Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Reichert (WA-08) today lauded increased funding for medical research and other critical health and education priorities as the House passed the Conference Report to the Fiscal Year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill. 

Reichert was joined by Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) in leading a bipartisan effort to bolster funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which provide the backbone of the nation’s medical research. Reichert and Markey brought together a coalition of nearly 200 Members over the past year to urge Congress to increase funding for the NIH. The effort proved successful as the NIH received $29.7 billion in the bill, a 3.1% increase after years of level-funding.

“I personally know the pain of losing a loved one to cancer. We can’t ever sit back and wait for someone else to find a cure.  A recent NIH study made advances in discovering a gene related to lung cancer, and that’s a great example of what this funding can do – make progress toward more answers, early detection and, eventually, cures,” said Reichert. “The NIH represents our greatest hope for finding cures and treatments for the chronic diseases and debilitating conditions that afflict millions of Americans. NIH research is also essential to containing soaring medical costs that threaten the viability of our nation’s health care system. A substantial portion of projected health care spending comes from expenses associated with managing diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and many other chronic or life-threatening diseases. I am pleased that Congress heeded our call to invest in medical research. It will make a difference in so many lives.”

Reichert also announced that he secured over $3.75 million in critical funding for health and education projects in Washington’s Eighth District.

Reichert continued, “Health and education funding are critical components of the foundation we create for our children. PICC gives hope to those who don’t even yet understand hope. PICC gives the littlest victims of drug abuse an opportunity to live. Two of my own grandchildren were adopted from PICC after being born to drug-addicted mothers. Both babies were weaned from their respective addictions to meth and heroin and are now healthy and thriving. I can’t say enough about the benefits each of these projects will bring. I’m excited for the opportunities created not only for the Eighth District, but also for all those who will benefit from the services these groups provide for our community.”

Reichert announced the following projects included in the legislation:

• $1.5 Million for Seattle Cancer Care Alliance – Proton Beam Therapy Center (Seattle, WA)
• $150,000 for Pediatric Interim Care Center (PICC) – Drug-Exposed Infants: Outreach and Education Program (Kent, WA)
• $500,000 for City of Bellevue – Bellevue Arts Museum (Bellevue, WA)
• $500,000 for College Success Foundation – Leadership 1000 Scholarship Program (Issaquah, WA)
• $330,000 for Bellevue Community College – Building Safer Information Technology Environments (BSITE) (Bellevue, WA)
• $186,000 for Pierce College District – Homeland Security Skill Panel Workshops Program (Tacoma, WA)
• $290,000 for Northwest Kidney Center – Puget Sound Medical Surge Capacity Initiative (Sea-Tac, WA)
• $300,000 University of Washington – University of Washington Bothell Nursing Faculty Consortium

These funds have been included in the U.S. House of Representatives FY 2008 Labor HHS Appropriations Conference Report, with a vote of 269-142, with expected passage in the Senate. After passage in the Senate, the final conference report is sent to the President for his signature.