I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 875
To provide for programs to develop and implement integrated cockroach
management programs in urban communities that are effective in reduc-
ing health risks to inner city residents, especially children, suffering
from asthma and asthma-related illnesses.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
Mr. RUSH (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. SERRANO, Mr.
PAYNE, Mr. FORD, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mrs.
CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSEN, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Ms. KIL-
PATRICK, Mr. FROST, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. HILLIARD, Mrs. JONES of
Ohio, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr.
KUCINICH, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, and Mr. SMITH of
New Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Commerce
A BILL
To provide for programs to develop and implement integrated
cockroach management programs in urban communities
that are effective in reducing health risks to inner city
residents, especially children, suffering from asthma and
asthma-related illnesses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
HR 875 IH
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Urban Asthma Reduc-
tion Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) certain pests of public health importance
occur and proliferate at higher rates in urban envi-
ronments;
(2) these pests may spread infectious disease
and contribute to the worsening of chronic res-
piratory illnesses, including asthma;
(3) pollution, smoking, pesticides, and other en-
vironmental factors, including exposure to cock-
roaches, may contribute to and worsen the condition
of individuals, especially children, suffering from
asthma;
(4) the widespread use of pesticides poses
health risks to children, as documented by the Na-
tional Research Council;
(5) the number of Americans suffering from
Asthma has increased 75 percent since 1980;
(6) more than 15 million Americans suffer from
an asthma;
(7) children residing in the poorest neighbor-
hoods of some of America’s largest cities suffer dis-
proportionately from asthma;
HR 875 IH
(8) research supported by the National Insti-
tutes of Health has conclusively demonstrated that
the combination of cockroach allergen and exposure
to the insects is an important cause of asthma-relat-
ed illnesses and hospitalizations among children in
inner-city areas of the United States;
(9) cities outside the United States have devel-
oped and implemented effective systems of cockroach
management;
(10) integrated pest management is a cost-ef-
fective approach to pest control that emphasizes pre-
vention, and uses a range of techniques, including
property maintenance and cleaning, and uses pes-
ticides as means of last resort;
(11) integrated pest management has been used
successfully by Federal agencies, including the Gen-
eral Services Administration and the National For-
est Service;
(12) reducing exposure to cockroach allergen,
as part of an integrated approach to asthma man-
agement, may be a cost-effective way of reducing the
social and economic costs of the disease; and
(13) no current Federal funding exists specifi-
cally to assist cities in developing and implementing
integrated strategies to reduce cockroach infestation.
HR 875 IH
SEC. 3. PREVENTIVE HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES
BLOCK GRANT; SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING
ASTHMA AND ASTHMA-RELATED ILLNESSES
THROUGH 
URBAN 
COCKROACH 
MANAGE-
MENT.
Section 1904(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 300w–3(a)(1)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and
(F) as subparagraphs (F) and (G), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the fol-
lowing subparagraph:
‘‘(E) The establishment, operation, and coordi-
nation of effective and cost-efficient systems to re-
duce the prevalence of asthma and asthma-related
illnesses among urban populations, especially chil-
dren, by reducing the level of exposure to cockroach
allergen through the use of integrated pest manage-
ment, as applied to cockroaches. Amounts expended
for such systems may include the costs of structural
rehabilitation of housing, public schools, and other
public facilities to reduce cockroach infestation, the
costs of building maintenance, and the costs of pro-
grams to promote community participation in the
carrying out at such sites of integrated pest manage-
ment as applied to cockroaches. For purposes of this
subparagraph, the term ‘integrated pest manage-