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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORT FOR THE GABRIELLA MILLER KIDS FIRST RESEARCH ACT 2.0
______
HON. JENNIFER WEXTON
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Gabriella
Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, a bipartisan bill that I introduced
on Friday, April 17th. If enacted, this bill would make great strides
to fund the fight against childhood cancer, birth defects, and other
rare pediatric diseases.
Cancer is the single leading cause of death among American children
of any disease. The U.S. is rapidly approaching 16,000 children
diagnosed with cancer annually, and the incidence of childhood cancer
has been steadily increasing over time. Additionally, one in 33 babies
born in the U.S. are affected by a birth defect, and birth defects are
the leading cause of death among infants. These pediatric diseases are
still poorly understood, and additional funding is greatly needed to
augment existing research to promote new discoveries for children
affected by them.
In an effort to uncover new insights into the biology of pediatric
disease, Congress passed the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act
in 2014, which established a Ten-Year Pediatric Research Initiative
Fund within the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Common Fund. The
law authorized $12.6 million in funds annually for pediatric disease
research through the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research
Program, commonly known as Kids First. Since the original law was
enacted, Kids First has sequenced more than 20,000 samples from
childhood cancer and structural birth defect cohorts. Most recently the
program initiated the Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource
Center--a comprehensive integrated data resource for research and
patient communities meant to advance discoveries.
The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 builds off the
important progress made by the 2014 Gabriella Miller Kids First
Research Act by providing a new source of funding for the Kids First
Research Fund. Specifically, the bill would redirect civil monetary
sanctions levied against pharmaceutical manufacturers by the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission for violation of the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act. By diverting penalties from pharmaceutical companies
that break the law, the bill would sustain Kids First's critical
childhood disease research for generations to come.
The 2014 law and the bill I introduced Friday is named to honor 10-
year-old Gabriella Miller who passed away from an inoperable brain
tumor. She was a fierce advocate for childhood cancer research, and her
efforts to boost awareness of pediatric cancer helped raise funds for
children's cancer charities. I would like to thank Gabriella's mother
and my constituent, Ellyn Miller, for her tireless advocacy on behalf
of children with cancer through Smashing Walnuts. I am honored to have
worked closely with Ellyn on the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research
Act 2.0.
I introduced this bill to find treatments and cures so that our
nation's children will have a fighting chance to survive cancer and
other rare disease. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0
will reaffirm our strong commitment to finding cures for pediatric
diseases.
____________________
