THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

17

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.

 

WHEREAS, over 1.7 million Americans die annually from just four diseases: heart disease (945,836), cancer (550,000), stroke (167,661), and diabetes (69,301); and

WHEREAS, heart disease, cancer, and stroke alone caused Americans to spend over $500 billion a year; and

WHEREAS, new drugs Gleevec for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, and Herceptin for breast cancer, are less toxic and more effective than older drugs, but inadequate research funding may prevent access by cancer patients; and

WHEREAS, the National Institutes of Health support the work of more than fifty thousand scientists in every state and several foreign countries, in every medical field, as well as from every major university and medical school; and

WHEREAS, the goal of the National Institutes of Health's research is to acquire new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat every disease and disability; and

WHEREAS, the National Institutes of Health can only fund one out of every four research proposals, leaving three of every four possible cures unfunded; and

WHEREAS, John Ruffin, Ph.D., Director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities stated, "The National Institutes of Health has always been at the forefront of progress in the area of minority health, from the first centres in the early 1970's to study sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder primarily affecting African-Americans, to more recent studies on HIV/AIDS, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer"; and

WHEREAS, Elias Zerhouni, M.D., the Director of the National Institutes of Health, stated, "Only further fundamental discovery will allow us to meet the health care challenges facing us." He also said, "We need to bring the fruits of our research to clinical testing more rapidly and enhance our ability to prevent and detect diseases much earlier"; and

WHEREAS, the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding believes only continued, sustained investment in life-saving medical science today will provide cures and therapies tomorrow; and

WHEREAS, in a recent poll conducted by Research! America, ninety-seven per cent of polled American citizens believed that the United States should maintain its global leadership in research and improving healthcare; and

WHEREAS, in a letter to the United States President and Congress in July 2003, over five hundred health organizations expressed concern with the proposed fiscal year 2004 funding levels for the National Institutes of Health; and

WHEREAS, in a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the United States Senate Labor-Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee on Appropriations, Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) wrote: "Without increased funding, ongoing research will be stalled and pathways of discovery will not be explored. At a time when the nation is confronted with serious health challenges ranging from chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and Alzheimer's, to West Nile virus, SARS and the ever-present threat of bioterrorism, we must not diminish our commitment to medical research"; and

WHEREAS, during consideration of the Labor-Health and Human Services, Education appropriations bill in early September 2003, fifty-two Senators voted for an amendment offered by Senators Specter, Harkin, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Susan Collins (R-ME) to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health by an additional $1.5 billion, or 9.2 per cent. Unfortunately, budget rules required sixty votes for the amendment to pass. Currently, however, sixty-nine Senators are on the record supporting increased funding for the National Institutes of Health; and

WHEREAS, Senator Feinstein stated, "By pledging an additional $1.5 billion, Congress will be able to help ensure that the NIH will be better equipped to meet the many medical challenges facing our society. Millions of people depend on the research this amendment would fund. We cannot afford to let them down"; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the United States Congress is respectfully urged to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to Hawaii's congressional delegation.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

National Institutes of Health; Increase Funding