S6870 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 15, 2012 SEC. 4. OTHER ACTIVITIES. Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without (a) INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON unanimous consent that the motion to objection, it is so ordered. PREMATURITY AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT.—The reconsider be considered made and laid Prematurity Research Expansion and Edu- The resolution (S. Res. 490) was upon the table with no intervening ac- cation for Mothers who deliver Infants Early agreed to. Act is amended by striking section 5 (42 tion or debate, and that any state- U.S.C. 247b–4g). ments relating to the bill be printed in The preamble was agreed to. (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON INFANT MOR- the RECORD. The resolution, with its preamble, TALITY.— The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without reads as follows: (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of objection, it is so ordered. Health and Human Services (referred to in S. RES. 490 this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) may estab- f lish an advisory committee known as the Whereas Brittany Wilkinson, the first AMENDING THE AMERICAN RECOV- Youth Ambassador of the United ‘‘Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality’’ ERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Advisory Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, joined Committee’’). OF 2009 AND THE EMERGENCY other Youth Ambassadors of the United (2) DUTIES.—The Advisory Committee shall ECONOMIC STABILIZATION ACT Mitochondrial Disease Foundation in work- provide advice and recommendations to the OF 2008 ing tirelessly to raise awareness about Secretary concerning the following activi- Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask mitochondrial diseases; Whereas mitochondrial diseases result ties: unanimous consent that the Senate (A) Programs of the Department of Health from a defect that reduces the ability of the and Human Services that are directed at re- proceed to the consideration of H.R. mitochondria in a cell to produce energy; ducing infant mortality and improving the 6570, which was received from the Whereas, as mitochondria fail to produce health status of pregnant women and in- House and is at the desk. enough energy, cells cease to function prop- fants. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The erly and eventually die, leading to the fail- (B) Strategies to coordinate the various clerk will report the bill by title. ure of organ systems and possibly the death Federal programs and activities with State, The assistant legislative clerk read of the affected individuals; local, and private programs and efforts that as follows: Whereas mitochondrial diseases can address factors that affect infant mortality. present themselves at any age, and mor- A bill (H.R. 6570) to amend the American (C) Implementation of the Healthy Start tality rates vary depending upon the par- Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and program under section 330H of the Public ticular disease; the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–8) and Whereas the most severe mitochondrial of 2008 to consolidate certain CBO reporting Healthy People 2020 infant mortality objec- diseases result in the progressive loss of requirements. tives. function in multiple organs, including the (D) Strategies to reduce preterm birth There being no objection, the Senate loss of neurological and muscle function, and rates through research, programs, and edu- proceeded to consider the bill. death within several years; cation. Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask Whereas mitochondrial diseases are a rel- (3) PLAN FOR HHS PRETERM BIRTH ACTIVI- unanimous consent that the bill be atively newly identified group of diseases, TIES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of read three times and passed, the mo- first recognized in the late 1960s, and diag- enactment of this section, the Advisory tion to reconsider be laid upon the nosis of mitochondrial diseases is extremely Committee (or an existing advisory com- difficult; mittee designated by the Secretary) shall de- table, with no intervening action or de- bate, and any statements related to the Whereas there are more than 100 identified velop a plan for conducting and supporting primary mitochondrial diseases, but re- research, education, and programs on bill be printed in the RECORD. searchers believe there are several hundred preterm birth through the Department of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without other types of unidentified mitochondrial Health and Human Services and shall peri- objection, it is so ordered. diseases and further research is necessary to odically review and revise the plan, as appro- The bill (H.R. 6570) was ordered to a help identify those diseases; priate. The plan shall— third reading, was read the third time, Whereas mitochondrial dysfunction is as- (A) examine research and educational ac- and passed. sociated with many diseases, such as Parkin- tivities that receive Federal funding in order son’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, to enable the plan to provide informed rec- f amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism, diabe- ommendations to reduce preterm birth and NATIONAL MITOCHONDRIAL tes, cancer, and many other diseases associ- address racial and ethnic disparities in AWARENESS WEEK ated with aging; preterm birth rates; Whereas research into primary (B) identify research gaps and opportuni- Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask mitochondrial diseases can provide applica- ties to implement evidence-based strategies unanimous consent the HELP Com- tions to biomedical research and a window to reduce preterm birth rates among the pro- mittee be discharged from further con- into our understanding of many other dis- grams and activities of the Department of sideration of S. Res. 490, and the Sen- eases, including possible treatments and Health and Human Services regarding ate proceed to its immediate consider- cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s dis- preterm birth, including opportunities to ease, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lat- minimize duplication; and ation. (C) reflect input from a broad range of sci- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without eral sclerosis, autism, diabetes, cancer, and entists, patients, and advocacy groups, as ap- objection, it is so ordered. many other diseases associated with aging; propriate. The clerk will report the resolution Whereas researchers estimate that one in 4,000 children will develop a mitochondrial (4) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary shall en- by title. sure that the membership of the Advisory The assistant legislative clerk read disease related to an inherited mutation by 10 years of age, and recent studies of umbil- Committee includes the following: as follows: (A) Representatives provided for in the ical cord blood samples show that one in 200 A resolution (S. Res. 490) designating the original charter of the Advisory Committee. people could develop a mitochondrial disease week of September 16, 2012, as (B) A representative of the National Center in their lifetime; ‘‘Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week,’’ for Health Statistics. Whereas researchers also believe that reaffirming the importance of an enhanced (c) PATIENT SAFETY STUDIES AND REPORT.— those numbers could be much higher, given and coordinated research effort on (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall des- the difficulty associated with diagnosing mitochondrial diseases, and commending the ignate an appropriate agency within the De- mitochondrial disease and the many cases National Institutes of Health for its efforts partment of Health and Human Services to that are either misdiagnosed or never diag- to improve the understanding of coordinate existing studies on hospital re- nosed; mitochondrial diseases. admissions of preterm infants. Whereas there are no cures for (2) REPORT TO SECRETARY AND CONGRESS.— There being no objection, the Senate mitochondrial diseases, nor are there spe- Not later than 1 year after the date of the proceeded to consider the resolution. cific treatments for any of those diseases; enactment of this Act, the agency designated Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask Whereas human energy production in- under paragraph (1) shall submit to the Sec- unanimous consent the resolution be volves multiple organ systems, and therefore retary and to Congress a report containing agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, primary mitochondrial diseases research in- volves many Institutes at the National Insti- the findings and recommendations resulting the motions to reconsider be consid- from the studies coordinated under such tutes of Health; paragraph, including recommendations for ered made and laid upon the table, with Whereas, according to the National Insti- hospital discharge and follow-up procedures no intervening action or debate and tutes of Health, more than $600,000,000 is designed to reduce rates of preventable hos- that any statements relating to this being spent on research related to pital readmissions for preterm infants. measure be printed in the RECORD. mitochondrial functions, of which $18,000,000 VerDate Mar 15 2010 03:22 Nov 28, 2012 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD12\RECFILES\S15NO2.REC S15NO2 bjneal on DSK2TWX8P1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE November 15, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6871 is being spent on actual primary PERMITTING THE USE OF SENATE fellow Giants fan Senator BOXER, to mitochondrial diseases research; OFFICE BUILDINGS FOR CHARI- support a resolution honoring Major Whereas the National Institutes of Health TABLE PURPOSES League Baseball’s 2012 World Series has taken an increased interest in primary Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask champions, the San Francisco Giants. mitochondrial