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HJM011....................................................by WAYS AND MEANS
RICKY RAY HEMOPHILIA RELIEF FUND - Stating findings of the Legislature and
requesting that the U.S. Congress fully fund, in 2000, the Ricky Ray
Hemophilia Relief Fund which was enacted into law under the Ricky Ray
Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998.
03/31 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
04/03 Rpt prt - to 2nd rdg
3rd rdg - ADOPTED - voice vote - to Senate
04/04 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Health/Wel
HJM011
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ||||
Fifty-fifth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2000
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 11
BY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
3 TIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL
4 DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED
5 STATES.
6 We, your Memorialists, the House of Representatives and the Senate of the
7 State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the Fifty-fifth
8 Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
9 WHEREAS, Congress passed the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act was passed to provide
12 for compassionate payments to individuals with blood-clotting disorders, such
13 as hemophilia, who contracted the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to
14 contaminated blood products; and
15 WHEREAS, in its review of the events surrounding the HIV infection of
16 thousands of people with blood-clotting disorders, such as hemophilia, a 1995
17 study, entitled "HIV and the Blood Supply," of the Institute of Medicine found
18 a failure of leadership and an inadequate institutional decision-making proc-
19 ess in the system responsible for ensuring blood safety, concluding that a
20 failure of leadership led to less than effective donor screening, weak regula-
21 tory actions and insufficient communication to patients about the risk of
22 AIDS; and
23 WHEREAS, this legislation, named after a teen-age hemophiliac who died
24 from AIDS, was enacted to provide financial relief to the families of
25 hemophiliacs who were devastated by the federal government's policy failure in
26 its handling of the AIDS epidemic; and
27 WHEREAS, now that the relief bill has been signed into law by the Presi-
28 dent, Congress has been reticent to fund it.
29 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-
30 sion of the Fifty-fifth Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and
31 the Senate concurring therein, that we respectfully request Congress to fully
32 fund the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund, enacted into law under the Ricky
33 Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998, in 2000 so that there is no delay
34 between the authorization and timely appropriation of this relief.
35 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representa-
36 tives be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this
37 Memorial to the President of the United States, to the President of the Senate
38 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Congress, and the congres-
39 sional delegation representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of the
40 United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 10339
Congress passed the Ricky Ray Law in 1998. It would provide one- time
compassionate payments to persons with hemophilia who contracted the
HIV/AIDS virus before 1988 through the use of contaminated blood products.
When Congress passed the bill in 1998, they did so without providing funding. In
1999 Congress provided $75 million for the fund, one-tenth (.01) of the amount
needed. Full funding is needed now for those who received contaminated blood.
Of the original 7500 eligible people, only 4500 remain. There is an average of one
death per day. The Ricky Ray Law states that funding must be completed within
five years of passage. This resolution requests that Congress fully fund the Ricky
Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund in fiscal year 2000.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
Contact
Name: Rep. June Judd
Phone: 208-332-1000
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE HJM 11