December 3, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 192 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H9194-H9197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  END NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES ACT

  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3460) to facilitate effective research on and treatment of 
neglected tropical diseases through coordinated international efforts.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3460

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``End Neglected Tropical 
     Diseases Act''.

     SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. Statement of policy.
Sec. 4. Findings.
Sec. 5. Definition.
Sec. 6. Rule of construction.
Sec. 7. Expansion of United States Agency for International Development 
              Neglected Tropical Diseases Program.
Sec. 8. Actions by Department of State.
Sec. 9. Multilateral development and health institutions.

     SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States to support a broad 
     range of implementation and research and development 
     activities that work toward the achievement of cost-effective 
     and sustainable treatment, control, and, where possible, 
     elimination of neglected tropical diseases for the economic 
     and social well-being of all people.

     SEC. 4. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 17 
     neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Approximately 2 billion 
     people, almost one-third of the world's population, are at 
     risk of contracting an NTD, and more than 1.4 billion people 
     are currently afflicted with 1 or more NTDs.
       (2) In 2013, WHO adopted a comprehensive resolution on NTDs 
     recognizing that increased national and international 
     investments in prevention and control of neglected tropical 
     diseases have succeeded in improving health and social well-
     being in many countries.
       (3) NTDs have an enormous impact in terms of disease burden 
     and quality of life. NTDs cause the loss of up to 534,000 
     lives and 57 million disability-adjusted life-years each 
     year. NTDs surpass both malaria and tuberculosis in causing 
     greater loss of life-years to disability and premature death. 
     Many NTDs cause disfigurement and disability, leading to 
     stigma, social discrimination, and societal marginalization.
       (4) NTDs create an economic burden of billions of dollars 
     through the loss of productivity and high costs of health 
     care required for treatment. People afflicted by NTDs are 
     less productive than their healthy counterparts. NTDs 
     jeopardize the ability of people to attend work and school, 
     or to produce at full capacity. For example, controlling one 
     NTD, hookworm, in children can result in a 43-percent 
     increase in future wage earnings.
       (5) The social, economic, and health burden of NTDs falls 
     primarily on low- and middle-income countries, where access 
     to safe water, sanitation, and health care is limited. At 
     least 100 countries face 2 endemic NTD burdens, and 30 
     countries carry 6 or more endemic NTDs.
       (6) NTDs are not confined to the developing world, however. 
     Several NTD outbreaks have been reported in the United States 
     and other developed countries, especially among the poor. In 
     the United States, NTDs disproportionately affect people 
     living in poverty, and especially minorities, including up to 
     2.8 million African Americans with toxocariasis and 300,000 
     or more people, mostly Hispanic Americans, with Chagas 
     disease.
       (7) Many NTDs can be controlled, prevented, and even 
     eliminated using low-cost, effective, and feasible solutions. 
     Understanding the economic burden of NTDs on productivity and 
     health care costs can help to assure governments and donors 
     that the resources directed toward NTDs represent a good 
     investment.
       (8) Research and development efforts are immediately needed 
     for all NTDs, especially those for which limited or no 
     treatment currently exists.
       (9) Critical to developing robust NTD control strategies 
     are epidemiological data that identify at-risk populations, 
     ensure appropriate treatment frequency, and inform decisions 
     about when treatment can be reduced or stopped.
       (10) Of the 14 most common NTDs, roughly 80 percent of 
     infections are caused by soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and 
     schistosomiasis. STH are a group of 3 parasitic worms 
     (roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms) that afflict more than 
     1 billion people worldwide, including 600 million school-age 
     children, of whom more than 300 million suffer from severe 
     morbidity. Schistosomiasis is another helminth infection 
     affecting at least 200 million people in developing 
     countries, but some estimates indicate that the true number 
     of people affected may be double or even triple that number.
       (11) The benefits of deworming are immediate and enduring. 
     A rigorous randomized controlled trial has shown school-based 
     deworming treatment to reduce school absenteeism by 25 
     percent. School-based deworming also benefits young siblings 
     and other children who live nearby but are too young to be 
     treated, leading to large cognitive improvements equivalent 
     to half a year of schooling.

     SEC. 5. DEFINITION.

       In this Act, the term ``neglected tropical diseases'' or 
     ``NTDs''--
       (1) means infections caused by pathogens, including 
     viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths that 
     disproportionately impact individuals living in extreme 
     poverty, especially in developing countries; and
       (2) includes--
       (A) Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium Ulcerans infection);
       (B) Chagas disease;
       (C) dengue or severe dengue fever;
       (D) dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease);
       (E) echinococcosis;
       (F) foodborne trematodiases;
       (G) human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness);
       (H) leishmaniasis;
       (I) leprosy;
       (J) lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis);
       (K) onchocerciasis (river blindness);
       (L) scabies;
       (M) schistosomiasis;
       (N) soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) (roundworm, 
     whipworm, and hookworm);
       (O) taeniasis/cysticercosis;
       (P) trachoma; and
       (Q) yaws (endemic treponematoses).

     SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this Act shall be construed to increase 
     authorizations of appropriations for the United States Agency 
     for International Development.

     SEC. 7. EXPANSION OF UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL 
                   DEVELOPMENT NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES 
                   PROGRAM.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Since fiscal year 2006, the United States Government 
     has been an essential leader in global efforts to control 
     seven targeted neglected tropical diseases: lymphatic 
     filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness), 
     schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases (roundworm, 
     whipworm, and hookworm), and trachoma. Additional information 
     suggests that such efforts could also produce collateral 
     benefits for at least three other neglected tropical 
     diseases: foodborne trematodiases, scabies, and yaws (endemic 
     treponematoses).
       (2) The United States Government is a partner in the London 
     Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (2012), which 
     represents a new, coordinated international push to 
     accelerate progress toward eliminating or controlling 10 NTDs 
     by 2020.

[[Page H9195]]

       (3) While many of the most common NTDs have safe, easy to 
     use, and effective treatments, treatment options for the NTDs 
     with the highest death rates, including human African 
     trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), visceral leishmaniasis, 
     and Chagas disease, are extremely limited.
       (4) The United States Agency for International Development 
     (USAID) Neglected Tropical Diseases Program has made 
     important and substantial contributions to the global fight 
     to control and eliminate 5 of the most common NTDs. 
     Leveraging more than $15,700,000,000 in donated medicines, 
     USAID has supported the distribution of more than 1 billion 
     treatments in 31 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin 
     America and the Caribbean.
       (5) Since 2014, the USAID Neglected Tropical Diseases 
     Program has been investing in research and development for 
     the treatment of certain NTDs to ensure that promising new 
     breakthrough medicines can be rapidly evaluated, registered, 
     and made available to patients.
       (6) The USAID Neglected Tropical Diseases Program is a 
     clear example of a successful public-private partnership 
     between the Government and the private sector and should be 
     judiciously expanded, as practicable and appropriate.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the USAID Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, as in effect 
     on the date of the enactment of this Act, should--
       (1) provide integrated drug treatment packages to as many 
     individuals suffering from NTDs or at risk of acquiring NTDs, 
     including individuals displaced by manmade and natural 
     disasters, as logistically feasible;
       (2) better integrate NTD control and treatment tools and 
     approaches into complementary development and global health 
     programs by coordinating, to the extent practicable and 
     appropriate, across multiple sectors, including those 
     relating to HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, education, 
     nutrition, other infectious diseases, maternal and child 
     health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene;
       (3) establish low-cost, high-impact community- and school-
     based NTD programs to reach large at-risk populations, 
     including school-age children, with integrated drug treatment 
     packages, as feasible;
       (4) as opportunities emerge and resources allow, engage in 
     research and development of new tools and approaches to reach 
     the goals relating to the elimination of NTDs as set forth by 
     the 2012 World Health Organization publication ``Accelerating 
     Work to Overcome the Global Impact of Neglected Tropical 
     Diseases: A Roadmap for Implementation'', including for 
     Chagas disease, Guinea worm, human African trypanosomiasis 
     (sleeping sickness), leprosy, and visceral leishmaniasis; and
       (5) monitor research on and developments in the prevention 
     and treatment of other NTDs so breakthroughs can be 
     incorporated into the USAID Neglected Tropical Diseases 
     Program, as practicable and appropriate.
       (c) Program Priorities.--The Administrator of USAID should 
     incorporate the following priorities into the USAID Neglected 
     Tropical Diseases Program (as in effect on the date of the 
     enactment of this Act):
       (1) Planning for and conducting robust monitoring and 
     evaluation of program investments in order to accurately 
     measure impact, identify and share lessons learned, and 
     inform future NTD control and elimination strategies.
       (2) Coordinating program activities with complementary 
     USAID development and global health programs, including 
     programs relating to water, sanitation, and hygiene, food and 
     nutrition security, and education (both primary and 
     secondary), in order to advance the goals of the London 
     Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (2012).
       (3) Including morbidity management in treatment plans for 
     high-burden NTDs.
       (4) Incorporating NTDs included in the Global Burden of 
     Disease Study 2010 into the program as opportunities emerge, 
     to the extent practicable and appropriate.
       (5) Continuing investments in the research and development 
     of new tools and approaches that complement existing research 
     investments and ensure that new discoveries make it through 
     the pipeline and become available to individuals who need 
     them most.

     SEC. 8. ACTIONS BY DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

       (a) Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator.--It is the sense 
     of Congress that the Coordinator of United States Government 
     Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally should fully consider 
     evolving research on the impact of NTDs on efforts to control 
     HIV/AIDS when making future programming decisions, as 
     necessary and appropriate.
       (b) Global Programming.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of State should encourage 
     the Global Fund to take into consideration evolving research 
     on the impact of NTDs on efforts to control HIV/AIDS when 
     making programming decisions, particularly with regard to 
     female genital schistosomiasis, which studies suggest may be 
     one of the most significant cofactors in the AIDS epidemic in 
     Africa, as necessary and appropriate.
       (2) Global fund.--In this subsection, the term ``Global 
     Fund'' means the public-private partnership known as the 
     Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 
     established pursuant to Article 80 of the Swiss Civil Code.
       (c) G-20 Countries.--The Secretary of State, acting through 
     the Office of Global Health Diplomacy, should encourage G-20 
     countries to significantly increase their role in the control 
     and elimination of NTDs.

     SEC. 9. MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH INSTITUTIONS.

       (a) Congressional Finding.--Congress finds that the 
     treatment of NTDs, including community- and school-based 
     deworming programs, can be a highly cost-effective 
     intervention, and schools can serve as an effective delivery 
     mechanism for reaching large numbers of children with safe 
     treatment for soil-transmitted helminthiases (roundworm, 
     whipworm, and hookworm) in particular.
       (b) United Nations.--The President should direct the United 
     States permanent representative to the United Nations to use 
     the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to urge 
     the World Health Organization and the United Nations 
     Development Programme to--
       (1) ensure the dissemination of best practices and 
     programming on NTDs to governments and make data accessible 
     to practitioners in an open and timely fashion;
       (2) highlight impacts of community- and school-based 
     deworming programs on children's health and education, 
     emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of such programs;
       (3) encourage governments to implement deworming campaigns 
     at the national level;
       (4) consider the designation of a portion of grant funds of 
     the institutions to deworming initiatives and cross-sectoral 
     collaboration with water, sanitation, and hygiene efforts and 
     nutrition or education programming, as practicable and 
     appropriate;
       (5) encourage accurate monitoring and evaluation of NTD 
     programs, including deworming programs; and
       (6) engage governments in cross-border initiatives for the 
     treatment, control, prevention, and elimination of NTDs, and 
     assist in developing transnational agreements, when and where 
     necessary.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Sires) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires).

                              {time}  1630


                             General Leave

  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 3460.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking Mr. Smith from New Jersey, a 
senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his hard work on 
this bill, which seeks to make progress on this pressing global health 
challenge.
  There is a category of diseases--what we call neglected tropical 
diseases--that pack a particularly nasty punch on populations living in 
poverty without adequate sanitation. These are precisely the kinds of 
diseases that hold entire communities back. They drive up health costs, 
lead to lost wages, undercut productivity, and deprive children of the 
shot at a better future.
  What is especially wrenching about these diseases is that they cause 
all this harm, despite the fact that we have the tools to combat them. 
Very elementary public health efforts can stop these diseases in their 
tracks: research, drug distribution, and basic public health 
intervention. Yet these diseases affect more than 1 billion people 
around the world, according to the World Health Organization.
  To its credit, USAID is already focusing on these diseases. The 
Agency's Neglected Tropical Disease Program has worked to distribute 
nearly $16 billion worth of donated medicines in more than 30 
countries. It is a good start, but these efforts aren't yet equal to 
the challenge.
  This legislation underscores the serious challenge posed by neglected 
tropical diseases and encourages USAID to expand its work to grapple 
with this problem. It also sets up a stronger diplomatic approach for 
dealing with these diseases by requiring the State Department to push 
for broader action through the U.N., the Global Fund, and the G-20.
  In short, this measure pushes for a smart, broad-based effort for 
getting at these preventable diseases.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support it, and I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.

[[Page H9196]]

  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Sires for his strong support for this 
legislation and for his leadership on neglected tropical diseases. I 
thank my other colleagues, Mr. McCaul and, of course, Ms. Bass, who has 
also been a great supporter of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs, are a group of 
parasitic and bacterial diseases, including worms, which blind, 
disfigure, and sometimes kill victims from among the world's poorest 
people, trapping the most marginalized communities in cycles of 
poverty. There are numerous examples of them, including Chagas, dengue, 
and leprosy.
  Can you believe, Mr. Speaker, that there are over 200,000 cases of 
leprosy in the world today? And there is an intervention. There are 
drugs that can treat, mitigate, and even cure it, but sometimes people 
do not get access to them, and that causes serious, serious problems.
  The worms--and I will get into that in a minute--are absolutely 
devastating, as well, and they need to be addressed very aggressively.
  Mr. Speaker, approximately 2 billion people--almost one-third of the 
world's population--are at risk of contracting an NTD, and over 1.4 
billion people are currently afflicted with one or more NTDs.
  Over the years, Mr. Speaker, I have chaired numerous hearings on 
this: one in 2013; one in 2016, the global Zika epidemic; and many 
others, always focusing on the fact that we need to do more.
  These are preventable, but they are certainly treatable. But if you 
don't get the drugs and you don't get the intervention, that person is 
made--and those who are like that person--to suffer horrifically.
  I introduced the End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act in four separate 
Congresses--2014, 2015, 2017, and again this year--so I deeply 
appreciate Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul's strong support 
for this legislation and the leadership for bringing it up today.
  NTDs have an enormous impact in terms of disease burden and quality 
of life. It causes the loss of life to about 534,000 people. NTDs 
surpass both malaria and tuberculosis in causing greater loss of life-
years to disability and premature death. They cause disfigurement and 
disability, often leading to stigma, social discrimination, and 
societal marginalization.
  NTDs create an economic burden of billions of dollars through the 
loss of productivity and the high costs of healthcare required for 
treatment when it gets, especially, to a critical stage.

  People afflicted by NTDs are less productive than their healthy 
counterparts. They jeopardize the ability of people to attend work and 
school or to produce at full capacity.
  The social, economic, and health burden of NTDs falls primarily on 
low- and middle-income countries, where access to safe water, 
sanitation, and healthcare is limited.
  At least 100 countries face two endemic NTD burdens, and 30 countries 
carry six or more endemic neglected tropical diseases.
  As I said, they can be controlled. They can be prevented and even 
eliminated, using low-cost, effective, and feasible solutions, 
especially when treated early.
  Research and development efforts are immediately needed for all NTDs, 
especially those for which no treatment currently exists.
  Recent data published by the WHO confirm that, in 2018, more than 1 
billion people were treated for at least one of five neglected tropical 
diseases.
  Not well understood, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that neglected tropical 
diseases are infecting large numbers of vulnerable people--especially 
children--in developed countries, including the United States. Of 
course, these include West Nile virus, dengue fever, and, most 
recently, Zika.
  An article published in the medical journal The Lancet scrutinized 
this emerging threat and was titled, ``Neglected Tropical Diseases: No 
Longer Someone Else's Problem.'' The article references world-renowned 
NTD expert Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine, who, I note 
parenthetically, twice testified at hearings that I chaired.
  I read his book--and I read it not once, but twice. It is a wake-up 
call to what these horrible diseases do. But he estimates that more 
than half of the 20 million Americans living in extreme poverty are 
infected with at least one neglected tropical disease. That is right 
here in the United States of America.
  The End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act supports the treatment, 
control, and elimination of NTDs primarily by ensuring that USAID's NTD 
Program effectively integrates treatment, control, and elimination 
efforts with other development issues, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, water 
and sanitation, and education.
  It also directs, as my good friend Mr. Sires pointed out a moment 
ago, the U.S. Government to advocate for increased efforts to address 
NTDs among international institutions such as the U.N., World Health 
Organization, and World Bank.
  Let's not forget that of the 14 most common NTDs, roughly 80 percent 
of infections are caused by soil-transmitted helminths and 
schistosomiasis.
  Soil-transmitted helminths are a group of three parasitic worms--
roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms--that afflict more than 1 billion 
people worldwide, including 600 million school-age children, of whom 
more than 300 million suffer from severe morbidity.
  Schistosomiasis is another helminth infection affecting at least 220 
million people in developing countries, and the World Health 
Organization estimates that 90 percent of those individuals are in sub-
Saharan Africa.
  The benefits of deworming are immediate and enduring. A rigorous, 
randomized controlled trial has shown that school-based deworming 
treatment reduces absenteeism by 25 percent. School-based deworming 
also benefits young siblings and other children who live nearby but are 
too young to be treated, leading to large cognitive improvements 
equivalent to half a year of schooling.
  Let me also point out to my colleagues that the treatment for worms 
is simple and cost-effective. Treatment for hookworm, for example, in 
Tanzania costs about 4 cents per treatment to knock this terrible 
disease out of the intestinal tract. Yet one-off deworming treatment is 
not enough, as, without sanitary and hygiene behavioral changes, people 
will get reinfected.
  What we need to do, and what this bill does, is to integrate our 
USAID deworming programs with our WaSH programs--water, sanitation, and 
health--coupled with our nutrition interventions.
  Let me just also make a point that needs to be underscored with 
exclamation points. There is a very, very robust public-private 
partnership that USAID leads with pharmaceutical industry companies 
such as GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and Merck.
  And, of course, my friend in the chair and my friend managing the 
bill on the Democrat side know, because these companies hail from the 
great State of New Jersey--Merck in Rahway, for example--every U.S. 
taxpayer dollar invested is leveraged with $26 in donated medicines, 
resulting in $22 billion worth of donated medicine, which is 
extraordinary. I don't know of any other health program where the 
pharmaceuticals have stepped up like this to say: We are not going to 
sell you these drugs; we are going to donate them.
  We also have helped train 6.5 million individuals in countries around 
the world to fight NTDs, helping them build and strengthen health 
systems. So we are, I think, making a difference. We need to do more.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 
such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), 
the distinguished ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the End Neglected 
Tropical Diseases Act, a bill sponsored by my good friend, Mr. Smith of 
New Jersey. I want to commend him for his efforts as being a steadfast 
leader on this very important issue that is going to save lives--and 
has saved lives. He is really the conscience, I think, of this body 
when it comes to this issue.

[[Page H9197]]

  NTDs represent a group of parasitic and bacterial diseases that 
currently afflict more than 1.4 billion people worldwide. They can 
result in severe disabilities such as blindness, compounding existing 
social and economic challenges in the areas where these diseases 
thrive.
  To be clear, the United States has taken a leadership role in the 
fight against NTDs. As many of these diseases have approved treatments, 
USAID's NTD program has supplied medicine to key impacted countries 
using an innovative public-private partnership, as Congressman Smith 
alluded to.
  Since 2006, USAID has leveraged more than $22 billion in donated 
medicines to provide about $2.6 billion in treatments. However, there 
is much more to be done, especially to build global political support 
to fight NTDs.
  To that end, this bill directs our flagship global health program, 
PEPFAR, to find opportunities to integrate NTD research and care into 
their existing efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, where appropriate.
  To lessen the U.S. burden in this fight, this bill also encourages 
greater participation in the research, treatment, and care of NTDs from 
the Global Fund, the United Nations, and other G-20 partners.
  NTDs pose a significant threat to health outcomes and have a 
detrimental effect on developing economies. I again thank Mr. Smith for 
his great leadership on this issue. And, once again, to pass something 
in this House that will save lives is truly one of the most gratifying 
experiences that we, as Members of Congress, have.
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for 
the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, let me again thank Mr. Smith for all his hard work on 
this bill.
  This legislation shows so clearly how we can use development and 
diplomacy in tandem to help meet serious global challenges. It is why 
diplomacy and development are so important in our foreign policy.
  There is no doubt that neglected tropical diseases have a major 
roadblock for impoverished communities around the world. There is also 
no doubt that we have the tools to combat them if we can garner the 
resources and the political will to get the job done. That is what this 
bill aims to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote ``yes'' on this measure, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3460.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________