To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to render inadmissible and deportable certain aliens convicted of drunk driving, and for other purposes.

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

I rise today in support of House Resolution 373, which I authored in order to raise awareness of hydrocephalus, a devastating neurological disorder which often leaves individuals and their families in constant fear of sudden, irreversible damage or even death. Hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, as most people refer to it, is a medical condition that results in abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, otherwise called CSF, in the ventricles or cavities of the brain. Sadly, the prognosis for individuals afflicted with hydrocephalus is difficult to predict and is often fatal. Moreover, while this condition affects approximately 1 in every 500 births, as my colleague Mr. Clay said, very few people are even aware of this devastating condition.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is currently conducting research related to hydrocephalus prevention and treatment. However, more must be done at the community level to educate individual Americans about this surprisingly prevalent disorder. Recognizing the month of September as National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month will bring this disease to the public's attention and, I believe, will encourage the discussions necessary to more effectively address the devastating effects of this disease and provide support to families who live with it every day.

For example, currently the most common form of treatment for hydrocephalus involves the insertion of a shunt in order to maintain the flow of fluid from the brain. This outdated practice has been around now for almost 50 years and often results in complications that can jeopardize the life of the often very young child who is the patient. As one parent summarized for me, ``My son and all the other children who suffer from hydrocephalus are literally 12 to 15 hours away from irreversible damage, if not death, if a shunt failure was to go undetected or left untreated. This sometimes paralyzes parents, and there has got to be a better treatment out there, if not an

outright cure, we just have to find it.'' Mr. Speaker, I know you would agree we just have to find it.

That being said, I would like to share the thoughts of a mother whose daughter Ally developed hydrocephalus at 1 year of age. She sent this letter to my office in hopes that sharing it with our great Nation will develop greater awareness of the disease among the general public. And with greater research, she's confident that it could be diagnosed more accurately and treated more efficiently. We certainly hope so. This is her letter, Mr. Speaker:

``My name is Michelle Janson. We have a 9-year-old daughter Ally who developed hydrocephalus at 1 year of age. The cause of her congenital hydrocephalus allowed her to be eligible for a fairly new procedure called a third ventriculostomy. Although there was a lot of information at the time about shunts, very little was known about the third ventriculostomy. After we researched our options and interviewed several neurosurgeons, Ally underwent a third ventriculostomy on July 9, 2001.

``This year Ally has reached 8 years as one of the lucky few who have not encountered infections, revisions or malfunctions, as frequently seen with shunts. Although she does have other rare medical conditions to complicate things, she is leading a fairly normal childhood. She was the only one in her third grade class to be chosen to participate in the Young Authors Club and maintained straight A's throughout the school year, something many thought would be impossible.

``Several years ago we searched for a support group close to home that would provide our family with support and education about the condition. That's when we became involved with the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation. The visions of those involved have encouraged us to actively participate in educating, providing support and to raise funds for local communities and families in need. The founders, Michael and Kim Illions, have also been active with government officials such as you to initiate a resolution known as H.R. 373 to declare September National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.''

Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to echo the comments that Michelle Janson makes about the vision that Michael and Kim Illions have for children and families living with hydrocephalus. I have had the privilege of getting to know this lovely couple and their beautiful baby boy named Cole through my work on this resolution. They have such optimism and faith, it just permeates everything they do and say. It's hard not to feel more hopeful when you are with great people like the Illions, and that's the kind of support that they provide other families who live with hydrocephalus and the kind of support that we all hope will be spread by this resolution today. I want to urge all of our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to start spreading this hope today by taking a moment to learn more about hydrocephalus by visiting the Web site hydrocephaluskids.org. It's the Web site for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation. Through increased awareness and education, we will take the steps that are needed to modernize the treatment of hydrocephalus and move toward a cure. I urge my colleagues to join myself and the 89 bipartisan cosponsors of House Resolution 373 in supporting the recognition of September as National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.

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 New Jersey, Mr. Leonard Lance.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of House Resolution 373.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 373) expressing support for designation of the month of September as ``National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month''.

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

I now yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 373 which expresses the support of Congress for the designation of the month of September as National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. It is important for us to recognize the severity of this neurological condition that is estimated to affect 1 million Americans. The resolution was introduced on April 28 by my colleague from Minnesota (Mrs. Bachmann) and has secured more than 80 cosponsors while meeting all requisite criteria for approval by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Hydrocephalus is defined as ``excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.'' The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates that 1 in every 500 children are afflicted with this condition. Additionally, hydrocephalus is the leading cause of brain surgery in children. Since 2005, the National Institutes of Health has increased its focus on improving hydrocephalus care, but more needs to be accomplished. The NIH currently provides less than $1 million in annual funding for hydrocephalus research, but hopefully National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month can spur renewed efforts in this area of study.

Mr. Speaker, during our efforts to overhaul the health care system, it is critical that we remember to support important public health initiatives like National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 373.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I will continue to reserve.

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

Mr. Speaker, again, I urge support for House Resolution 373.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 373 in an effort to raise awareness of the disease hydrocephalus. For too long, little attention has been paid to hydrocephalus. Together with Congressman Clay and Congresswoman Bachmann, I have put forth this resolution, recognizing September as National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. I want to thank my distinguished colleagues in this regard.

I also want to thank Michael Illions, his wife Kim and their brave son Cole for their steadfast advocacy on this issue. The Illions are constituents of mine in the Seventh Congressional District of New Jersey. Most of the best ideas in Washington come from our constituents back home. Michael, Kim and Cole Illions are together a shining example of this.

Today's action by the House of Representatives will bring much-needed attention to hydrocephalus. It will encourage more research into its diagnosis and treatment. I am certain that with Federal support for additional research, we can develop a better treatment, if not a cure, for those suffering from hydrocephalus and help them lead healthier, fuller lives. I urge all of our colleagues to support House Resolution 373. I want to thank Congresswoman Bachmann and Congressman Clay.