SA 3114. Mr. BURR submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the concurrent resolution S. Con. Res. 83, setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2007 and including the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2006 and 2008 through 2011; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. RESERVE FUND FOR PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS PLANNING.
If the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate reports a bill or joint resolution, or if an amendment is offered thereto, or if a conference report is submitted thereon, that--
(1) rebuilds the vaccine industry in the United States which has shrunk from over 25 to less than 5 companies;
(2) improves the United States capacity to produce life-saving pandemic influenza vaccines and antivirals;
(3) ensures adequate funding for advanced development and acquisition of needed medical countermeasures for biodefense and pandemic influenza protection;
(4) enhances the Strategic National Stockpile of pandemic influenza vaccines, antivirals, and other medical products;
(5) strengthens the Federal, State, and local public health infrastructure to effectively respond to a pandemic influenza outbreak;
(6) increases the domestic and international surveillance and outbreak containment capabilities; and
(7) improves public awareness and education of pandemic influenza preparedness planning;
assuming that the Committee is within its allocation as provided under section 302 (a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the chairman of the Committee on the Budget may make the appropriate adjustments in allocations and aggregates to the extent that such legislation would not increase the deficit for fiscal years 2007 and for the period of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.
Just store some cans of tuna under your bed. You'll be fine. Seriously, I am very perplexed by this bird flu business. I've been watching the mortality figures from other countries and they are NOT alarming, yet I am told our government is in an absolute panic over a human to human strain developing and killing millions. I feel like it's Y2K all over again.