[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4109]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            GABRIELLA MILLER KIDS FIRST RESEARCH SAVINGS ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 289, H.R. 2019.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant bill clerk read as follows:

       An act (H.R. 2019) 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.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to proceeding to the 
measure?
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I reserve the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we on this side accept this measure, but I 
do have a few things I want to say before saying there is no objection.
  Sequestration cut $1.6 billion from NIH last year--$1.6 billion. In 
the omnibus we passed, we gave them current level funding, but that 
hole for NIH is still there. NIH has lost huge amounts of money over 
the past few years in the way that we have struggled to get financing 
for our country. We in the past have been the guiding light for 
research on diseases and conditions. We are still there, but we are 
losing ground. Every country in the world looks at the NIH as a place 
they would like to be.
  This is a small amount of money, but it will be extremely helpful to 
the NIH.
  I would hope my Republican colleagues would join with us in 
increasing funding for the National Institutes of Health.
  Senator Durbin is going to introduce a bill today that will fund NIH 
at levels they need to be funded. It has to be paid for, but it is so 
very important that we not claim victory for the NIH because of this. 
It is a small victory and I accept that. I think it is extremely 
important that we understand the NIH is billions of dollars short of 
being able to maintain the place they have had in years past.
  I repeat, they have been losing ground. The last 5 years have been 
extremely tough for them. We need to do better for the National 
Institutes of Health. We have scientists around our country who want to 
do good work. They want to devote their lives to medical research, but 
they are not applying for these grants. So many of them are turned down 
that they are basically--well, maybe I won't even bother trying.
  I am pleased to hear the Republican leader move forward. It is 
something that is a small step forward to help children who badly need 
help in the ways of these diseases, which are so difficult for the 
kids, of course, for the parents and families and certainly our 
country.
  Again, before we leave this issue, I would hope that the 
appropriations process we are going to go through this year will help 
us get money. What we have done today is only an authorization, and the 
public out there should understand it is only an authorization. Until 
we have appropriations going, there will be nothing going to pediatric 
research at the National Institutes of Health. We have to carry forward 
and not have all of these banner headlines that the kids are going to 
suddenly get help they deserve. That will not happen until we 
appropriate money for this.
  I do not object.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third 
time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and 
laid on the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 2019) was ordered to a third reading, was read the 
third time, and passed.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I wish to reiterate what we have done. H.R. 2019, 
which will now go to the President for signature--the original author 
is Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the House--will 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 NIH.

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