Frank Pallone: “I want to thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank Mr. Barton and Mr. Dingell for all their hard work on this NIH…”

“I want to thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank Mr. Barton and Mr. Dingell for all their hard work on this NIH bill. As was mentioned, this is the first time in 13 years that we have had a reauthorization of the National Institutes of Health. This is an important piece of legislation because the National Institutes of Health are the world's premier research medical center and the key focal point for medical research in the United States. On September 26, the House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 6164 with a vote of 414-2. The Senate recently passed that bill with amendments, which is the bill before us now. Those amendments helped clarify provisions in the bill and therefore improve it. So every Member who voted for H.R. 6164 on September 26 should feel comfortable voting for this bill this evening. I wanted to mention that the bill before us also includes provisions with regard to the SCHIP, or the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This part of the legislation would provide the money necessary to help a number of States, including my own, avert a funding shortfall in their State Children's Health Insurance Program.”