[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 618 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 618
Honoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 75th
anniversary of its establishment and expressing deep gratitude on
behalf of the people of the United States to the scientists, disease
detectives, career civil servants, and support staff at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention for their dedication to protecting the
health, safety, and security of the United States and to strengthening
public health in the United States and abroad.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 31, 2021
Ms. Williams of Georgia (for herself, Mr. Levin of California, Mrs.
McBath, Miss Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Bourdeaux, and
Mr. David Scott of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 75th
anniversary of its establishment and expressing deep gratitude on
behalf of the people of the United States to the scientists, disease
detectives, career civil servants, and support staff at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention for their dedication to protecting the
health, safety, and security of the United States and to strengthening
public health in the United States and abroad.
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this
preamble as the ``CDC''), based in Atlanta, Georgia, was established by
the United States Government on July 1, 1946, initially to prevent the
spread of malaria in the United States, and soon became the premier
public health agency of the United States;
Whereas, because medical epidemiologists were scarce in the United States prior
to the establishment of the CDC, disease surveillance became the
cornerstone of the mission of service of the CDC to the States;
Whereas, since 1946, the scientists, disease detectives, career civil servants,
and support staff of the CDC have worked every day to combat diseases
like malaria, yellow fever, smallpox, polio, influenza, and Ebola;
Whereas the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the CDC has trained disease
detectives at home and abroad, producing some of the top epidemiologists
in the world;
Whereas the CDC has played a vital role in implementing high-profile and
innovative programs, including the President's Malaria Initiative, the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and the Global Health
Security Agenda, helping save millions of human lives;
Whereas the staff of the CDC were instrumental in global efforts to effectively
eradicate smallpox in 1980 and are currently working to eliminate polio
worldwide;
Whereas the CDC has spent decades building public health infrastructure and
capacity around the world to detect, respond to, and contain outbreaks
of deadly diseases like Zika and Ebola;
Whereas the CDC assisted with disaster relief in Haiti, partnering with the
Haitian public health ministry to respond to the cholera outbreak after
the devastating 2010 earthquake;
Whereas the CDC has an established record of working to improve access to cancer
screenings and treatment, prevent child malnutrition, protect workers,
reduce developmental disabilities and birth defects, prevent injuries,
and protect the public from dangerous environmental exposures;
Whereas the National Asthma Control Program of the CDC funds programs for
States, schools, and nongovernmental organizations to help train
professionals and educate people living with asthma and their families;
Whereas the CDC has worked to end the opioid overdose crisis by funding efforts
to improve data collection about opioid use and implement evidence-based
strategies to save lives;
Whereas a core principle of public health is that every person should be able to
reach his or her full health potential, and the CDC seeks to remove
barriers to health linked to race or ethnicity, education, income,
location, or other social factors, including vital work to improve
health equity;
Whereas the CDC employs more than 23,000 employees around the world, supporting
the agency's 24/7 mission of saving lives and protecting people from
health threats;
Whereas political leaders of the United States should support and empower the
public health experts at the CDC and other leading national health
agencies to guide with science during public health crises; and
Whereas the strength and efficacy of the public health system of the United
States and the response of the United States to the COVID-19 pandemic
depends upon the leadership, expertise, and professionalism of the CDC
staff who continue working tirelessly to fight COVID-19 and provide
science-based guidance to protect families and save lives in the United
States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this resolution
as the ``CDC'');
(2) declares its deep gratitude on behalf of the people of
the United States to the scientists, disease detectives, career
civil servants, and support staff at the CDC for their
dedication to fighting diseases and working every day to combat
the COVID-19 pandemic;
(3) urges Federal agencies, State and local governments,
and organizations nationwide to study and incorporate the
evidence-based public health guidance and recommendations
provided by the CDC;
(4) expresses its confidence in the scientific method,
evidence-based policymaking, and the medical and public health
professions, including the scientific field of epidemiology;
and
(5) honors the contributions of the CDC staff for their
leadership and dedicated public service to protecting the
health, safety, and security of the United States, and to
strengthening public health in the United States and abroad.
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