US Congressional Representative Pramila Jayapal’s bill H.R. 3131 on South Asian Heart Health has advanced to the point where it can be voted on by the full house. The bipartisan bill, co-introduced with Republican Joe Wilson in 2019, would fund grants for research and awareness. South Asian Heart disease is common – South Asians make up 25% of the world’s population but 50% of the world’s heart disease cases according to Japayal’s update on the bill.
Japayal’s district includes Seattle, which with its large technology workforce, has a large number of South Asians. As I have pointed out before, technology work can be hazardous to Asian American health. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is first South Asian woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
