Expressing support for designation of a National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day.

Madam Speaker, on February 6, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 29: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 867. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 30: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 942. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'', and rollcall No. 31: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 943. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''.

Madam Speaker, on February 7, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 32: On ordering the previous question for H. Res. 956. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 33: On agreeing to H. Res. 956. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 34: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 283, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 35: On motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4848, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 36: On agreeing to the amendment numbered 4 to H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 37: On agreeing to the amendment numbered 5 to H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 38: On agreeing to the amendment numbered 7 to H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''; rollcall No. 39: On motion to Recommit H.R. 4137 with Instructions. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''; rollcall No. 40: On passage of H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall

No. 41: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 947. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'', and rollcall No. 42: On agreeing to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5140. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, On March 11, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following vote: rollcall No. 111: On motion to adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, on April 14, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 183: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 886, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 184: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 994, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; and rollcall No. 185: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 3548, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on May 5, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 240: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 952. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 241: On a motion to table the motion to reconsider H. Res. 952. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 242: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1011, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 243: On a motion to table the motion to reconsider H. Res. 1011. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; and rollcall No. 244: On a motion to adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on May 6, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following vote: rollcall No. 260: On motion to adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on June 3, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 367: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 138, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 368: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 923. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 369: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1114. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on July 17, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 510: On agreeing to the resolution to H. Res. 1350. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 539: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1370, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present for three rollcall votes on April 14th. If I had been present for those votes, I would have voted as follows:

First, on rollcall No. 183, to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 886, Expressing sympathy to the victims and families of the tragic acts of violence in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Arvada, Colorado, as a cosponsor of the resolution I would have voted ``yes.''

As the resolution reminds us all, on Sunday, December 9, 2007, a troubled individual was responsible for killing several innocent people and injuring others at, first, the Youth With a Mission facility in Arvada and, a few hours later, at the New Life Church in the Colorado Springs Area--where he was fatally shot by Jeanne Assam, a volunteer private security guard.

The resolution rightly commends Ms. Assam and the quick response of local first responders in the city of Arvada and in Jefferson County as well as those in El Paso County and Colorado Springs who, assisted by Federal authorities and medical professionals limited the danger to the church and local community. And it offers the heartfelt condolences of the House of Representatives to the victims and families of these tragic acts of violence in Colorado and conveys our gratitude to Jeanne Assam, city and county officials, as well as the police, fire, sheriff, Federal authorities, and emergency medical teams whose quick response saved lives.

Second, on rollcall No. 184, to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 994, regarding National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day, I would have voted ``yes.''

And, third, on rollcall No. 185, to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3548, as amended, the Plain Language in Government Communications Act, as a cosponsor of that measure I would have voted ``yes.''

H.R. 3548 requires Federal agencies to use plain language in government documents related to obtaining a service or a benefit. It responds to the fact that government documents often are complex and difficult to understand, particularly when they are not written clearly. To address this problem, President Clinton in 1998 issued a memorandum that, in part, required Federal agencies to use plain language in all documents that explain how to obtain a benefit or service. However, while a few agencies still maintain plain language programs, efforts to promote plain language have waned. H.R. 3548 defines plain language and requires agencies to use plain language in any new document that explains how to obtain a service or a benefit or that is relevant to obtaining a service or a benefit. The bill ensures that many of the letters, forms, and other documents that people receive from the government will be written in a clear, understandable way. Under this bill, for example, the Social Security Administration would be required to use plain language in letters that provide beneficiaries information about Social Security.

I joined in cosponsoring the bill because I think it is important for those of us in government to do more to communicate clearly with our employers, the American people, and I hope that the Senate will join the House in giving prompt approval to the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago a beautiful young lady by the name of Julia Smith and her family came to my office. Julia lives in Augusta, Georgia and is a constituent of mine.

This 9-year-old young lady, when she was first born, was covered with bruises. Her parents, of course, were, needless to say, very concerned and they asked the doctor about these bruises. The parents were told that this was just from a result of a difficult delivery.

A short time thereafter, Julia had a little scratch on her face that resulted in bleeding that covered her whole face and, of course, her mom was frantic. The blood tests were normal.

The family took Julia to the Medical College of Georgia, my alma mater. I'm a medical doctor, and so I'm proud of the Medical College of Georgia of doing the testing that was required to bring about the diagnosis of Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia in Julia.

Her mom, Helen, was, of course, very distraught and so she started researching, trying to find out about this very rare disease. The more she searched, the more she realized that there's very little information anywhere. And she started meeting other families all around the country, whose family members also suffered from GT.

With the help of a small grant from a private individual, Helen Smith founded the Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Research Foundation. And what she's doing is trying to find, certainly, the cure of this disease, but also searching to try to find ways of informing people who have this disease about the disease and help to comfort them. And so it's a research foundation that is extremely needed to try to prevent the disease symptoms which are uncontrollable bleeding, as well as very painful bruising. It's a life-threatening disease.

But Ms. Smith talked to me about this disease. And as a physician, as a Member of Congress, I realized that we really need to bring this disease to the forefront so that she can have some help. She's seeking for recognition. She's seeking for private grants and private funding of her foundation which is very much needed. And hopefully, this young lady, Julia Smith, can live a long and fruitful life, and we can find a cure to this disease. In fact, the researchers say that there's a possibility of finding a cure within a matter of just the next few years.

But without bringing public attention to the disease, Ms. Smith's going to continue to struggle to try to get the recognition that she so richly deserves for this very rare blood disorder.

So that's what this bill is all about. It's to promote the awareness of Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia. March 1 has been chosen as the day to establish the National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day. This day was chosen to coincide with the date of the fundraiser for the research foundation.

I want to thank Natalie Stroud of my office and my staff for her excellent work on this resolution.

And I urge my colleagues to vote with me on passage of H. Res. 994.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res 994) expressing support for designation of a National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day, as amended.

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 stand for the consideration of H. Res. 994, as amended, which expresses support for the designation of a National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day.

H. Res. 994 was introduced by Representative Paul Broun of the fine State of Georgia on February 25, 2008, and has the support and cosponsorship of 57 Members of Congress. The measure was considered by the Oversight panel on March 13, 2008, and was passed by voice vote at that time after being amended for technical purposes.

Mr. Speaker, while many people may not be aware of Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, which is an extremely rare disorder of the blood where the platelets lack glycoprotein, a key element for blood to clot, therefore significantly prolonging bleeding time. While on average there are only 200 cases of Glanzmann's thrombasthenia reported every year, the disease and finding a cure for it still requires our attention, resources and support.

March 1, 2008, marked the inaugural commemoration of the National

Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day. The day was celebrated with events, receptions and our colleagues in the Senate Chamber passed an identical resolution honoring and recognizing the importance of National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day.

I think it is important that we in this body help to expand research awareness of Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, which is why I rise in support of H. Res. 994. Passage of this measure will help to raise the profile and the general public's understanding of this illness and the corresponding National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day. I urge passage of the resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

Mr. Speaker, I would urge passage of this legislation, and yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution urging the designation of a National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day. Discovered in Switzerland in 1918, Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, otherwise known as GT, is a rare and serious blood disorder that affects men, women, and children of all ages across the globe. The disease affects the ability of blood platelets to form, or clot, around the site of a broken blood vessel due to a deficiency of a specific protein on the surface of the platelet. Since the blood is unable to clot normally, those who suffer from GT are faced with uncontrollable, potentially life-threatening blood loss and severe bruising.

A very rare and little known hereditary disease, GT has severe emotional and physical effects on those who suffer from it. Children with GT often find themselves socially isolated as they are unable to participate in normal childhood activities such as sports or physically active play.

There is no cure for this disease, and because it is so rare, there is little information on the symptoms and treatments. It is important that we support valuable organizations such as the Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Research Foundation, founded by Helen P. Smith in 2001, in their effort to educate the public, promote awareness, and fund research of this serious disease.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution that seeks to raise the awareness of this serious, emotionally damaging and potentially life-threatening disease.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the State of Georgia (Mr. Broun).

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H. Res. 994, and I yield back the balance of my time.