Expressing the sense of the Congress that a National Dysphagia Awareness Month should be established.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H. Con. Res. 195, a resolution designating June 2008 as National Dysphagia Awareness Month. First, I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Gene Green, for being the lead cosponsor of this resolution and for his efforts in helping move this resolution forward. Congressman Green is a strong advocate on healthcare issues in Congress and I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with him on the vital issue of raising awareness about dysphagia. In addition, I would like to thank the Dysphagia Awareness Society, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the American Occupational Therapy Association for their grassroots efforts in building support for the resolution. It truly has been a collaborative effort for an important cause.

Dysphagia is a medical condition incorporating any difficulty with swallowing and affects as many as 15 million Americans. Dysphagia can be caused by any condition weakening or damaging the muscles and nerves used for swallowing, including strokes, nervous system complications, and head injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 1 million people in the United States annually are diagnosed with dysphagia. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an estimated 60,000 Americans die annually from complications associated with dysphagia.

Dysphagia awareness is particularly important to my home state of Tennessee, where stroke incident rates are relatively high. Dysphagia affects a significant percentage of stroke survivors due to weakness in the muscles of the throat and mouth traditionally caused by strokes. Dysphagia can cause additional life-threatening complications for these stroke survivors, such as pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration, and airway obstruction.

In addition, complications due to dysphagia increase health care costs by resultant hospital readmissions, emergency room visits, extended hospital stays, the necessity for long-term institutional care, and the need for expensive respiratory and nutritional support. Including money spent in hospitals, the total cost of dysphagia to the health care system is well over $1 billion annually.

Unfortunately, the condition of dysphagia is vastly underreported and not widely understood by the general public. Observing June 2008 as National Dysphagia Awareness Month would raise public awareness about dysphagia and the need for early detection and treatment.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 195) expressing the sense of the Congress that a National Dysphagia Awareness Month should be established.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am proud to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. Con. Res 195, which expresses the sense of Congress that a National Dysphagia Awareness Month should be established.

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a medical disorder currently afflicting nearly 15 million Americans, with another million Americans diagnosed each and every year. Moreover, among those over 60 years of age there is over a 50 percent probability of experiencing dysphagia at some point. Unlike many other medical disorders, dysphagia has not gathered the national attention that it deserves, despite the fact that more than 60,000 American deaths occur annually from dysphagia-related complications.

Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage of H. Con. Res 195, as it will shed national attention on dysphagia, which is afflicting so many of our fellow Americans and costing us over $1 billion to treat annually.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 195, which would designate June 2008 as National Dysphagia Awareness Month.

Dysphagia is a condition that affects nearly 15 million Americans. According to the NIH, people with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing and may also experience pain while swallowing.

Some people may be completely unable to swallow or may have trouble swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. Eating then becomes a challenge. Often, dysphagia makes it difficult to take in enough calories and fluids to nourish the body.

The CDC estimates that 1,000 people in the United States annually are diagnosed with dysphagia and 60,000 Americans die from complications from this condition every year.

However, many people have never heard of dysphagia and unfortunately most cases of dysphagia go unreported.

Designating June 2008 as National Dysphagia Awareness Month will help raise awareness and understanding of dysphagia.

I want to thank Mr. Wamp for sponsoring this legislation and urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Missouri for his excellent presentation on this resolution. I also

commend my colleague, Mr. Wamp from Tennessee, for introducing the resolution and am sorry that a scheduling conflict has prevented his being here to speak.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 195.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to suspend the rules relating to the following measures be considered as adopted in the form considered by the House on Tuesday June 24, 2008:

House Resolution 1294, House Concurrent Resolution 163, House Resolution 353, House Resolution 1231, H.R. 2245, H.R. 4264, H.R. 4918, House Resolution 1271, House Concurrent Resolution 370, House Concurrent Resolution 195, House Resolution 970, House Concurrent Resolution 365.