Supporting the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res 357) supporting the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 357, which supports the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, beginning in May. Every year in the United States, about 1,000 children are born with cystic fibrosis, or CF, a life-shortening genetic disease.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, those children face a median life expectancy of 36 years, an average that, fortunately, has continued to increase as science and research have developed better treatment and drugs. And while a median life expectancy of 36 is unacceptably low, that figure is cause for hope for those living with the disease and, of course, their families. They know that in 1955, the year parents of children suffering from this disease formed the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, children born with CF usually did not live to attend preschool. As the life expectancy increases, those suffering with this disease and their families continue to work for a cure or a life-extending treatment.

Madam Speaker, while a cure for cystic fibrosis remains illusive, the symptoms and effects of the disease are fairly simple. CF is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases in the United States. More than 30,000 people in the United States have CF, and over half of them are children.

In addition, over 10 million Americans are unknowing, symptom-free carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene. Cystic fibrosis affects the lungs and digestive system.

The defective gene that causes CF triggers the production of abnormally thick mucus in the lungs that leads to restricted breathing, recurring lung infections, and in many cases digestive problems. The infections deteriorate the lungs and their capacity to deliver oxygen to the body, a condition that worsens over time and in many cases even leads to death or the need for a lung transplant. One of the goals of H. Con. Res. 357 is to promote the need for early diagnosis and the importance of newborn screening so that treatment of children with CF can begin as soon as possible to improve their health and longevity.

The five decades that have passed since the founding of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation have brought not only hope but years to the lives of those suffering from CF. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation continues to be at the forefront of making more with less in the area of drug discovery and development. The Therapeutics Development Program, TDP, created and launched by the CF Foundation, has pioneered new ways to conduct cutting-edge, lifesaving research in a cost-effective and efficient manner. This program now includes 18 major research institutions across the country in an established clinical trials network. The TDP provides innovative companies with funding, raised through private donations to the CF Foundation, to undertake research and development on promising new drug candidates, and supports an extensive pipeline of potential new therapies. In fact, the CF Foundation currently has more than 30 drugs and therapies in various stages of clinical trials, any one of which could dramatically improve the life of someone suffering from CF. I believe that the innovative programs like the Therapeutics Development Program are part of the blueprint for more efficient and cost-effective health care and should be supported. So, as you can see, Madam Speaker, CF Foundation- sponsored research is adding precious years to the lives of those living with the disease so that they might live long enough to benefit once a cure is found.

Today there is more potential research on new drugs and therapies than funds to finance that lifesaving work. This is a problem created by a wealth of scientific riches, and one that I hope can be bridged by more public-private partnerships which leverage our world-class biotech and pharmaceutical companies with the capabilities of institutions like the National Institutes of Health to ensure that the discovery phase of identifying new drugs and compounds to treat cystic fibrosis continues. To that end the resolution before us today advocates strong partnerships between government resources like the NIH and nonprofits like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as a key means to improve care for those with ``orphan'' diseases like CF.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to commend my friend and colleague Mr. Markey from Massachusetts for his leadership and work supporting this resolution and for our partnership cochairing a new Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus. The Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus, like this resolution, is intended to provide Members and the American public a better understanding of cystic fibrosis and the need to support the incredible work that is being done by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as well as through public-private collaboration to find a cure.

I would also like to thank all those Members on both sides of the aisle who have cosponsored H. Con. Res. 357 and

those who have joined the Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus. And anyone who is watching is welcome to call my office or Mr. Markey's office. We would like to have your support, and we look forward to it.

So, my colleagues, please join me in honoring and supporting the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month by simply agreeing to H. Con. Res. 357.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I thank my friend from Florida Mr. Stearns. He and I have partnered on the resolution and on cofounding the Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus. And I want to thank him for his commitment to CF, its cause, and the difference that this institution can make in helping to find the cure. It is, without question, something that we can agree upon on a bipartisan basis.

The resolution before us today is to support the goals and the ideals of the National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, and it is really so that we can bring the most powerful four-letter word to this cause, and that word is ``hope''; hope that the United States Government will increase its funding, will help to find the cure for this dreaded disease, that we can give hope to the families who are affected by it. And today is a really important day on that path because for the first time we do have a caucus, and this resolution in a lot of ways will memorialize that and give more momentum to finding the cure.

CF is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases in the United States. People with CF produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus, which makes breathing very difficult. They find, as a result, they cough and they wheeze constantly and are at constant risk for life- threatening lung infections.

Approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States have cystic fibrosis, but it affects far more than those 30,000 people. It affects all of the families and the loved ones of those people who are struggling with this horrible disease. It affects the moms who have to wake up at 5 a.m. so that they can pound on their child's chest before they go to work. It affects their siblings who have to wait with their sister while she goes to yet another doctor's appointment. And it affects the dads who worry that their child will never grow up to have a normal life. This resolution is about supporting these families and providing them with the hope for a better future.

Significant improvements have been made in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. A few decades ago many children with CF did not live past 10 years of age. Today life expectancy is 35 years of age, and much of these achievements are due to the hard work and the dedication of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. That is why CFF really stands for courageous fighting families, courageous fighting friends of those families.

Yet even with this incredible work of our courageous fighting families, we still have a long way to go to provide the people with CF with a normal and healthy life. It is time for Congress to become more involved in the pursuit of a cure. We need to make a greater investment in research and make a stronger commitment to the people with CF, their families, and their caretakers.

This is something which in the 21st century we should leave as a forgotten memory, but we can only do it if we provide hope now. It is the most powerful word in the English language: Hope that we can raise awareness of the families struggling with CF, hope that we can find better treatments and ultimately a cure, hope that our children will have to turn to the history books to find that there ever was such a thing as cystic fibrosis.

I thank, again, the cochair of the caucus Mr. Stearns. This is now going to bring a larger, more powerful spotlight on this disease. And hopefully, working together in a bipartisan fashion, we can address this as a human issue and not as a Democrat or Republican issue.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, today, as we consider H. Con Res. 357 to support the goals of National Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Awareness Month in May, I would like to bring attention to such efforts in my district and in western Pennsylvania.

One such family in my district, the Nicotras, are doing just that. ``Hayden's Heroes'' was formed in 2005 by Sam and Rhea Nicotra to support CF research. The Nicotras' grandson, Hayden Klein, was diagnosed with CF in 2004, when he was just one week old. The Kleins and their family faced the questions familiar to many CF patients and their loved ones about genetic factors, the difficulty in diagnosing CF and, of course, the challenges in treating and managing the disease.

The Kleins had no history of the disease on either side of the family and, since CF patients can look healthy, there is no way to diagnose the disease just by looking at him or her. Clearly, cystic fibrosis is stealthy; we have much to learn about its origins, how to treat it and, ultimately, how to defeat it.

Fortunately, many Americans are committed to providing the resources to wage this battle, and, with National CF Month approaching, it is important that we recognize the many local resources to support this important task.

The local chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is an active participant in the national Great Strides walk to raise funds for CS research--participants across the country have succeeded in raising more than $150 million since 1989. The local chapter will participate in this year's walk next month at North Park Lake in my district.

The local CF Foundation office also encourages friends and families of CF patients to provide support for such resources and research, and the Nicotras have been local leaders with Hayden's Heroes, which is hosting a ``Dancing with the Pittsburgh Stars'' event to raise awareness of the disease and support local resources, and a local talent-training organization in my district, the In Tune Studio, is also working on an event to support CF research.

It is through such community efforts that we will understand more about CF and treat this disease, and I commend the dedication and tenacity of the local chapter of the CF Foundation and, in particular, the Nicotras and their family, for advancing this important cause.

I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in recognizing National Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Awareness Month and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It is an honor to represent the Fourth Congressional District of Pennsylvania and a pleasure to salute a worthy cause like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 357, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns). This resolution would support the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

Cystic Fibrosis is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases in the United States. Approximately 30,000 people in the United States have cystic fibrosis, and about 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year. Tragically, more than half of those with CF are children. As I stand here today, more than 10 million Americans are unknowing, symptom-free carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene.

Significant improvements have been made in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Just a few decades ago, children with CF did not live past 10 years of age. Today the life expectancy has improved, and the number of adults with CF has steadily grown. Even so, there is no cure for this disease, and much still must be done to provide people with CF with a normal and healthy life expectancy.

Early diagnosis is the key, and that is why it's so important that we work to further public awareness and understanding of cystic fibrosis. We must increase support for those affected by this disease and ensure that they have access to quality care, and we also must support research to find a cure for CF.

I am proud to provide my support to this cause, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Con. Res. 357 so that the month of May can be dedicated to educating all Americans about cystic fibrosis, about the courage of those who suffer from this disease, and about the important research underway to find a cure.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to H. Con. Res. 357.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, May 25. I further ask that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two Leaders be reserved, and the Senate then resume consideration of S. 2611, as under the previous order.