| 1 | 1 | | III |
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| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION S. RES. 182 |
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| 5 | 5 | | Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. |
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| 6 | 6 | | IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES |
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| 7 | 7 | | APRIL10, 2025 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Mr. L |
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| 9 | 9 | | UJA´Nsubmitted the following resolution; which was referred to the |
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| 10 | 10 | | Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions |
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| 11 | 11 | | RESOLUTION |
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| 12 | 12 | | Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health |
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| 13 | 13 | | Week. |
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| 14 | 14 | | Whereas the week of April 7, 2025, is National Public Health |
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| 15 | 15 | | Week; |
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| 16 | 16 | | Whereas, in 2025, the theme for National Public Health |
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| 17 | 17 | | Week is ‘‘It Starts Here’’ and highlights the importance |
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| 18 | 18 | | of making a difference in our homes and communities; |
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| 19 | 19 | | Whereas, in 2025, the goal of National Public Health Week |
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| 20 | 20 | | is to recognize the contributions of public health in— |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) improving the health of the people of the United |
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| 22 | 22 | | States; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) achieving health equity; |
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| 24 | 24 | | Whereas, from 2019 to 2021, the life expectancy at birth for |
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| 25 | 25 | | the population of the United States declined by 2.7 years, |
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| 28 | 28 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 29 | 29 | | which is the biggest 2-year decline in life expectancy |
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| 30 | 30 | | since 1921 to 1923; |
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| 31 | 31 | | Whereas many of the leading causes of death for individuals |
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| 32 | 32 | | in the United States result from chronic conditions, |
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| 33 | 33 | | which are among the most common, costly, and prevent- |
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| 34 | 34 | | able of all health challenges; |
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| 35 | 35 | | Whereas there are significant differences in the health status |
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| 36 | 36 | | of individuals living in the healthiest States and those liv- |
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| 37 | 37 | | ing in the least healthy States, including differences in |
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| 38 | 38 | | obesity rates, the prevalence of chronic disease, and the |
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| 39 | 39 | | prevalence of infectious disease; |
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| 40 | 40 | | Whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the United |
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| 41 | 41 | | States continue to experience disparities in rates of ill- |
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| 42 | 42 | | ness and death, as compared with the entire population |
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| 43 | 43 | | of the United States; |
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| 44 | 44 | | Whereas violence is a leading cause of premature death, and |
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| 45 | 45 | | it is estimated that more than 8 individuals per hour die |
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| 46 | 46 | | a violent death in the United States; |
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| 47 | 47 | | Whereas deaths from homicides cost the economy of the |
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| 48 | 48 | | United States billions of dollars, and the violence of |
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| 49 | 49 | | homicides can cause social and emotional distress, com- |
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| 50 | 50 | | munity trauma, injury, disability, depression, anxiety, |
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| 51 | 51 | | and post-traumatic stress disorder; |
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| 52 | 52 | | Whereas 49,476 people died by suicide in 2022, with firearms |
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| 53 | 53 | | being used in over 54 percent of suicides; |
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| 54 | 54 | | Whereas significant progress has been made in reducing the |
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| 55 | 55 | | infant mortality rate in the United States to a historic |
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| 56 | 56 | | low of 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, |
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| 57 | 57 | | but there are still stark disparities in infant mortality by |
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| 58 | 58 | | race, ethnicity, geography, and income, such as the fact |
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| 61 | 61 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 62 | 62 | | that Black infants experience infant mortality at a rate |
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| 63 | 63 | | twice that of White infants; |
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| 64 | 64 | | Whereas women die from pregnancy-related complications in |
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| 65 | 65 | | the United States at a higher rate than in many other |
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| 66 | 66 | | developed countries, with the rate of maternal mortality |
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| 67 | 67 | | being 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022; |
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| 68 | 68 | | Whereas an estimated 80 percent of maternal deaths in the |
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| 69 | 69 | | United States are preventable; |
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| 70 | 70 | | Whereas, in 2022, American Indian or Alaskan Native moth- |
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| 71 | 71 | | ers experienced maternal mortality at a rate twice that |
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| 72 | 72 | | of White mothers, and Black mothers experienced mater- |
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| 73 | 73 | | nal mortality at a rate 2.5 times that of White mothers; |
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| 74 | 74 | | Whereas, in 2022, there were an estimated 107,941 drug |
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| 75 | 75 | | overdose deaths, an increase of 17 percent from 2020 |
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| 76 | 76 | | and an increase of over double from 2015; |
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| 77 | 77 | | Whereas cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable |
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| 78 | 78 | | disease and death in the United States, accounting for |
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| 79 | 79 | | more than 480,000 deaths every year; |
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| 80 | 80 | | Whereas the percentage of adults in the United States who |
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| 81 | 81 | | smoke cigarettes has decreased from 20.9 percent of the |
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| 82 | 82 | | population in 2005 to 11.6 percent of the population in |
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| 83 | 83 | | 2022; |
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| 84 | 84 | | Whereas e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used to- |
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| 85 | 85 | | bacco product among youth since 2014, with 7.8 percent |
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| 86 | 86 | | of high school students reporting e-cigarette use in 2024; |
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| 87 | 87 | | Whereas, in 2020, there were approximately 32,000 deaths in |
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| 88 | 88 | | the United States due to exposure to particulate matter, |
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| 89 | 89 | | 37 percent of which were directly related to fossil fuel |
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| 90 | 90 | | burning; |
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| 93 | 93 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 94 | 94 | | Whereas, compared to 2000 to 2004, the number of heat-re- |
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| 95 | 95 | | lated deaths was approximately 74 percent more in 2017 |
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| 96 | 96 | | to 2021; |
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| 97 | 97 | | Whereas voting helps shape the conditions in which people |
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| 98 | 98 | | can be healthy; |
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| 99 | 99 | | Whereas good health is consistently positively associated with |
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| 100 | 100 | | a higher likelihood of voter participation, but only 64 per- |
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| 101 | 101 | | cent of eligible adults reported voting in the November |
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| 102 | 102 | | 2024 election; |
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| 103 | 103 | | Whereas this year is the 30th anniversary of celebrating Na- |
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| 104 | 104 | | tional Public Health Week, and in the past 30 years, sig- |
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| 105 | 105 | | nificant strides have been made in public health, includ- |
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| 106 | 106 | | ing— |
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| 107 | 107 | | (1) significantly decreasing the number of deaths |
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| 108 | 108 | | due to HIV and AIDS, which peaked in 1994 at 49,095 |
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| 109 | 109 | | AIDS-related deaths in the United States, with |
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| 110 | 110 | | antiretroviral therapy now ensuring most people with |
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| 111 | 111 | | HIV can live normal lifespans and prevention tools like |
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| 112 | 112 | | PrEP significantly reducing transmission; |
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| 113 | 113 | | (2) decreasing smoking rates, which were as high as |
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| 114 | 114 | | 25.5 percent among United States adults in 1994 and |
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| 115 | 115 | | have now fallen to 11.4 percent due to comprehensive |
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| 116 | 116 | | smoke-free policies, public awareness campaigns, and tax- |
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| 117 | 117 | | ation policies; |
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| 118 | 118 | | (3) decreasing childhood mortality, which was at a |
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| 119 | 119 | | rate of 13.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1994 and has |
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| 120 | 120 | | now fallen to 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births due to bet- |
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| 121 | 121 | | ter health care access, vaccines, and nutrition; |
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| 122 | 122 | | (4) increasing health insurance coverage, with 15 |
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| 123 | 123 | | percent of people in the United States uninsured in 1994, |
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| 124 | 124 | | which has now improved due to the Patient Protection |
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| 125 | 125 | | and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111–148) expand- |
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| 128 | 128 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 129 | 129 | | ing Medicaid and private insurance coverage, covering |
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| 130 | 130 | | more than 35,000,000 additional people, and lowering the |
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| 131 | 131 | | uninsured rate to 8.6 percent; |
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| 132 | 132 | | (5) increasing mental health awareness and treat- |
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| 133 | 133 | | ment, with 40 percent of people with mental health con- |
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| 134 | 134 | | ditions being untreated in 1994, which has improved due |
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| 135 | 135 | | to increased awareness, parity laws, and integration into |
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| 136 | 136 | | primary care, resulting in expanded access to mental |
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| 137 | 137 | | health services and reduced treatment gaps; |
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| 138 | 138 | | (6) decreasing lead poisoning, with 4.4 percent of |
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| 139 | 139 | | United States children having elevated blood lead levels |
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| 140 | 140 | | in 1994, which has now fallen to less than 0.5 percent |
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| 141 | 141 | | due to policies banning leaded gasoline and reducing lead |
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| 142 | 142 | | in paint, pipes, and water systems; |
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| 143 | 143 | | (7) decreasing antibiotic misuse, which was rampant |
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| 144 | 144 | | in 1994, fueled antibiotic resistance with no programs to |
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| 145 | 145 | | combat it, and is now being addressed by the Centers for |
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| 146 | 146 | | Disease Control and Prevention’s Antibiotic Resistance |
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| 147 | 147 | | Solutions Initiative that champions antibiotic steward- |
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| 148 | 148 | | ship; |
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| 149 | 149 | | (8) decreasing the health impacts of climate change, |
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| 150 | 150 | | as evidenced by the rising heat-related deaths that were |
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| 151 | 151 | | underrecognized in 1994 that are now being mitigated by |
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| 152 | 152 | | actions such as public health campaigns and cooling cen- |
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| 153 | 153 | | ters, as well as frameworks like the United Nations |
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| 154 | 154 | | Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 21st Con- |
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| 155 | 155 | | ference of Parties in Paris, France, adopted December |
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| 156 | 156 | | 12, 2015 (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Paris Agree- |
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| 157 | 157 | | ment’’); and |
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| 158 | 158 | | (9) increasing pandemic preparedness, which was in |
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| 159 | 159 | | its infancy in 1994 and has now grown, especially after |
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| 160 | 160 | | the COVID–19 pandemic, spurring significant advance- |
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| 161 | 161 | | ments in mRNA technology, global vaccine deployment, |
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| 164 | 164 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 165 | 165 | | and increased investments in stockpiles and global sur- |
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| 166 | 166 | | veillance; |
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| 167 | 167 | | Whereas proposed cuts to Medicaid will harm people seeking |
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| 168 | 168 | | health care services and inhibit public health; |
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| 169 | 169 | | Whereas the restructuring of the Department of Health and |
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| 170 | 170 | | Human Services will be a step backwards in the provision |
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| 171 | 171 | | of public health, including— |
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| 172 | 172 | | (1) reducing the Department of Health and Human |
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| 173 | 173 | | Services workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 employees; and |
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| 174 | 174 | | (2) combining the Office of the Assistant Secretary |
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| 175 | 175 | | for Health, the Health Resources and Services Adminis- |
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| 176 | 176 | | tration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services |
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| 177 | 177 | | Administration, the Agency for Toxic Substances and |
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| 178 | 178 | | Disease Registry, and the National Institute for Occupa- |
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| 179 | 179 | | tional Safety and Health into 1 new agency named the |
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| 180 | 180 | | Administration for a Healthy America; |
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| 181 | 181 | | Whereas the National Institutes of Health has faced staff |
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| 182 | 182 | | and funding cuts, impeding— |
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| 183 | 183 | | (1) progress towards advancing basic science and |
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| 184 | 184 | | improving understanding human biology and disease; |
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| 185 | 185 | | (2) the development of therapeutics and devices to |
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| 186 | 186 | | treat human disease and pathogenic infections; |
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| 187 | 187 | | (3) workforce development and the bolstering of sci- |
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| 188 | 188 | | entific education and training; and |
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| 189 | 189 | | (4) global competitiveness in scientific research and |
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| 190 | 190 | | development; |
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| 191 | 191 | | Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has |
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| 192 | 192 | | faced staff cuts and paused critical programs, limiting |
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| 193 | 193 | | the ability of the United States to— |
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| 194 | 194 | | (1) respond to the ongoing measles outbreaks in at |
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| 195 | 195 | | least 4 States, including Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and |
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| 196 | 196 | | Kansas; |
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| 199 | 199 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 200 | 200 | | (2) respond to future infectious disease outbreaks, |
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| 201 | 201 | | which requires robust response from public health ex- |
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| 202 | 202 | | perts, scientists, and providers; |
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| 203 | 203 | | (3) protect the most vulnerable communities of the |
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| 204 | 204 | | United States, such as children, the elderly, and the |
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| 205 | 205 | | immunocompromised, from dangerous, life-threatening |
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| 206 | 206 | | infections; and |
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| 207 | 207 | | (4) strengthen our national security against poten- |
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| 208 | 208 | | tial attacks using bioweapons; |
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| 209 | 209 | | Whereas the elimination of the United States Agency for |
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| 210 | 210 | | International Development endangers the public health of |
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| 211 | 211 | | all people of the United States; |
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| 212 | 212 | | Whereas public health organizations use National Public |
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| 213 | 213 | | Health Week to educate public policymakers and public |
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| 214 | 214 | | health professionals on issues that are important to im- |
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| 215 | 215 | | proving the health of the people of the United States; |
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| 216 | 216 | | Whereas studies show that small strategic investments in dis- |
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| 217 | 217 | | ease prevention can result in significant savings in health |
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| 218 | 218 | | care costs; |
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| 219 | 219 | | Whereas vaccination is one of the most significant public |
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| 220 | 220 | | health achievements in history and has resulted in sub- |
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| 221 | 221 | | stantial decreases in— |
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| 222 | 222 | | (1) the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths |
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| 223 | 223 | | associated with vaccine-preventable diseases; and |
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| 224 | 224 | | (2) health care costs associated with vaccine-prevent- |
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| 225 | 225 | | able diseases; |
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| 226 | 226 | | Whereas public health professionals help communities pre- |
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| 227 | 227 | | vent, prepare for, mitigate, and recover from the impact |
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| 228 | 228 | | of a full range of health threats, including— |
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| 229 | 229 | | (1) disease outbreaks, such as the COVID–19 pan- |
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| 230 | 230 | | demic; |
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| 233 | 233 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 234 | 234 | | (2) natural disasters, such as wildfires, flooding, and |
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| 235 | 235 | | severe storms; |
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| 236 | 236 | | (3) other disasters, such as disasters caused by |
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| 237 | 237 | | human activity; and |
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| 238 | 238 | | (4) public health emergencies; |
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| 239 | 239 | | Whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners |
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| 240 | 240 | | outside of the health sector, including city planners, |
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| 241 | 241 | | transportation officials, education officials, and private |
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| 242 | 242 | | sector businesses, recognizing that other sectors can in- |
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| 243 | 243 | | fluence health outcomes; |
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| 244 | 244 | | Whereas, in communities across the United States, individ- |
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| 245 | 245 | | uals are changing the way they care for their health by |
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| 246 | 246 | | avoiding tobacco use, eating healthier, increasing physical |
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| 247 | 247 | | activity, and preventing unintentional injuries at home |
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| 248 | 248 | | and in the workplace; and |
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| 249 | 249 | | Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and the |
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| 250 | 250 | | prevention of disease and injury can continue to trans- |
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| 251 | 251 | | form a health system focused on treating illness into a |
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| 252 | 252 | | health system focused on preventing disease and injury |
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| 253 | 253 | | and promoting wellness: Now, therefore, be it |
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| 254 | 254 | | Resolved, That the Senate— 1 |
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| 255 | 255 | | (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 2 |
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| 256 | 256 | | Public Health Week; 3 |
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| 257 | 257 | | (2) recognizes the efforts of public health pro-4 |
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| 258 | 258 | | fessionals, the Federal Government, States, Tribes, 5 |
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| 259 | 259 | | municipalities, local communities, and individuals in 6 |
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| 260 | 260 | | preventing disease and injury; 7 |
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| 261 | 261 | | (3) recognizes the role of public health in— 8 |
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| 264 | 264 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 265 | 265 | | (A) preventing and responding to infec-1 |
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| 266 | 266 | | tious disease outbreaks, such as the COVID–19 2 |
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| 267 | 267 | | pandemic and the ongoing measles outbreak; 3 |
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| 268 | 268 | | (B) mitigating the short-term and long- 4 |
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| 269 | 269 | | term impacts of infectious disease outbreaks on 5 |
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| 270 | 270 | | the health and wellness of individuals in the 6 |
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| 271 | 271 | | United States; 7 |
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| 272 | 272 | | (C) addressing social and other deter-8 |
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| 273 | 273 | | minants of health, including health disparities 9 |
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| 274 | 274 | | experienced by minority populations; and 10 |
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| 275 | 275 | | (D) improving the overall health of individ-11 |
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| 276 | 276 | | uals and communities in the United States; 12 |
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| 277 | 277 | | (4) encourages increased efforts and resources 13 |
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| 278 | 278 | | to— 14 |
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| 279 | 279 | | (A) improve the health of individuals in the 15 |
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| 280 | 280 | | United States; and 16 |
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| 281 | 281 | | (B) make the United States, in 1 genera-17 |
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| 282 | 282 | | tion, the healthiest Nation in the world by— 18 |
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| 283 | 283 | | (i) providing greater opportunities to 19 |
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| 284 | 284 | | improve community health and prevent dis-20 |
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| 285 | 285 | | ease and injury; and 21 |
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| 286 | 286 | | (ii) strengthening the public health 22 |
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| 287 | 287 | | system and workforce in the United States; 23 |
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| 288 | 288 | | and 24 |
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| 291 | 291 | | •SRES 182 IS |
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| 292 | 292 | | (5) encourages the people of the United States 1 |
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| 293 | 293 | | to learn about the role of the public health system 2 |
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| 294 | 294 | | in improving health across the United States. 3 |
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| 295 | 295 | | Æ |
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