Advocacy
Hepatitis B Foundation Helps Get CDC $1 Million More for Viral Hepatitis
The Hepatitis B Foundation’s advocacy efforts to raise hepatitis B as a national health priority has successfully resulted in the House Appropriations Committee’s recent approval of a $1 million budget increase in 2008 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Viral Hepatitis. These funds will be used to expand screening, prevention and treatment for at risk and affected individuals.
The Hepatitis B Foundation worked closely with Congressman Mike Honda to help educate lawmakers about the importance of making hepatitis B a national health priority since it chronically affects up to two million Americans, and is a leading cause of liver cancer, which is the fastest growing cancer in the U.S. Read Full Press Release <<link to full press release, which is attached and should be housed in the press release area>>
Congressman Mike Honda spoke publicly during the first session of the 110th Congress on July 17 to express his commitment to increased funding for hepatitis B to reverse the inadequate budgets given to the CDC for hepatitis B.
Congressional Record |
PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110TH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
Vol. 153 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2007 No. 114
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR,
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT
2007
Mr. HONDA. Madam Chairman, I rise today to express my support for this bill and my deep appreciation for the leadership of Chairman
OBEY in the crafting of this bill, the work of the committee staff, and the spirit of bi-partisanship that has marked our subcommittee and full committee proceedings on this bill.
Since being elected to Congress, I have worked hard to become a member of this committee and I find it especially gratifying to have had the opportunity to work on this bill. As Mr. OBEY is fond of saying, this is the people’s bill. It funds the programs which are critical to the health and welfare of millions of my fellow Americans and I feel honored to be a part of taking this country in a new direction.
By rejecting the President’s request that we cut critical labor, health, and education programs by $7.5 billion, and instead investing in targeted, carefully considered increases, this bill shows the American people Congress is serious about preserving and improving the social fabric of our nation.
Although I am disappointed that we were unable to more significantly increase the federal commitment to IDEA, I am glad that the committee protected the program from the President’s proposed $291 million cut. I am particularly proud of the increases the bill makes to Title I—education for the disadvantaged,
Title VII—health professions diversity programs, and CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis.
The more than $4 billion increase in education funding contained in this bill is desperately needed if we are to continue to lead the world in the decades to come. Our students must have solid educational grounding to succeed in college but just as importantly, they must have the means to afford college. The $2 billion increase in Pell grants will go a long way toward making college a reality for many students.
As many of my colleagues know, I have been deeply involved in the effort to bring awareness to the problem of healthcare disparities. Communities of color suffer disproportionately from disparities in healthcare coverage, quality, and outcomes. The investments being made by this bill in Title VII Health Professions programs, particularly the increase in the diversity programs, are vital to increasing the pipeline of minority health professionals in underserved communities.
Finally, I would like to highlight the funding crisis that faces CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis. The budget for this Division has remained almost flat since fiscal year 2002 and this has resulted in a serious curtailment of the Division’s programs. There are an estimated 30 million people in the United States affected by a liver or liver related disease. Asian Americans face a near epidemic, with 1 out of 10 Asian American and Pacific Islanders infected with chronic hepatitis B. Included in the bill’s 7.8 percent increase to the Centers for Disease control, is a $1 million increase for the Division of Viral Hepatitis. This appropriation begins a long overdue reversal of the inadequate budgets given to this Division since fiscal year 2002 and I would like to thank Chairman OBEY for acknowledging the need to rectify this situation.
Again, I would like to thank Chairman OBEY,
Ranking Member WALSH, and all my other colleagues on the committee for their hard work
and urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
