South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership and the ranking member for his excellent comments.

I understand the concerns, and I would just say that, as the first South Asian-American woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, I am so proud to see this important bill come to the floor, and I want to thank my colleague, Representative Joe Wilson, for his help and support of this important bipartisan bill.

South Asians are the second fastest growing minority group in the United States, and yet this group is four times more at risk of developing heart disease than the general population and has the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

The research and understanding of why we are so prone to heart disease is limited, while the devastating impact on our families is only increasing. In fact, the story of this bill, as much legislation happens, began when my former deputy chief of staff, Ven Neralla, unexpectedly lost his mother to heart disease. Wanting to understand why this happened, we found that this was not just an isolated incident, but an alarming trend that had received far too little attention.

The South Asian Heart Health bill will fund the creation of culturally appropriate materials, engagement with community groups working to promote South Asian heart health, and create an information clearinghouse about South Asian heart health. The bill also funds grants for the CDC and NIH to conduct research on the impact of heart disease on South Asians in the United States.

The bill has been endorsed by an incredible number of medical organizations, including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, WomenHeart, the South Asian Public Health Association, and many, many more.

COVID-19 has taught us the value of preventing underlying health conditions and addressing health inequities afflicting communities of color. The South Asian Heart Health bill is a significant step in raising the alarm, reversing the trend of heart disease in our communities, and saying to South Asian-American communities across the country: We see you here in Congress, and we are ready to help.

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