From: The Honorable Nita M. Lowey
Sent By:
dana.miller@mail.house.gov
Bill: H.R. 5044
Date: 4/27/2016
Cosponsor the Emergency Supplemental on the Zika Virus (H.R. 5044)
Introduced by Appropriations Ranking Member Nita M. Lowey
Original Cosponsors: Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Dear Colleague,
As of April 20, the Zika virus – which is a confirmed cause of microcephaly and other neurological disorders – has infected 891 individuals in the U.S. States and Territories, including at least 81 pregnant women. These numbers are a small fraction of what other countries are facing, as Brazil has diagnosed more than 90,000 cases of Zika and 4,900 cases of corresponding microcephaly. The World Health Organization estimates that between three and four million Zika infections will occur worldwide.
While the House majority refuses to act in the face of this public health emergency, Appropriations Democrats have introduced an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to provide urgently needed resources to mount a robust response. The bill reflects
President Obama’s request to Congress, and includes domestic and international investments, research and development, public education, and assistance to Puerto Rico.
President Obama’s request to Congress, and includes domestic and international investments, research and development, public education, and assistance to Puerto Rico.
Please join me in cosponsoring H.R. 5044 to support a comprehensive emergency response to combating the Zika virus. For more information or to cosponsor the legislation, contact Dana Miller in Rep. Lowey’s office at
Dana.Miller@mail.house.gov.
Dana.Miller@mail.house.gov.
A summary of H.R. 5044 is below and can also be found on the Democratic Committee on Appropriations website,
here.
here.
Sincerely,
Nita M. Lowey
Health and Human Services: $1.509 billion
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC): $743 million
- Puerto Rico: $165 million to expand mosquito control programs to reduce transmission of Zika virus and enhance laboratory capacity for Zika testing in Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories. These resources would also expand surveillance and
response to local transmission, as well as deploy prevention and education strategies, with a focus on pregnant women and babies. - Domestic Response: $428 million to support domestic response activities. This funding would help prevent, detect, and respond to Zika, strengthen state and local response capabilities, and establish teams for rapid response to clusters
in local areas of the United States. CDC would provide grants and deploy emergency response teams, enhance epidemiology, laboratory, and surveillance capacity, conduct public education campaigns, conduct surveillance with a focus on pregnant women, research
links between Zika and microcephaly, and develop new mosquito control techniques. - International Response: $150 million to expand field epidemiology training, conduct infectious disease surveillance, and emergency response activities in Zika-affected countries.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
$246 million for a one-year increase in the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) from 55 to 65 percent in Puerto Rico and other U.S. Territories, to support health services for pregnant women at risk of infection or diagnosed with the Zika
virus and for children with microcephaly and other birth defects, and for other health care costs. - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
$277 million for NIH to research and develop Zika vaccines and diagnostics. Such funding would support both Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of vaccine development. - Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Agency (BARDA)
$188 million for BARDA to research and develop Zika vaccines and diagnostics. The state of the science necessitates launching multiple candidates, which will increase viable options for a vaccine. - Additional HHS Activities
- $10 million would be provided to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for vaccine and diagnostic review,
- $20 million to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for screening and treatment services at community health centers, as well as maternal and child home visiting services, and
- $25 million for a HHS-wide contingency fund to respond to urgent and emerging threats.
State and Foreign Operations: $376 million
- USAID Global health Programs
$325 million would support affected countries’ ability to implement vector management and control programs and reduce transmission of the Zika virus; support maternal and child health; expand public communication and behavior change efforts; and create new
incentives for the development of vaccines, diagnostics, vector control innovations, and other global health technologies - International Organizations
A total of $21.5 million would be provided as voluntary contributions for international organizations implementing Zika response and research efforts, including World Health Organization (WHO) and its regional arm, PAHO, UNICEF, and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) for work on nuclear diagnostics. - A total of $29.6 million would be provided for public diplomacy, USAID operating expenses, and treatment and evacuations of U.S. Government employees and other U.S. citizens who have contracted the virus or face severe risk.