Lee Terry: “I rise with Ranking Member Joe Barton and all of our Energy and Commerce colleagues in enthusiastic support of H.R. 1553…”

“I rise with Ranking Member Joe Barton and all of our Energy and Commerce colleagues in enthusiastic support of H.R. 1553 which is called appropriately the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008. I would like to thank my friend from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) for introducing this important piece of legislation. I want to thank Chairman Dingell and Subcommittee Chairman Mr. Pallone for working in such a bipartisan manner as we moved this bill through our Energy and Commerce Committees. Because of the bipartisan efforts of all of those involved in this legislation, I'm proud to say that the legislation before us today will now work in conjunction with the NIH Reform Act of 2006, and I believe that this bill should serve as a model for others that seek to improve a particular field of research at the NIH. Our focus in Congress should be on ensuring that the NIH, along with other relevant Federal agencies, receive the necessary funding to carry out their missions; and I believe that Congress must also strive to avoid micromanaging the NIH unless we want to inadvertently hamper the very scientific discoveries that we all want to see come to fruition.”