March 23, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E385 In this year ahead we must focus attention Yet, our federal laws continue to treat pa- honor. ‘‘The C. Kern Wildenthal Research on reauthorizing the Elder Justice Act. The tients and the doctors and families who care Building.’’ He is deserving of this tribute. Be- Coalition commends Representative Peter for them like criminals. cause of his leadership, the research and clin- King for his introduction of H.R. 988 in this It is long overdue for our federal law to re- Congress and also for being the House author ical programs at UT Southwestern have made of the original Elder Justice Act. Similarly flect the common sense views of 86 percent of significant contributions to the medical field. we salute the leadership of Senator Orrin Americans and stop adding to the suffering of Throughout his career, Dr. Wildenthal un- Hatch, the author of the Elder Justice Act in those with horrible illnesses. dertook world-class research initiatives. He the Senate. We also acknowledge the critical One such patient was my constituent, Chloe spent more than 38 years building the reputa- work that Senator Chuck Grassley did to Grauer. At 3 years old, Chloe suffered from a tion of UT Southwestern as a faculty member, help pass the Act. rare neurological disease that caused her to dean and president. During his tenure, enroll- As our nation continues to grow older, we have 100 to 200 seizures a day. She tried ment at the University quintupled in size, and have to recognize that elder abuse will also grow unless we commit resources to help dozens of medications and underwent surgical the Medical Center’s endowment grew from prevent it. This includes providing adequate procedures but nothing stopped the seizures. $40 million to more than $1.3 billion. funding for Adult Protective Services in all Her family tried desperately to treat her with A stellar academic, Dr. Wildenthal earned our states as well as for the Long-Term Care Cannabidiol—also known as ‘‘Charlotte’s his bachelor’s degree from Sul Ross State Ombudsman Program so we are able to in- Web’’ or ‘‘CBD’’ for short—which has been University in Alpine, a medical degree from UT vestigate elder abuse in nursing homes and shown to treat certain diseases that cause sei- Southwestern and a doctorate from the Uni- assisted living facilities. This is the essence zures, such as the disease from which Chloe versity of Cambridge in England. Dr. of the Elder Justice Act, a sound investment suffered. CBD is derived from cannabis plants, Wildenthal trained at Bellevue Hospital in New in a safe future for older Americans. We also recognize that we need to reau- and even though it contains just trace York, Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas thorize and fund other programs that work amounts of the psychoactive ingredient in and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Insti- hand in hand with the EJA. The Older Amer- marijuana—nowhere near enough to produce tute in Bethesda, Maryland. He led a cardi- icans Act with its important elder abuse pro- a high—but it is currently illegal under federal ology research program and has published visions and aging network is past due for re- law. Even this tiny amount of the ingredient, more than 120 science and medical journal ar- authorization. We must also protect the core THC, was enough for the federal government ticles. funding we currently have for Adult Protec- to keep a potentially life-saving drug away Mr. Speaker, Dr. C. Kern Wildenthal is truly tive Services through the Social Services a phenomenal educator, physician, scientist Block Grant Program. from Chloe. Finally, we must also take advantage of an Late last year, Chloe died without receiving and leader. A man fueled by dedication and important opportunity provided by the Con- CBD. committed to public service, he has set the gress in the FY 2015 omnibus appropriations This should never have happened. We must bar high for his successor. He is the recipient bill. In this measure, the cap for the Crime ensure that this never happens again. of the 1975 Guggenheim Fellowship. He was Victims’ Fund, created by the Victims of Just as our children deserve to be treated elected to the Institute of Medicine in 1999. I Crime Act (VOCA), was more than tripled compassionately, so, too, do our veterans. stand today to honor Dr. C. Kern Wildenthal from $730 million to a new high of $2.361 bil- Federal law currently prohibits VA doctors and to thank him for his work in service to the lion. We call on the Justice Department and state VOCA agencies to direct an appropriate from prescribing medical marijuana when they people of Dallas and to everyone within and amount of these new funds to aid elder abuse feel it is medically beneficial. Our veterans de- beyond our borders who benefit from his sci- crime victims. serve the best medical advice from their doc- entific vision and exemplary medical service. Our bipartisan 3000 member Elder Justice tors, not arbitrary limits on what their doctors f Coalition sees this fifth anniversary as a can do to help them. Veterans are tough. turning point in our national effort to pre- They can handle frank advice from their doc- CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND AC- vent elder abuse. We cannot be in denial that tors. COMPLISHMENTS OF MS. SOFIA the problem exists; instead, we need to put Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of MENDOZA the same commitment into addressing this crisis as we have done with child abuse for Senators introduced a bill that would make vi- more than 40 years and domestic violence tally necessary, common sense changes to HON. over the past 20. federal law that would allow for greater access OF CALIFORNIA Older adults deserve to live a life free from to medically necessary marijuana: the Com- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES the reality or even the fear of elder abuse. passionate Access, Research Expansion and Monday, March 23, 2015 That is our agenda, pure and simple. Let us Respect States Act. The bill builds upon ef- build on the work done over these past five forts here in the House of Representatives. I Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today years and strive to achieve elder justice applaud all of these efforts, and am proud to with a heavy heart to celebrate the lfie of Sofia which has to mean the prevention of elder Mendoza, known to me and her other friends abuse, neglect and exploitation. help keep the momentum going by introducing a bipartisan House companion to this bill with as Sophie, and to memorialize her as a pas- f my colleague of Alaska. sionate community leader whose advocacy will INTRODUCTION OF CARERS ACT I urge the House to pass this bill swiftly, long be remembered in my hometown of San bring a dose of sanity to our federal drug pol- Jose. Throughout her life, Sophie was unwav- icy, and extend some much needed compas- ering in her commitment to end the prejudicial HON. STEVE COHEN treatment of underrepresented communities, OF sion to those suffering from horrible illnesses. f and particularly of the Mexican-American com- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES munity in East San Jose. Her leadership af- Monday, March 23, 2015 RECOGNITION OF DR. C. KERN fected landmark changes across a diversity of Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to in- WILDENTHAL city interests, from reform of education and troduce CARERS Act, a bipartisan House criminal justice, to the manner in which city companion to a bipartisan Senate bill that HON. council members are elected today. would allow states to set their own policies on OF TEXAS Sophie Mendoza was born in the small agri- medical marijuana, and give Veterans Admin- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES cultural town of Fillmore, California. Her father Tiburcio was a labor organizer, and was a life- istration physicians the ability to recommend Monday, March 23, 2015 medical marijuana to their patients. long inspiration to her. Tiburcio had tempo- The consensus on medical marijuana is Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. rarily moved the family to Fillmore where he overwhelming. Last year, a CBS News Poll Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pleasure was organizing citrus and avocado pickers to found 86 percent of Americans thought doc- to recognize Dr. C. Kern Wildenthal of Dallas, strike against unjust working conditions. Fill- tors should be allowed to prescribe small Texas. Dr. Wildenthal served as president of more would be one of many destinations as amounts of marijuana for patients suffering UT Southwestern for 22 years. He raised Sophie’s father moved from one labor battle to from serious illnesses. more than $750 million for research and clin- the next. 86 percent of Americans rarely agree on ical programs at the medical school during Sophie’s mother Margarita was also an ac- anything. 2001 and 2007. tive organizer alongside her husband. But Even CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Wildenthal is a visionary who led the ef- Tiburcio initially looked to Sophie’s younger Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who was once skeptical of fort to develop the North Campus of UT brothers to carry the family torch of community medical marijuana, has publicly endorsed it. Southwestern, which is being named in his activism. He would soon discover that it was

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