Gus Bilirakis: “I too arise in support of this amendment to S. 2311, the Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2000. This final legislation…”

“I too arise in support of this amendment to S. 2311, the Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2000. This final legislation is the result of negotiations between the Senate and the House, and the resulting bill is designed to bring the CARE Act into the 21st century. I salute my committee colleagues, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), for their excellent work on this legislation; and I urge Members to support its passage. My Subcommittee on Health and Environment held a hearing on the bill, and the full Committee on Commerce approved it by voice vote after adopting several bipartisan amendments to further refine and strengthen this very important measure. Before the August recess, the House approved legislation to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act with strong bipartisan support. The act provides critical funding to address the needs of patients living with HIV and AIDS. S. 2311 reflects the agreements reached between the House and the Senate, and I expect this bill to be signed into law in the near future.”