Congresswoman Johnson Urges Parents To Vaccinate Children

"In 1796, Edward Jenner propelled medical research and public health forward when he invented the first vaccine. Cowpox, a less deadly form of smallpox, infected milkmaids via sores on a cow’s body. Jenner correctly tested his hypothesis that a cowpox infection could protect a person from smallpox. Until the true development and distribution of vaccines,epidemics such as whooping cough, smallpox, measles, yellow fever, and rubella had ravaged cities throughout the world.

Even with Jenner’s discovery, the 1800s was a difficult time for public health. While the National Vaccine Agency was established in the United States in order to encourage individuals to vaccinate themselves in 1813, poor hygiene practices and the emergence of additional infectious diseases slowed the development of vaccines and increased global outbreaks. Two thirds of the soldiers who lost their lives in the American Civil War were killed by uncontrolled infectious diseases. Yellow fever crippled the Mississippi Valley while measles ravaged Native American tribes in Arizona. At the end of the century the U.S. faced its first polio epidemic.

During the 1900s, vaccine research and development experienced significant progress. Scientists discovered methods for growing and treating viruses in the laboratory. Researchers not only created the first polio vaccine, they were also able to focus on common infectious diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella. U.S. law also backed vaccinations. In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of mandatory smallpox vaccines to preserve public health. By 1922, many schools required a smallpox vaccine before a child could attend.

Because of vaccine research and routine immunizations, an infectious disease that was categorized as uncontrollable a century earlier was successfully eradicated. Since the implementation of vaccines, instances of whooping cough have decreased by 81 percent, measles by 99 percent, and mumps by 99 percent.

While many countries still struggle with outbreaks of diseases eradicated from the U.S. decades ago, some inour country choose to forego the availability of state-of-the-art medicines and choose not to vaccinate their children. Ultimately, this jeopardizes the health of the general public. Just last month, visitors to Disneyland in California were exposed to measles, causing at least 100 cases identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unfortunately, parents who choose not to vaccinate their children are also making a choice for the individuals that their children contact. Herd immunity, an important benefit of widespread vaccination, helps to protect people who cannot be vaccinated because of age or pre-existing medical conditions by

ensuring that everyone they come in contact with is immunized. However, as more and more people refuseroutine immunizations, the risk of outbreak is much worse. In 2014, the U.S. experienced the worst measles and whooping cough outbreaks in decades.

As a non-practicing registered nurse, parent, and grandparent, I assure my constituents that the benefit of routine immunization is invaluable. Like any medical procedure, vaccines can carry some risks. However, the benefit of vaccines certainly outweighs the risks. The reality is that vaccines are the best defense we have against diseases that are both controllable and preventable." - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Congresswoman Johnson Hosts United States Trade Representative Michael Froman

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson hosted U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, the chief official in President Obama’s cabinet for trade policy, in Dallas to showcase Texas’s standing as the state that exports the most Made-in-America goods in the United States.

Congresswoman Johnson, Ambassador Froman, and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings toured Mary Kay Manufacturing to highlight the impact of global trade on local and state economics. In 2013, Texas exported $279.5 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world, supporting over an estimated 1.1 million jobs.  The metropolitan area of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington alone exported $27.6 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world, making it the country’s 9th largest metropolitan exporter.

“Texas is the number one state in the country when it comes to exports,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “And those exports, like the products manufactured here by Mary Kay, are estimated to support over a million jobs.”

Congresswoman Johnson also hosted a trade roundtable featuring Ambassador Froman at the Dallas Regional Chamber in order to bring stakeholders to the table to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. “Our economy here in Dallas depends on trade,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “As TPP and T-TIP negotiations continue, my goal today was to provide local union and Chamber of Commerce leaders with the opportunity to discuss trade provisions with the U.S. Trade Representative.” 

Congresswoman Johnson Applauds National Cancer Institute Grant For UT Southwestern Medical Center

This week, the National Cancer Institute announced that UT Southwestern Medical Center along with a consortia of Texas research entities would be awarded one of two major advanced planning grants to establish the country’s first National Center for Heavy Ion Radiation Therapy. Once built this new facility would be the first of its kind in the U.S. providing clinical care and research utilizing heavy particle treatment for innovative methods of cancer treatment.

Last October, Congresswoman Johnson wrote a letter urging the White House to take into consideration UT-Southwestern’s existing particle therapy research infrastructure and expertise in leading cancer treatment research in the U.S. when selecting the planning grant award recipients. The planned center would serve as a research adjunct to an independently created and funded, sustainable clinical facility for particle beam radiation therapy. Currently, the planning grant includes pilot projects that will enable a research agenda in particle beam delivery systems, dosimetry, radiation biology, and/or translational pre-clinical studies.

“The newly awarded advanced planning grant for UT Southwestern Medical Center is exactly the type of medical and technological advancement the DFW metroplex needs and the type of federal investment we need to continue to lead the world in state-of-the-art medical research,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Not only is this grant a major advancement for STEM, it is a crucial step in the right direction for cancer research and those affected by cancer here in the United States.”

First developed in the 1980s at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, heavy ion therapy is the most precise and potent form of irradiation for cancer patients, more effective than conventional proton or electron-based forms of treatment which are used to treat the majority of cancer patients in the U.S. Already, the use of heavy ion therapy has expanded worldwide with eight operational centers in China, Germany, Italy, and Japan with additional facilities under construction in Austria, South Korea and France.

The National Center for Heavy Ion Radiation Therapy, targeted for completion in 2021, will require a combination of federal, state, and private funding for construction and ongoing research.

Potential economic impact estimates for Texas are more than $600 million, with 130 new high-level jobs created and 2,000 annual out-of-town visitors.

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education.

The institution’s faculty includes many distinguished members, including six who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. Numbering approximately 2,800, the faculty is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to about 92,000 hospitalized patients and oversee approximately 2.1 million outpatient visits a year.

Congresswoman Johnson Observes Black History Month

"Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Harvard trainedhistorian who brilliantly birthed the idea that led to the celebration of Black History month,believed that all people regardless of their race, color or national origin should study and embrace the history of Black people in the United States. His belief led him to establish “Negro History Week” in 1926.

The history of Black elected officials in Texas, for instance, is an example of the wisdom of Dr. Woodson’s thinking. While representing primarily minority constituencies, many of the Black men and women who have served as elected officials in Texashave passed laws and established policies that have benefited people of all colors. Though it is not possible to shine a light on all of them because of space limitations, I would like to highlight the contribution of a few.

Representative Joseph Lockridge, elected in 1966, became the first African American to represent Dallas in the Texas Legislature since Reconstruction. After his death in a plane crash in 1968, he was succeeded by the legendary pastor/orator Reverend Zan Holmes. Dr. Emmett Conrad, a dentist, was the first African American elected to the Dallas Independent School Board in 1967. Ron Kirk, a lawyer, became the first African-American elected Mayor of Dallas in 1995.

In 1966 Barbara Jordan became the first African American female elected to the Texas State Senate where her knowledge of the law, and her eloquence set new political standards for elected officials throughout the state.

Six years later she was elected to the United States Congress where as a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate Hearings she articulated principles of American Democracy in a manner that captivated a national television audience.

Many credit Congresswoman Jordan, the first African American woman to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic Party’s national political convention, with having helped to prevent President Richard M. Nixonfrom circumventing the U.S. Constitution and destroying the credibility of our nation.

One of the pivotal organizations in Texas state politics has been the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. It was born in 1972 when the largest number of African American legislators in history was elected to the Texas Legislature.

The group’s founding members included Houston Representatives Anthony Hall, Mickey Leland, Senfronia Thompson and Craig Washington. Those elected from the Dallas area were Sam Hudson III, Paul Ragsdale and myself. The group’s first chairman was G.J. Sutton from San Antonio.

As a body, we identified our priorities. We decided that we would work closely with the state NAACP,

and that our agenda would include fighting for increased funding for historically disadvantage colleges. We agreed that we would take a very hard look at the state’s penal system, and that we would address numerous problems that affected African Americans, Hispanics and poor whites wherever they were found in Texas. We supported and passed legislation that reflected our concerns.

Some of the individuals from that group have made notable contributions to our state, and to the world. Representative Mickey Leland, who later became a member of Congress, was a global leader in the effort to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. In fact, he was killed in an airplane crash while on a hunger mission to Ethiopia in 1989.

His seat in Congress was taken by our colleague Craig Washington, who was known for his knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. Representative Senfronia Thompson remains in the Texas Legislature. She is one of the most influential legislators in the state of Texas.

These and many others too numerous to mention in this editorial have made substantial contributions to our state. They have made Black history, and their service has enriched the lives of all Texans." - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Congresswoman Johnson And House Committee On Science Space & Technology Announce Bipartisan NASA Bill

Washington, D.C. Members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee today announced details of the NASA Authorization Act of 2015, legislation intended to reaffirm Congress's commitment to NASA as a multi mission agency with programs in science, aeronautics, exploration, and human spaceflight, and make clear that Mars should be NASA's primary goal. The bill will be introduced in the House the week of February 9th. Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) was joined by Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), Space Subcommittee Chairman Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), Space Subcommittee Ranking Member Donna Edwards (D-Md.), and Space Subcommittee Vice-Chair Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) in praising the bipartisan bill.

The NASA Authorization Act of 2015 authorizes funding consistent with the Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act of 2015. The bill continues the consistent guidance Congress has given to NASA for nearly a decade by reaffirming a stepping stone approach to exploration. The bill focuses NASA's efforts to develop a capability to access the International Space Station so that America can once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil. It also increases support for the Space Launch System and the Orion Crew Vehicle  systems being developed to take astronauts to deep-space destinations like Mars  in an attempt to keep the programs on schedule for a 2017 launch date.  

Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas): "Building on previous NASA Authorization Acts, this bipartisan legislation affirms NASA's responsibility to be a multi-mission agency, one that includes productive programs in science, aeronautics, human spaceflight and human exploration. NASA is a crown jewel of our nation's R&D enterprise. NASA's space and aeronautics programs advance our technological competence and scientific understanding, challenge our industries and workforces in ways that promote their global competitiveness, and inspire the next generation to dream big and gain the skills to turn those dreams into action.  That last point cannot be overstated,  our children are our future science and technology workforce. They need to be prepared. This NASA bill is the product of intense bipartisan collaboration over the past year, and I am proud to be a cosponsor."

The bill also supports a healthy science directorate that reflects the input from the scientific community and an aeronautics research directorate that contributes to our nation's aerospace economy.

Highlights of the NASA Authorization Act of 2015

This bill authorizes programs and projects at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15). Authorized NASA funding is consistent with the funding appropriated for NASA in the Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235)-- $18,010,200,000. NASA continues to be the world's premier space organization. This bill seeks to maintain sustainability of purpose and budget for NASA programs, continuing the congressional direction provided in previous Authorizations from 2005, 2008, and 2010.

Human Spaceflight: Building on the themes of previous authorizations, this bill reaffirms Congress's commitment to space exploration, both human and robotic. This legislation makes clear that a human mission to Mars is the goal for NASA's human spaceflight program and requires the development of a roadmap to achieve that goal, as well as biennial updates. In the near-term, the primary tasks for NASA human spaceflight include:

-Realizing the research potential of the International Space Station (ISS) with an Office of Science & Technology Policy-led strategic plan for all science agencies to conduct research on the Station. NASA will study the cost and feasibility of continuing its operational lifespan beyond 2020.

- Continued commitment to develop the Space Launch System and Orion Crew Vehicle and reiteration of Congressional direction that Orion serve as a backup system to support the ISS if necessary.

- Assist in building at least one Commercial Crew system (with NASA funds) to carry American astronauts on American rockets safely, reliably, and affordably to and from the ISS so that we are no longer reliant on Russia for crew access.

Science Programs: Relying on guidance of the National Academy of Science (NAS) Decadal Surveys, this bill emphasizes the importance of maintaining a steady cadence of science missions, including a Europa mission with a goal of launching by 2021.It directs NASA and the NAS to provide Congress with a report assessing the long-term goals of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, which includes the Mars 2020 rover. To reflect the increase in the number of newly discovered planets outside our solar system, the legislation also directs NASA and the NAS to provide an exoplanet exploration strategy. This bill stresses the importance of completing and expanding the Congressionally mandated near-Earth object survey to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize near-Earth objects 140 meters in diameter or larger. When additional Earth science responsibilities are transferred from other agencies to NASA, the legislation seeks to ensure that NASA will be reimbursed for the cost of new responsibilities. The bill also:

- Maintains funding to support a launch date goal of the James Webb Space Telescope by 2018.

- Continues survey for potentially-hazardous Earth-crossing objects.

- Continues exciting search for planets around other stars and life on other worlds.

Aeronautics: Authorizes a robust aeronautics research program, including efforts to safely integrate unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace, development of NextGen technology for future air traffic management, and research on aviation safety.

Infrastructure: Directs NASA to develop a plan to better position the agency to have the facilities and infrastructure necessary to meet future requirements including those set forth in the human exploration roadmap. Provides transparency provisions to ensure NASA's property and facilities are managed appropriately.

Education: Requires that NASA educational and outreach activities continue to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum and inspire the next generation of explorers.

Oversight: The bill provides greater public accountability and transparency, requires NASA to enforce more cost estimating discipline for its programs, strengthens the NASA Advisory Council, and provides for additional tools to protect against waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.