*EPF406 12/28/00
Text: Clinton Signs Anti-Malaria Bill into Law
(Dec. 27 White House statement by President Clinton) (960)

President Clinton signed into law December 27 a bill aimed at fighting malaria, according to a White House statement.

The Assistance for International Malaria Control Act, S. 2943, provides $50 million for both fiscal year 2001 and 2002 for the fight against the disease.

While there were only 1,400 cases of malaria in the United States in 1998 reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 300 million to 500 million people worldwide suffer from the disease.

Malaria is a public health problem in more than 90 countries, with more than 90 percent of all malaria cases in sub-Saharan Africa.

The bill contains five parts, four of which deal with issues besides malaria: Title I deals with assistance for international malaria control; Title II deals with U.S. policy toward Macau; Title III deals with a U.S.-Canada rail commission; and Title IV deals with the Pacific Charter Commission Act of 2000.

Title V deals with changing part of the Peace Corps Act to honor the late Senator Paul Coverdell (Republican of Georgia) with the Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Act of 2000. Coverdell at one time headed up that agency.

President Clinton expressed his opposition to one part of the bill that appears to restrict presidential prerogatives with respect to appointing "Officers of the United States."

Following is the White House text of the President's message on signing the bill and the text of Title I of the Act from the December 14 Congressional Record:

(begin text of message)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

December 27, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today I am pleased to sign into law S. 2943, the "Assistance for International Malaria Control Act." In doing so, however, I note that section 405(b) of the Act purports to restrict the President's constitutional authority to appoint "Officers of the United States" by requiring that individuals be appointed to the Pacific Charter Commission only "after consultation" with specified members of the Congress and by requiring that not more than four of the appointees "may be affiliated with the same political party." Because the work of the Commission may interfere with the constitutional authority vested in the President to conduct foreign affairs, the restrictions in section 405(b) are constitutionally problematic and I therefore construe these restrictions to be precatory only.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

THE WHITE HOUSE, December 27, 2000.

(end text of message)

(begin text of Title I of the International Malaria Control Act of 2000)

TITLE I

ASSISTANCE FOR INTERNATIONAL MALARIA CONTROL

SECTION 101. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the "International Malaria Control Act of 2000".

SEC. 102. FINDINGS.

The Congress makes the following findings:

(1) The World Health Organization estimates that there are 300,000,000 to 500,000,000 cases of malaria each year.

(2) According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,000,000 persons are estimated to die due to malaria each year.

(3) According to the National Institutes of Health, about 40 percent of the world's population is at risk of becoming infected.

(4) About half of those who die each year from malaria are children under 9 years of age.

(5) Malaria kills one child each 30 seconds.

(6) Although malaria is a public health problem in more than 90 countries, more than 90 percent of all malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa.

(7) In addition to Africa, large areas of Central and South America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East are high risk malaria areas.

(8) These high risk areas represent many of the world's poorest nations.

(9) Malaria is particularly dangerous during pregnancy. The disease causes severe anemia and is a major factor contributing to maternal deaths in malaria endemic regions.

(10) "Airport malaria", the importing of malaria by international aircraft and other conveyances, is becoming more common, and the United Kingdom reported 2,364 cases of malaria in 1997, all of them imported by travelers.

(11) In the United States, of the 1,400 cases of malaria reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1998, the vast majority were imported.

(12) Between 1970 and 1997, the malaria infection rate in the United States increased by about 40 percent.

(13) Malaria is caused by a single-cell parasite that is spread to humans by mosquitoes.

(14) No vaccine is available and treatment is hampered by development of drug-resistant parasites and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.

SEC. 103. ASSISTANCE FOR MALARIA PREVENTION, TREATMENT, CONTROL, AND ELIMINATION.

(a) ASSISTANCE.--

(1) IN GENERAL.--The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in coordination with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations, shall provide assistance for the establishment and conduct of activities designed to prevent, treat, control, and eliminate malaria in countries with a high percentage of malaria cases.

(2) CONSIDERATION OF INTERACTION AMONG EPIDEMICS.--In providing assistance pursuant to paragraph (1), the Administrator should consider the interaction among the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.

(3) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION REQUIREMENT.--Activities referred to in paragraph (1) shall include the dissemination of information relating to the development of vaccines and therapeutic agents for the prevention of malaria (including information relating to participation in, and the results of, clinical trials for such vaccines and agents conducted by United States Government agencies) to appropriate officials in such countries.

(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.--

(1) IN GENERAL.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection (a) $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2001 and 2002.

(2) AVAILABILITY.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until expended.

(end text of Title I)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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