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Letter to Chair and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Labor Ralph Regula and David Obey

Date: May 10, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Labor Unions Health and Health Care


Letter to Chair and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Labor Ralph Regula and David Obey

May 10, 2006

The Honorable Ralph Regula
Chairman
Subcommittee on Labor, HHS,
Education and Related Agencies
Appropriations Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable David Obey
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Labor, HHS,
Education and Related Agencies
Appropriations Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Regula and Ranking Member Obey:

As you begin consideration of the FY 2007 Appropriations bills, we are writing to respectfully request that you include funding for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development sufficient so that the National Children's Study (NCS) may remain strong among Congress' list of priorities for fiscal year 2007. Authorized by Congress in 2000, the National Children's Study is the largest long-term study of children with regard to the major causes of childhood illnesses such as premature birth, asthma, obesity, preventable injury, autism, development delay, mental illness, and learning disorders.

As you know, key indicators in children's health and development are alarming. Between 1980 and 1995, the percentage of children with asthma doubled. On average, 3-8% of children born each year will be affected by a neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism. And the proportion of overweight children ages 6-18 has more than doubled in the past two decades. These children's health issues require a long-term, comprehensive study of the environmental factors that contribute to the degrading quality of children's health. This landmark study meets that need - the study would enroll a representative sample of 100,000 children from over 100 counties across the U.S., including eleven counties in California, Ohio and Wisconsin - and promises to provide the data necessary to advance children's health in significant ways.

Having already invested tens of millions of dollars in worthwhile planning, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) would require $69 million in fiscal year 2007 in order to begin enrollment in this landmark study, as well as future funding in order to carry the study to its completion. The study is not only of critical importance but also of significant value to taxpayers. The study has the potential to pay for itself twofold within one year, even if rates of childhood injuries, autism, asthma, schizophrenia and obesity are reduced by just one percent.

We are mindful of the many competing budget priorities, however, we urge you to ensure that funding for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development continues to reflect Congress' intent that the National Children's Study remains a priority in fiscal year 2007. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Doris O. Matsui (D-CA)
Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
John D. Dingell (D-MI)
Dan Burton (R-IN)
John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
Pete Stark (D-CA)
George Miller (D-CA)
Henry A. Waxman (D-CA)
Dale E. Kildee (D-MI)
Barney Frank (D-MA)
Tom Lantos (D-CA)
Howard L. Berman (D-CA)

http://matsui.house.gov/Newsroom.asp?ARTICLE2939=6512

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