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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 315 Introduced in House (IH)]

106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 315

Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to increased funding 
   for the immunizations program under the Public Health Service Act.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2000

   Mr. Green of Texas (for himself and Mr. Greenwood) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to increased funding 
   for the immunizations program under the Public Health Service Act.

Whereas vaccines protect children and adults from over 15 serious and 
        potentially fatal diseases;
Whereas society saves up to $24 in medical and societal costs for every dollar 
        spent on vaccines;
Whereas every day, 11,000 American babies are born--4 million each year--and 
        each child needs up to 19 doses of vaccine by age 2;
Whereas approximately 1,000,000 two-year-olds in the United States have not 
        received all of the recommended vaccine doses;
Whereas in order to provide grants to States and communities for the purchase of 
        vaccines and the management of vaccine activity, the Congress created 
        the immunization program under section 317(j) under the Public Health 
        Service Act, administered by the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention;
Whereas under the immunization program, Federal grants to States and communities 
        for operations and infrastructure have declined from $271,000,000 in 
        1995 to $139,000,000 in 2000;
Whereas because of these funding reductions and cost increases, States are 
        struggling to maintain immunization rates and have implemented severe 
        cuts to immunization delivery activities including canceling contracts 
        with providers under WIC (the Federal program for women, infants, and 
        children), private providers, and community health centers and community 
        coalitions; and these funding reductions and cost increases have caused 
        severe reductions in registry development and maintenance and have 
        caused reductions in clinic hours and the delivery of immunizations;
Whereas despite overall gains in the number of children being immunized, 
        underimmunized children exist and there are a number of subpopulations 
        where coverage rates remain low and are actually declining, and rates in 
        many of the Nation's urban areas, including the cities of Chicago and 
        Houston, are unacceptably low;
Whereas these pockets of need create pools of susceptible children and increase 
        the risk of dangerous disease outbreaks;
Whereas increased funding is needed to allow States to meet immunization goals; 
        and
Whereas the Congress should fund the immunization program under section 317(j) 
        of the Public Health Service Act at a level sufficient to allow States 
        to meet immunization targets: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that $214,000,000 should be 
appropriated for fiscal year 2001 to carry out infrastructure and 
delivery activities under section 317(j) of the Public Health Service 
Act.
                                 <all>
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