about minority health for one moment, and i particularly want to thank a member of my staff, priscilla ross, who has been working on this issue for many years. she pointed out to me the vulnerability of minority populations in america. let me just give you a couple examples. the life expectancy for an african-american is 5.3 years less than someone who is white. minorities are two times more likely to have diabetes. african-americans or 33% have higher death rates for heart disease than the white population, and the list goes on and on and on. access to care in the minority communities is much less than in the general communities at large. so we need to do something about this, and the amendment that i offered which is included in the manager's package elevates minority help -- minority health in our government agencies. it provides statutory authority for the office of minority health at the department of health and human services, codifies the network of minority health offices located within the centers for disease control and prevention, the centers for medicare and medicaid services, t