Courtney
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Cuellar
     Daines
     Davis, Rodney
     DeFazio
     Delaney
     DelBene
     Denham
     Dent
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Duckworth
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers
     Enyart
     Esty
     Farenthold
     Fattah
     Fincher
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Foxx
     Frelinghuysen
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia
     Gardner
     Garrett
     Gerlach
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gingrey (GA)
     Gohmert
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Grayson
     Green, Gene
     Griffin (AR)
     Griffith (VA)
     Grimm
     Guthrie
     Hall
     Hanabusa
     Hanna
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings (FL)
     Hastings (WA)
     Heck (NV)
     Heck (WA)
     Hensarling
     Himes
     Holding
     Horsford
     Hudson
     Huelskamp
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurt
     Issa
     Jenkins
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Jordan
     Joyce
     Keating
     Kelly (PA)
     Kilmer
     Kind
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kirkpatrick
     Kline
     Kuster
     Labrador
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Lankford
     Latham
     Latta
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loebsack
     Long
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan Grisham (NM)
     Lummis
     Lynch
     Maffei
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marino
     Massie
     Matheson
     McAllister
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinley
     McNerney
     Meadows
     Meehan
     Meng
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Miller, Gary
     Mullin
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (FL)
     Murphy (PA)
     Neal
     Neugebauer
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Olson
     Owens
     Palazzo
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Perry
     Peters (CA)
     Peters (MI)
     Peterson
     Petri
     Pittenger
     Pitts
     Poe (TX)
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Rahall
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Ribble
     Rice (SC)
     Rigell
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Royce
     Ruiz
     Runyan
     Ryan (OH)
     Ryan (WI)
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sinema
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Southerland
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Stockman
     Stutzman
     Terry
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tipton
     Tsongas
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Veasey
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Walz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Welch
     Wenstrup
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yarmuth
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IN)

                               NAYS--103

     Andrews
     Becerra
     Blumenauer
     Brady (PA)
     Broun (GA)
     Brown (FL)
     Capps
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Crowley
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Farr
     Frankel (FL)
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Higgins
     Hinojosa
     Holt
     Honda
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Levin
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Matsui
     McCollum
     McGovern
     Michaud
     Miller, George
     Moran
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Negrete McLeod
     Nolan
     O'Rourke
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Pingree (ME)
     Pocan
     Polis
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Richmond
     Roybal-Allard
     Rush
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Speier
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Tierney
     Titus
     Tonko
     Van Hollen
     Vargas
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waxman
     Wilson (FL)

                             NOT VOTING--33

     Bass
     Beatty
     Bishop (GA)
     Butterfield
     Castro (TX)
     Clarke
     Conyers
     Culberson
     Cummings
     Doyle
     Franks (AZ)
     Fudge
     Green, Al
     Herrera Beutler
     Jackson Lee
     Lee (CA)
     Lewis
     McCarthy (NY)
     McDermott
     McMorris Rodgers
     Meeks
     Moore
     Nunnelee
     Pastor (AZ)
     Radel
     Rangel
     Ruppersberger
     Schock
     Schwartz
     Scott (VA)
     Sewell (AL)
     Waters
     Watt

                              {time}  1600

  Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, 
and Mr. TIERNEY changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''

[[Page 18435]]


  Messrs. KINGSTON, CARNEY, DEUTCH, Ms. GABBARD, Messrs. GARAMENDI, 
YARMUTH, PETERSON of Minnesota, and Ms. HANABUSA changed their vote 
from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and 
the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
eliminate taxpayer financing of political party conventions and 
reprogram savings to provide for a 10-year pediatric research 
initiative through the Common Fund administered by the National 
Institutes of Health, and for other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated for:
  Mr. NUNNELEE. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 632, I was unavoidably 
detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''
  Stated against:
  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 632 I was at a 
medical appointment in Baltimore, MD and therefore unable to vote. Had 
I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

                          ____________________