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IN SUPPORT OF THE GABRIELLA MILLER KIDS FIRST RESEARCH ACT 2.0
______
HON. JENNIFER WEXTON
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, which I introduced today. If enacted, this bipartisan bill would make great strides to fund the fight against childhood cancer, birth defects, and other rare childhood diseases.
Cancer is the number one cause of disease-related death in children age 14 and younger. This year alone, it's estimated that more than 10,000 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer. In addition, one in 33 babies born in the U.S. are affected by a birth defect and birth defects are the leading cause of death among infants. Unfortunately, these childhood diseases are still poorly understood, and additional funding is greatly needed to augment existing research to promote new discoveries for children affected by them.
Congress passed the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act in 2014 to uncover new insights into the biology of childhood disease. The law established a Ten-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund within the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Common Fund and authorized $12.6 million in funds annually for pediatric disease research through the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program, commonly known as Kids First. Since the original law was enacted, Kids First has made progress towards understanding childhood cancer and disease. It has initiated the Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center--a comprehensive data resource for research and patient communities meant to advance discoveries.
The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 builds off the important progress made by the 2014 Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act by providing a new source of funding for the Kids First Research Fund. Specifically, the bill would redirect civil monetary sanctions levied against pharmaceutical, medical device, supplement and cosmetic manufacturers by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. By diverting penalties going into the General Treasury from these companies that break the law, the bill would sustain Kids First's critical childhood disease research for generations to come.
The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 is named to honor 10-year-old Gabriella Miller who passed away from an inoperable brain tumor. She was a fierce advocate for childhood cancer research and her efforts to boost awareness of childhood cancer helped raise funds for children's cancer charities. January 13, 2021 would've been Gabriella's eighteenth birthday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate her birthday than introducing this bill to honor her memory. I would like to thank Gabriella's mother and my constituent, Ellyn Miller, for her tireless advocacy on behalf of children with cancer through Smashing Walnuts. I am honored to have worked closely with Ellyn on the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0.
Although we are experiencing tough times on Capitol Hill, this bipartisan bill demonstrates that we can all come together for this great cause. I'm proud to introduce this bill to help find treatments and cures so that our nation's children will have a fighting chance to survive cancer and other rare disease. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 will reaffirm our strong commitment to finding cures for childhood diseases.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 17
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