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, I thank my good friend from Massachusetts, and my good friend Todd Platts who is the co-chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force.

Mr. Speaker, I learned about this injury about 10 years ago when I was approached by one of my constituents, Dennis Benigno, whose son was struck by a car, leaving him with severe cognitive and physical disabilities.

In response, former Congressman Jim Greenwood from Pennsylvania and I formed the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force to further education and awareness of brain injuries and support funding for brain injury research. There wasn't too much at that time. In fact, most of the Members of Congress didn't know about the seriousness of the injury and how 1.5 million Americans are affected every year.

I think people often wonder why we spend so much time talking about brain injury. Unfortunately, it took the war to crystallize what this entire issue is all about.

Someone in America suffers a traumatic brain injury every 21 seconds. At least 1.5 million Americans sustain this injury, as I mentioned. That is more than breast cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injuries combined. Of those, 50,000 will die every year. An estimated 3.22 million Americans are currently living with a long-term disability because of TBI. As many as 20 percent of the 1.8 million deployed troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, that is 360,000 soldiers, have sustained TBIs in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is an astonishing figure.

TBI is one of the rare afflictions that is widespread among both the civilian population and among our soldiers. There has been a weakness in the Defense health care system, and many injured soldiers weren't receiving the level of care that they deserved. The military has made great strides in the last several years to better prevent, identify, and treat brain injuries among our brave men and women in uniform, and Congress has been a willing partner in the effort to ensure sustained progress on this front.

Mr. Speaker and my good friend from Massachusetts, just today on the USA Today front-page review: GI's at Risk By Fitness Practices. Many of the soldiers are not fit to go to the battlefield. Many of our football players in colleges and in high schools throughout America are not fit to go on to the field. If they are not screened, we are doing an injustice to the cause.

Accordingly, the Brain Injury Task Force brought together experts from all over the world at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, in October for the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. These experts generated recommendations that were presented to the Congress 2 weeks ago.

We cannot forget that, for these Wounded Warriors and their families, the war will not end when the last shots are fired. Despite the staggering statistics and heart-shattering stories that come to us from Iraq and Afghanistan, public awareness continues to lag and TBI remains a silent epidemic plaguing our Nation.

Traumatic brain injury can strike anyone and leave devastating results. We probably all know someone or know the story of someone whose life was irreversibly changed because of a brain injury. Just last week we saw a flurry of media accounts of the tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson, who sustained a brain injury while skiing. If that tragedy taught us anything, it is that, as far as science has come, we still know relatively little about this pervasive injury.

The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force continues to seek increased funding for the programs authorized by the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, after an unprecedented amount of congressional support in these recent years.

Designating a month to recognize the prevalence and the seriousness of brain injuries among both civilians and military community will bring much needed public attention to this frequently forgotten malady.

And I might add, Mr. Speaker, that this Wednesday throughout the day, from 10 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, in the Rayburn building we will have a fair with twice as many displays, close to 50 displays; and then we will have the leading folks from the military and civilian talk about it in the Cannon Building from 3:30 to 4:30, and then in the evening a reception. We are bringing the military and civilians together in order to help our soldiers and help Americans.

This resolution will honor the families who, day in and day out, care for and love their family members who have afflictions, and do so without fanfare, without applause.

They do it because they love their sons or daughters or brothers or sisters each day of every month. I invite all Members and the staff to join Wednesday in the Rayburn foyer to meet some of the folks as we recognize Brain Injury Awareness Month here on Capitol Hill. We are hosting a fair with hundreds of individuals from the brain injury community.

Let's pass this resolution to confirm congressional commitment to promoting awareness, education, prevention, and research by reminding all Americans of those individuals and families who suffer from a brain injury.

We have come a long way, Mr. Speaker, in ten years. We could have fit the amount of people in our caucus in a phone booth. That has all changed. We are now close to 125, 130 Members from both sides of the aisle. We are really seeing results, particularly in the last 3 or 4 years.

I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, and I want to thank my friend from Pennsylvania. Of course, this is only the beginning of a fight where we will respond, and our men and women who put their lives on the line will know that we really mean what we say, that we love them and we will do everything we can for them.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 178) 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, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am joined by my colleagues in the consideration of House Resolution 178, which expresses support for enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain injury and for designation of National Brain Injury Awareness Month which, for years, has been commemorated annually during the month of March.

House Resolution 178 was introduced by the great Representative Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, on February 13, 2009, and has the support and cosponsorship of over 90 Members of Congress. The reason for such generous congressional support is the fact that traumatic brain injury impacts nearly 1.5 million Americans a year.

The measure was considered by the Oversight panel on March 10, 2009, and was passed by voice vote with unanimous support from myself and my fellow committee members.

Mr. Speaker, each and every March the National Brain Injury Association of America and its State affiliates come together with other organizations, businesses, schools, and of course those who have survived or sustained

traumatic brain injury and their families, to promote greater awareness and understanding of brain injury.

Mr. Speaker, before consideration of this resolution, how many of us were aware that every 21 seconds an individual in our country sustains a traumatic brain injury, or the fact that among our servicemen and women engaged in the Global War on Terrorism, brain injury has been identified as a ``signature wound,'' usually resulting from roadside bombs and explosive devices.

Often described as a somewhat ``silent epidemic,'' brain injury, whether as a mild concussion or severe enough to result in comatose conditions, certainly deserves the attention of the Congress and the resources and research of this country.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I'd like to again thank my colleague from New Jersey, Congressman Bill Pascrell, for working to make sure we recognize the need for greater public awareness of brain injury and for highlighting the National Brain Injury Awareness Month which, this year, I should add, will focus specifically on brain injury in sports and youth recreational activities.

House Resolution 178 is certainly worthy of the support of this body, and I hope my colleagues will vote accordingly.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I take great pleasure in recognizing the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) for 5 minutes.

I grant the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to point out the relentless work done on this issue of traumatic brain injury by Mr. Pascrell from New Jersey, who is the chair, and also by Mr. Todd Platts from Pennsylvania, who is the co-chair. I have accompanied both of those gentlemen, I have seen their work in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have seen the situation in Balad, in the field hospitals in Iraq, as well as the military hospital at Landstuhl, Germany, the military hospital there, as well as going back to Walter Reed Army Hospital. They know full well the extent of this. They are our most outspoken advocates on behalf of families whose loved ones have been affected with TBI, and we are all indebted to their hard work.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support the measure of Mr. Pascrell of New Jersey and Mr. Platts of Pennsylvania and support House Resolution 178.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 178--expressing the need for enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain injury and support for the designation of a National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

It is appropriate that we debate this bill today, since March is widely recognized as Brain Injury Awareness Month. Now, more than ever, we need to heighten the public's awareness to a growing issue-- Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury has been called the signature wound of the War on Terror, as thousands of American servicemen and women have been diagnosed with TBI and untold more have yet to be diagnosed.

An estimated 360,000 soldiers have sustained Traumatic Brain Injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, Military health screening programs have shown that as many as 20% of returning troops have suffered at least a mild concussion.

The use of Improvised Explosive devices are the primary cause of this silent wound. Often, symptoms don't manifest themselves for some time. Many of the symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury are similar to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, further hindering a proper diagnosis.

The dramatic increase in Traumatic Brain Injuries among military veterans has created huge stresses on the VA system's capability to handle. While there was no way that the VA could have predicted the demand for Traumatic Brain Injuries treatment and rehabilitation before our troops were deployed in response to the attacks on our country, the fact remains that we need to provide better services to our veterans, and we need to be able to provide those services in their own communities rather than requiring them to travel for treatment.

The Veterans Administration is already working with some private and nonprofit providers of Traumatic Brain Injury treatment and rehabilitation, but it can and should identify more opportunities to allow veterans to receive appropriate, high-quality care from providers in their own communities.

And that is why I have joined with my colleagues here in Congress and joined the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force.

Our goal is to further educate and raise awareness of brain injury and support funding for basic and applied research on brain injury rehabilitation. It is important that we give brain injury the attention it is due to help us move beyond the ``silent epidemic'' and towards real treatments, supports, and eventually cures.

The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force has worked to ensure that individuals have access to reliable information, effective prevention strategies, and, if injured, comprehensive and appropriate treatments.

We owe our nation's veterans a debt we cannot fully repay, but we must make sure that every solider, sailor, airman or Marine exposed to an Improvised Explosive Device is properly screened and treated for Traumatic Brain Injury--we owe them no less.

I support the recognition of March as National Brain Injury Awareness Month and I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this bill.

I appreciate the distinguished gentleman from Missouri yielding to me. I am honored to join with the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch), as well as my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), in speaking in favor of this resolution to express the important need for increased public awareness of traumatic brain injury, and to designate March as National Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month.

For the past 4 years, I have been honored to cochair the Congressional Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force with my good friend, Representative Pascrell from New Jersey. While it's been a pleasure to work with Bill for the last 4 years, I especially want to highlight his great leadership long before I joined the task force--for many years-- leading the cause and helping to raise awareness about this important issue.

Together, we have worked to increase awareness of TBI, which many people do not realize is the leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, this year alone, over 1.4 million people will sustain a traumatic brain injury. Sadly, at least 80,000 of these 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, TBIs can manifest themselves in various ways, from small behavioral changes to more tragic injuries, including complete physical disability and death.

Brain injuries affect the whole family emotionally and financially, often resulting in huge medical and rehabilitation expenses. The recent tragic death of Natasha Richardson amplifies the importance of bringing awareness to this critical issue. Because Ms. Richardson appeared to be unaffected immediately after a skiing accident in which she hit her head, she did not receive medical treatment. Unfortunately, only hours later, after experiencing a severe headache, she was admitted to the hospital, lapsed into a coma and, tragically, died. Tragedies such as these happen every day and can often be prevented.

TBI has also been named the ``signature wound'' of the war in Iraq, with approximately more than 20 percent of our deployed men and women returning with this injury. 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.

Fortunately, in recent years, Congress and the administration have worked together to provide increased funding for military TBI screening and treatment programs. However, more still needs to be done.

Mr. Speaker, because all of our fellow citizens have families, friends, and neighbors who could fall victim to TBI at any time, I strongly urge support from all of our colleagues for this resolution here today, and urge a ``yes'' vote.

I yield such time as he may consume to a highly respected and distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts).

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

Last week, the devastation of traumatic brain injury was once again brought to our attention with the death of actress Natasha Richardson. This tragedy was but one type of traumatic brain injury that brings about death or physical debilitation to over 1.4 million people each year.

While the leading cause of traumatic brain injury is the result of falls, they are followed by automobile accidents, being struck by or against a hard surface, and assault. Men are at the greatest risk of brain injury, and African Americans have the highest death rate from this injury. All of these cold, hard facts do not tell the story of shattered lives of the individual, if they survive, and untold heartache and lifelong impact on loved ones and friends of the injured. In America, there are 125,000 citizens living with life-long disabilities from traumatic brain injuries.

These head injuries come about in many ways, not the least of which are the injuries sustained by our soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. The cost in lives and the ongoing suffering is tragic for these brave men and women. Their injuries will continue to require costly medical assistance from State, Federal, and local agencies.

Generally, a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by an injury to the head that many people underestimate. It is critical to recovery that any type of blow to the head, whether it is a child's fall from a swing to a teen sport or automobile accident, be taken seriously. Often, symptoms don't show up immediately, so keeping a close watch on the injured person is imperative so that medical attention can be sought, if needed.

We are grateful for organizations such as the Brain Injury Association of America who are invaluable in generating understanding and awareness of brain injury. We join with all who wish to broadcast a message of hope and action of this often underestimated condition during March, which has been designated as the National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

I yield back the balance of my time.