James M. Jeffords: “I rise to make remarks concerning the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act to provide compassionate payments to…”

“I rise to make remarks concerning the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act to provide compassionate payments to hemophiliac victims of the blood supply crisis of the 1980s. The House passed the bill last May; unfortunately the Senate may not be able to pass a bill this year. The tragedy of the blood supply's infection has brought unbearable pain to families all over the country. I have heard from hundreds of these individuals and families over the past months, and I had hoped this bill would bring some closure to the grief of thousands of families who have suffered because of the blood crisis of the 1980s. I am saddened, however, that the bill that passed the House acknowledged fewer than half the victims of the blood supply crisis. Along with Senators Warner and Faircloth, I have fought to include victims of transfusion-associated AIDS in the bill this year. They are victims of the same blood supply crisis and are just as deserving of acknowledgment and compassion from the federal government. I cannot overstate my disappointment, and I can only imagine their pain. This is a group of people that has suffered a great tragedy. In their minds, in the minds of the hemophiliac community, and in the minds of members who have advocated for the Ricky Ray bill, the federal government played a role in the tragedy.”