Date: 2016-05-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak in opposition to H.R. 897. the "Zika Vector Control Act." because this bill was not written with the intent to control Zika carrying mosquitoes. but rather to allow higher amounts of rodenticides. fungicides. and insecticides in water. The title for H.R. 897. two days ago was the "Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2015." I am very interested in doing everything I can to address the threat of Zika Virus. but I am not supportive of tricks or misguided strategies to get legislation to the House floor in the name of Zika prevention that was conceived with no thought of the Zika Virus in mind. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. which has a core mission of emergency preparedness of state and local governments to be equipped to react to emergencies make me acutely aware of the potential for the Zika Virus to be a real challenge for state and local governments during the coming months. I thank President Obama for his leadership in requesting $1.9 billion to address the threat of the Zika Virus. The 18th Congressional District of Texas. which I represent has a tropical climate and very likely of having to confront the challenge of Zika Virus carrying mosquitoes before mosquito season ends in the Fall. Houston. Texas. like many cities. towns. and parishes along the Gulf Coast. has a tropical climate hospitable to mosquitoes that carry the Zika Virus like parts of Central and South America. as well as the Caribbean. For this reason. I am sympathetic to those members who have districts along the Gulf Coast. These areas are known to have both types of the Zika Virus vectors: the Aedes Aegypti [Aupti] and the Asian Tiger Mosquito. which is why I held a meeting in Houston on March 10. 2016 about this evolving health threat. I convened a meeting with Houston. Harris County and State officials at every level of responsibility to combat the Zika Virus to discuss preparations that would mitigate its. The participants included Dr. Peter Hotez. Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Dubboun. Director of the Harris County Public Health Environmental Services Mosquito Control Division who gave strong input on the critical need to address the threat on a multipronged approach. Dr. Dubboun. Director of the Harris County Public Health Environmental Services Mosquito Control Division stressed that we cannot spray our way out of the Zika Virus threat. He was particularly cautious about the over use of spraying because of its collateral threat to the environment and people. We should not forget that Flint. Michigan was an example of short sighted thinking on the part of government decision makers. which resulted in the contamination of the citys water supply. The participants in the meeting represented the senior persons at every. state and local agency with responsiblity for Zika Virus response and they agreed we need plan to address the Zika Virus in the Houston and Harris County area that will include every aspect of the community. The collective wisdom of these experts revealed that we should not let the fear of the Zika Virus control public policy. Instead we should get in front of the problem then we can control the Zika Virus from its sourcetargeting mosquitoes. The consequences of too much insecticide. rodenticides or fungicides in water are knownto kill aquatic life and cause real damage to the food chain upon which fish and larger sea life rely. Along the Coast of the United States. many habitat restoration efforts are centered on the reduction of chemical run off from urban areas. not increasing insecticide pollutants in their waters. The real fight against the Zika Virus will be bottled neighborhood by neighborhood and will rely upon the resources and expertise of local government working closely with State governments with supported of federal government agencies. The consensus of the experts related to H.R. 897. the Zika Vector Control Act. is that we cannot rely heavily on spraying techniques to control Zika Virus carrying mosquitoes. Yes. spraying can reduce the population of mosquitoes. but it cannot eliminate the threat and we can reach a point where the presence of chemical insecticides is in fact more harmful than helpful. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito is the greatest threat to people has evolved to be near people. These mosquitoes fly close to the ground. enter homes or stay nearby places where people live. The spraying that this bill permits is on an industrial scale using products that are not found in a local grocery or home supply store. The most important approach to control the spread of Zika Virus is poverty and the conditions that may exist in poor communities can be of greatest risk for the Zika Virus breeding habitats for vector mosquitoes. It is the illegal dumping of tires. open ditches. torn screens. or no screens at all during the long hot days of summer that will unfortunately create a perfect storm for the spread of the virus. Zika Virus Prevention Kits like those being distributed in Puerto Rico will be essential to the fight against Zika Virus along the Gulf Coast. These kits should include mosquito nets for beds. Bed nets have proven to be essential in the battle to reduce malaria by providing protection and reducing the ability of biting insects to come in contact with people. Mosquito netting has fine holes that are big enough to allow breezes to easily pass through. but small enough to keep mosquitoes and other biting insects out. Bed nets that are not pretreated with insecticide are effective and they can be treated with DEET products after purchase. Mr. Speaker. there is no need to be alarmed. but we should be preparing to do what we can to prevent and mitigate the Zika Virus in communities around the nation. We know that 33 states have one or both of the vector mosquitoes. Dr. Peter Hotez said that we can anticipated that the Americas including the United States can expect 4 million the Zika Virus cases in the next four months and to date there are over a million cases in Brazil. The most serious outcome the Zika Virus exposure is birth defects that can occur during pregnancy if the mother is exposed to the Zika Virus. Infections of pregnant women can result in: still births. the rate of Microcephaly based on Zika Virus exposure far exceeds that number. Microcephaly is brain underdevelopment either at birth or the brain failing to develop properly after birth. which can cause: difficulty walking. difficulty hearing. and difficulty with speech. I call on my colleagues to pass the Presidents request for the $1.9 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations. I urge my colleagues to reject H.R. 897. and support the Presidents request to fight the Zika Virus threat.