S.Res. 661Senate110th Congress (2007-2009)Passed Congress

A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Spina Bifida Awareness Month.

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SenateFloor Latest Action

Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S9346-9347)

September 23, 2008

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 15, 2008

SenateIntro Referral

Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8533)

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

September 15, 2008

SenateCommittee

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S9346-9347)

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

September 23, 2008

SenateDischarge

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S9346-9347)

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

September 23, 2008

SenateFloor

Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S9346-9347)

September 23, 2008

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S.Res. 661 on the floor

2 Democrats

Sen. Christopher J. DoddD-CT · Sep 23, 2008

Mr. President, I rise today to support, with Senator Wicker, a resolution to raise awareness about spina bifida, the most common, permanently disabling birth defect. This often devastating birth…

Mr. President, I rise today to support, with Senator Wicker, a resolution to raise awareness about spina bifida, the most common, permanently disabling birth defect. This often devastating birth defect occurs during the first month of pregnancy when the spine fails to close completely, leaving a permanent opening and resulting in a multitude of serious medical complications.

Thanks to modern medicine and technological advances, most babies born with spina bifida--1,500 to 2,000 a year--survive, and many are now living longer than ever before. It is estimated that in the United States no less than 70,000 people, and possibly as many as 130,000 people, currently live with spina bifida. This is wonderful progress, but there are substantial hurdles that can prevent those with spina bifida from reaching their full potential.

For a person with spina bifida, the body, mind, and spirit are all under assault. Most children with the worst form of spina bifida must undergo a surgery to insert a permanent shunt to drain fluid from the brain for the duration of their lives. People with spina bifida may endure any combination of full or partial paralysis, seizures, bladder and bowel problems, latex allergies, learning disabilities, depression, and other psychosocial issues. The promise of an extended life expectancy for individuals with spina bifida may be dampened by the new challenges they face in education, job training, independent living, health care for secondary conditions and aging concerns. Far more needs to be done to improve the quality of life for those suffering with spina bifida.

I applaud the groups that labor so diligently to offer support to the many Americans with spina bifida and their families. In particular, I extend my gratitude to the Spina Bifida Association, which has been dedicated to this important issue for more than three decades. They are steadfast advocates for those whose lives have been touched by spina bifida, working across our Nation to improve lives through education, research, and service.

The Spina Bifida Association, together with the National Spina Bifida Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups, is working hard to spread the word to the 65 million women at risk of having a baby born with spina bifida. On any given day in the United States, eight births are affected by spina bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. It is estimated that 70 percent of birth defects such as spina bifida are preventable by consuming an adequate amount of folic acid prior to pregnancy. This is a simple step that women can take to reduce their risk, but far more outreach and education is required to reach women with this important message.

It is time to renew our efforts to prevent spina bifida and help the many individuals and families living with spina bifida. The resolution we will adopt today calls for a greater commitment to spina bifida prevention and to improving the quality of life of those affected by it, increased funding for evidence-based spina bifida research, and further development of the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry. Taken together, these efforts will help decrease the incidence of spina bifida and improve available treatments and quality of life for those living with it. I wholeheartedly urge my colleagues to join with me in support of this resolution.

Sen. Robert MenendezD-NJ · Sep 23, 2008

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 661, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. Mr. President, I ask…

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Agreed to SenateIssued September 23, 2008

III

110th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. RES. 661

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 15, 2008

Mr. Dodd (for himself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Brown, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Bayh, and Mr. Casey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

September 23 (legislative day, September 17), 2008

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Spina Bifida Awareness Month.

Whereas spina bifida is the most common, permanently disabling birth defect;

Whereas spina bifida occurs during the first month of pregnancy and leaves a permanent opening in the spinal column that subsequently impacts nearly every organ system;

Whereas an estimated 70,000 to 130,000 people in the United States currently live with spina bifida;

Whereas all women of childbearing age are at risk of having a spina bifida affected pregnancy;

Whereas an estimated 70 percent of neural tube defects such as spina bifida can be prevented if a woman consumes adequate amounts of folic acid, which is found in most over-the-counter multivitamins and foods rich in folate such as spinach, prior to becoming pregnant;

Whereas Hispanic women are at the highest risk, between 1.5 and 2 times higher than non-Hispanic whites, of delivering a baby with spina bifida or another neural tube defect, yet are the least likely to consume sufficient amounts of folic acid prior to becoming pregnant;

Whereas people with spina bifida face unprecedented medical complications associated with aging because people with spina bifida are living longer than people with spina bifida in previous generations lived and care for spina bifida is complex and involves myriad clinical specialists;

Whereas a 2005 nationwide survey of spina bifida clinics revealed that the current system of care serving people with spina bifida does not fully meet current or anticipated needs and physicians have little evidence-based research about spina bifida on which to build neurological, orthopedic, or urologic treatment regimens and interventions;

Whereas the National Spina Bifida Program, administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exists to improve the health, well being, and overall quality of life for the individuals and families affected by spina bifida through numerous programmatic components, including the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry and critical quality of life research in spina bifida;

Whereas the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry helps to improve the quality of care, to reduce morbidity and mortality from spina bifida, and to increase the efficiency of, and decrease the cost of, care by supporting the collection of longitudinal treatment data, developing quality measures and treatment standards of care and best practices, identifying centers of excellence in spina bifida, evaluating the clinical and cost effectiveness of the treatment of spina bifida, and exchanging evidence-based information among health care providers across the country; and

Whereas October has been designated as National Spina Bifida Awareness Month to increase awareness of spina bifida, of ways to prevent spina bifida, and of the need for increased funding to support improving evidence-based research and enhancing the quality of life of those living with spina bifida: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate—

(1)

supports the goals and ideals of National Spina Bifida Awareness Month and of national organizations working for people with spina bifida;

(2)

recognizes the importance of—

(A)

highlighting the occurrence of spina bifida;

(B)

recognizing the struggles and successes of people who live with spina bifida; and

(C)

advancing efforts to decrease the incidence of spina bifida;

(3)

supports the ongoing development of the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry to improve lives through research and to improve the treatment of spina bifida in both children and adults;

(4)

recognizes that there is a continued need for a commitment of resources for efforts to reduce and prevent disabling birth defects like spina bifida; and

(5)

commends the work of national organizations that educate, support, and provide hope for individuals who are affected by spina bifida and their families.