Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Mfume) for bringing us this legislation and for his very kind comments about my service and the future that lies ahead of me, perhaps. I appreciate his leadership and his kind words. I, too, rise today to speak on H.R. 1966, the Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019, which was sponsored by the late, great Representative Elijah Cummings originally. This bill is named after Henrietta Lacks, a woman of color who donated her cells, without her knowledge and consent, to Johns Hopkins in 1951, beginning what was the first human cell line able to reproduce indefinitely. Her cells have been used in biomedical research around the world. H.R. 1966 requires the Government Accountability Office, or the GAO, to study how Federal agencies have addressed barriers to participation in cancer clinical trials by individuals from underrepresented populations and to provide recommendations for addressing such barriers. The intent of the bill is laudable, as racial and ethnic minorities are currently underrepresented in clinical trials. I know that has been an issue even in the COVID trials. I have talked to the people who have developed these vaccines, and this is a real issue they face, trying to get the right mix to reflect the community and make sure that everyone who takes the various drugs and vaccines are represented in these trials.…”