Bill Text: NJ SR67 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to promptly pass legislation to fund efforts to combat Zika virus.*
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2016-10-20 - Filed with Secretary of State [SR67 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-SR67-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator STEVEN V. OROHO
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to promptly reconvene to pass legislation to fund efforts to combat Zika virus.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging Congress to promptly reconvene to pass legislation to fund efforts to combat the Zika virus.
Whereas, The Zika virus is an infectious disease that is primarily spread by infected mosquitoes, although it may also be spread through sexual contact; and
Whereas, Although the symptoms of Zika virus infection are typically mild and may go undetected, Zika virus infection during pregnancy had been linked with severe congenital and neurological defects in the fetus, resulting in children born with conditions that include microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome; and
Whereas, Because the symptoms of Zika virus infection may go undetected, there is a risk that an infected person may unwittingly expose others to the disease; and
Whereas, Outbreaks of Zika virus infection have been reported throughout Central and South America, as well as in Africa and the South Pacific, and nearly every state in the United States has reported at least one case of travel-associated Zika virus infection. As of August 3, 2016, over 1,800 travel-associated cases have been reported in the United States, including 50 cases in New Jersey; and
Whereas, Both travel-associated and locally-acquired Zika virus infections have been reported in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa; of these territories, Puerto Rico has been the most strongly affected, with over 5,400 cases reported as of August 3, 2016; and
Whereas, At least one neighborhood in Florida has reported Zika virus transmission by mosquito, and the mosquitoes known to be capable of carrying the Zika virus can range throughout a significant portion of the continental United States, including New Jersey; and
Whereas, There is currently no vaccine to prevent Zika virus infection, and for now the best defenses against infection involve mosquito control and avoiding mosquito bites. To reduce the risk of giving birth to a child with severe birth defects, women of childbearing age have been advised to delay or avoid pregnancy and avoid Zika-affected areas; and
Whereas, Although nearly $600 million in funds that were allocated to combat the Ebola virus were redirected to Zika virus prevention, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services has indicated that these funds will be exhausted by the end of September 2016, and that existing funds to develop a vaccine will be exhausted even sooner; and
Whereas, Although news reports indicate that members of Congress have engaged in ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement on funding Zika virus prevention efforts and have introduced several bills that would provide this funding, both Houses of Congress went into recess in July 2016 without passing legislation, and unless it reconvenes earlier, Congress will take no action to fund Zika virus prevention efforts until after Labor Day; and
Whereas, Federal officials have indicated that the failure to fund Zika virus prevention efforts may delay the development of a vaccine, hinder state and local mosquito control and prevention efforts, and impede efforts to expand Zika virus testing resources to help ensure people, and travelers in particular, know whether they have been infected and are at risk of transmitting the disease to others; and
Whereas, Mosquitoes are most widely active during the summer months and there is a risk that, without proper funding of prevention efforts during this critical time, the rate of mosquito-acquired infections could increase throughout a significant portion of the country; and
Whereas, It is imperative that Congress promptly reconvene to enact legislation to fund efforts to prevent the spread of Zika virus infection; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Senate urges the United States Congress to promptly reconvene and pass legislation to fund efforts to combat Zika virus infection, thereby helping inhibit the spread of the disease and reducing the risk that additional children will be born with the severe congenital and neurological defects associated with Zika virus infection.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States, to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This Senate Resolution urges the United States Congress to promptly reconvene to pass legislation to fund efforts to combat the Zika virus. The Zika virus, which is an infectious disease that can be spread through mosquito bites or sexual contact, has been associated with severe birth defects in children born to women who become infected while they are pregnant. Although several bills have been introduced in Congress to fund ongoing and expanded Zika virus prevention efforts, both Houses of Congress went into recess in mid-July without passing funding legislation, and unless Congress reconvenes earlier, no action will be taken to fund Zika virus prevention efforts at the federal level until after Labor Day.
Because of the severe birth defects associated with Zika virus infection, the risk that Zika virus could be rapidly spread by mosquitoes during the summer months, and the potential delays in developing a vaccine and other problems that may result from a lack of federal funding, it is imperative that Congress reconvene as soon as possible to promptly enact legislation funding efforts to combat the Zika virus.
