Today, Rep. Henry Cuellar voted in favor of the House passage of H.R. 3043, the 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, which includes a Cuellar provision for a mobile health center for Mercy Ministries of Laredo.
 
“The Texas-Mexico border historically has been underserved with medical professionals, and this new unit will help alleviate that problem,” said Congressman Cuellar. “I applaud the efforts of Mercy Ministries in taking the lead and providing services to our citizens who need access to health care.”

If this provision is included in the final version of the bill, Mercy Ministries of Laredo would be eligible to receive $100,000 to purchase a new mobile health center and provide services to uninsured and underinsured residents in Webb County.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Appropriations Bill makes key investments to strengthen America’s families – from education to health care to job training. Some of the key provisions of the bill include:

• Making college more affordable for students
• Helping to raise the achievement levels of American students
• Investing in the skills of America’s workers
• Expanding access to health care for the uninsured and investing in initiatives that will provide new access to health care for more than 2 million uninsured Americans
• Investing in life-saving medical research

“Providing a good and solid education to our students, making health care accessible to my constituents, and having a qualified and trained work force have always been priorities of mine, and this bill addresses all three issues,” said Congressman Cuellar. “I applaud my colleagues in the House for taking a stand and doing what is right for our fellow Americans.”

The bill calls for increasing college financial aid by $2 billion over the 2007 budget and $3.2 billion over the President’s request. In addition, it also provides an increase of $2 billion dollars over last year’s budget – and $1 billion over the President’s request – for No Child Left Behind Programs. This includes an increase of $1.9 billion over 2007 for Title I programs, giving an additional 161,000 low-income children extra help with reading and math.

This bill also takes important steps in funding several initiatives that will provide access to healthcare for more than 2 million uninsured Americans, including more funding for community health centers and state health access grants. Employment and training initiatives also benefit under this bill; it provides funding for vital programs such as Job Corps, dislocated worker training, and job placement assistance for at-risk youth. Funding for life-saving medical research into diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s is also included in the bill.

The bill is still pending Senate action, full Congressional approval, and the President’s signature. President Bush has threatened to veto this appropriations measure.

Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland Security, Small Business, and Agriculture Committees in the 110th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care, economic development and national security are his priorities. Congressman Cuellar is also a Senior Whip.
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