Expressing the need for enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain injury and support for the designation of a National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Mr. Speaker, to the chairman, my good friend from Georgia, I thank you for bringing this to the floor, and the ranking member.

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, in support of House Concurrent Resolution 99, legislation designed to bring attention to what I would call an American tragedy, a stealthy thief who can strike anyone at any time without warning and often with devastating consequences.

Traumatic brain injury, TBI, is a leading cause of death and disability among young Americans in the United States. As you have just heard, someone will sustain a traumatic brain injury every 21 seconds. We are talking about 1.5 million Americans every year. More than 1.4 million sustain brain injuries, more than the incidence of HIV/AIDS, spinal cord injury, even multiple sclerosis. Fifty thousand of those injured will die; 55 million Americans are living with TBI right now. Think about that, Mr. Speaker.

These injuries manifest themselves in a myriad of ways, from a small behavioral change to complete physical disability and even death. Traumatic brain injury costs the country an estimated societal cost of $60 billion every year and, currently, there is no cure. Most of these injuries are due to falls, motor vehicle traffic crashes or violence. Additionally, due to the changing nature of warfare, American troops are suffering TBI at an alarming rate.

Individuals with TBI account for 2 percent of the total United States population and represent nearly 10 percent of our Nation's disability population, 10 percent. Yet despite these staggering statistics, lack of public awareness is so vast that TBI remains a silent epidemic plaguing our Nation.

The good news is that traumatic brain injury is often preventable. That

is why awareness and education are imperative.

The resolution before the House today, Mr. Speaker, to designate a National Brain Injury Awareness Month, will work toward enhancing public awareness and give this epidemic and its victims a voice.

Former Congressman Jim Greenwood from Pennsylvania and I formed the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in 2001. Today, that task force, which I chair with my good friend Congressman Platts from Pennsylvania, works to further education and awareness of brain injury, its incidence, its prevalence, its prevention and treatment. The task force also supports funding for basic and applied research on brain injury rehab and the development of a cure.

It is my hope that this resolution will encourage Americans to learn more about the long-lasting effects of brain injury and its impact on both the civilian and military communities.

The Traumatic Brain Injury Act is the only legislation that specifically addresses issues faced by people who live with long-term disability as a result of traumatic brain injury. It has successfully provided a foundation for coordinated and balanced public policy for people living with TBI and their circles of support. This law is due to be reauthorized. I look forward to continued congressional support to make it happen.

Another important Federal program, Mr. Speaker, focused on TBI, traumatic brain injury, is the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. For our Armed Forces, TBI is an important clinical problem in peace and war, and its consequences may extend for many years.

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center was established in 1992 after Operation Desert Storm. Military doctors are naming traumatic brain injury as the result of a blast the signature wound of the war in Iraq.

Because soldiers are now equipped with state-of-the-art body armor, they are living through attacks that troops in past wars were unable to survive. Systemwide, the DVBIC has evaluated over 1,400 military personnel with TBI. Of those troops evacuated to Walter Reed Medical Center, 28 percent had traumatic brain injury.

The DVBIC trains combat medics, surgeons, general medical officers and Reservists in the recognition and best practices of TBI care and provides continuity of care from the battlefield to rehab and back to active duty or civilian life.

Continued congressional support is vital. Traumatic brain injury is a unique issue, an epidemic so vast it is almost overwhelming and so personal its effects defy definition. Passage of this resolution will confirm our commitment to awareness and education and prevention and research.

I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of H. Con. Res. 99, to designate a National Brain Injury Awareness Month in support of our common goal, the eradication of traumatic brain injury as a debilitating, costly and deadly plague on humankind.

I must say in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, that what has happened over the past 5 or 6 years gives us a tremendous amount of hope in developing that part of the brain which has not been injured to compensate for that part which has been injured. We are truly living in great times.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that there are over 5 million Americans living with disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injury. Another 1.4 million of our fellow citizens sustain a traumatic brain injury every year.

In 1996, Congress recognized the severity of traumatic brain injury by passing the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, legislation that advances prevention and education and research and community living for people living with these injuries and for their families. But there is more to be done.

Every 21 seconds, someone in our country sustains a traumatic brain injury. While half of these injuries result in only short-term disabilities, for others, they are obviously far more serious.

Half a million of these Americans die, including 2,800 children less than 14 years of age. Another 80,000 Americans sustain severe long-term disabilities, costing our health care system something in the vicinity of $56 billion a year.

But many of those disabilities are preventible. The problem is that most Americans don't know when to classify an injury as a traumatic injury. It means they may not know to recognize the signs of a serious injury, which can be as simple as recurring headaches or feeling tired or having difficulty concentrating. They don't know to get themselves to a medical professional before there is actually permanent damage. Just because it only feels like a bump in the head, you have to be aware of how you are feeling and how you are acting. Your family and friends need to be able to recognize the signals that something is wrong. This is particularly important for children, who are less likely to recognize when they need to see a doctor.

H. Con. Res. 99, offered by my friend Mr. Pascrell and others, will help increase America's awareness about the seriousness of traumatic brain injury and the importance of getting checked out by a health care professional after injury.

To help meet that goal, this resolution supports the creation of a National Brain Injury Awareness Month, an event around which patients and advocates and providers can organize to educate the public and bring needed attention to this issue. I am pleased to support the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), the sponsor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to

the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 99) expressing the need for enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain jury and support for the designation of a National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 99, a resolution expressing the need for enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain injury and in support for designation of a National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

I want to thank the principal sponsors of this legislation, Congressman Bill Pascrell from New Jersey and Congressman Todd Platts from Pennsylvania, who are the cochairs of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. I commend them for their leadership and hard work to increase the level of public awareness of this silent epidemic of traumatic brain injury.

Despite the fact that each year an estimated 1.4 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury, costing our society tens of billions of dollars and permanently altering the lives of countless people, too few people are aware of the dangers posed by these highly preventible injuries.

To help address this problem, House Concurrent Resolution 99 resolves that Congress, one, recognizes the life-altering impact traumatic brain injury may have both on Americans living with the resultant disabilities and on their families; two, recognizes the need for enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain injury; three, supports the designation of an appropriate month as National Brain Injury Awareness Month; and, four, encourages the President to issue a proclamation designating such a month.

Again, I commend Mr. Pascrell and Mr. Platts for their leadership on this issue. I encourage my colleagues to adopt the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge the adoption of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Traumatic Brain Injury Taskforce, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 99. This resolution will help increase awareness for traumatic brain injury (TBI), the leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, few Americans may understand the amount of devastation caused by TBIs every year. This year alone, over 1.4 million people will sustain a traumatic brain injury. Sadly, at least 80,000 of those individuals will remain permanently disabled from the trauma.

Falls, motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, and violence are among the major causes of TBI, leaving every individual susceptible. Additionally, TBls can manifest themselves in various ways, from a small behavioral change to complete physical disability, and even death. Brain injuries affect the whole family emotionally and financially, often resulting in huge medical and rehabilitation expenses.

It is now especially important that we promote awareness for TBI because military doctors are naming it the signature wound of the war in Iraq. Thanks to the state-of-the-art body armor with which our men and women overseas are equipped, they are able to survive violent attacks, while still receiving a blunt force to the head. Walter Reed Memorial Hospital found that over 60% of all soldiers wounded in an explosion, vehicle accident, or gunshot to the head or neck, sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury.

Mr. Speaker, because all of our fellow citizens have family, friends and neighbors who could fall victim to TBI at any time, I urge support from my distinguished colleagues for this resolution here today.