Safety of Seniors Act of 2007

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 845) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify programs with respect to research and related activities concerning elder falls.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the Senate bill under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of Senate bill 845, the Safety of Seniors Act.

Falls represent a serious health risk for millions of older Americans. In the United States, one of every three persons age 65 or older falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions for trauma in older adults.

Senate bill 845 seeks to address the growing problem of falling and fall-related injuries among older adults. This legislation would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee and support national and local education campaigns focused on reducing falls and preventing repeated falls among older adults. It is important to note that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a markup of the House companion legislation H.R. 3701, the Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act, which was introduced by Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone. The committee amended H.R. 3701 to ensure that it was identical to Senate bill 845, which has already passed the Senate by unanimous consent. So I want to commend my good friend Frank Pallone for his hard work and commitment on this important piece of legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support Senate bill 845.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I support the passage of Senate bill 845, which seeks to address the growing problem of falls and fall-related injuries among older adults.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, many of us have elder parents, relatives, neighbors or colleagues who have experienced an unnecessary fall. Recently, Nancy Reagan and Senator Robert Byrd have both suffered from falls that have caused them to be hospitalized.

Falls among elderly Americans in fact are so commonplace that one in three Americans over the age of 65 each year experiences a debilitating fall. As a result, it is the leading cause of injury-related deaths for older Americans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimates that fall-related medical expenses cost Americans more than $20 billion annually. Projections are that those expenses will climb to more than $40 billion over the next 15 years, posing additional burdens on already strapped Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Effective demonstration tests and comprehensive public information and education campaigns can help reduce and mitigate these avoidable and frequently disabling injuries.

To that end, I introduced H.R. 3701, the ``Keeping Seniors Safe from Falls Act of 2007'' with my good friend Representative Ralph Hall, which is the House companion to S. 845, the bill we are debating today. If enacted, this legislation would launch a comprehensive preventive care program and educational campaign to reduce the number and severity of falls to the elderly.

In closing I want to acknowledge all the hard work that went into this bill, including the work of my colleagues both here in the House and the Senate, as well as the Falls Free Coalition working group, which has been advocating for this legislation for sometime.

Madam Speaker, falls among the elderly are clearly an issue that affect and potentially imperil us all. This legislation offers a national approach to reducing these tragic events I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important bill.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 15, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., in open session to receive testimony on the posture of the United States Army in review of the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2008 and the future years defense program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 15, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of the hearing is to review the U.S. Coast Guard budget.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 15, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. to hold a nomination hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet in executive session during the session of the

Senate on Thursday, March 15, 2007 at 4 p.m. in the President's Room, S-216, of the Capitol building. We will be considering the following:

Agenda

1. S. 624, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007

2. S. 845, Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act of 2007

3. S. 657, the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2007

4. W. Craig Vanderwagen, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Department of Health and Human Services

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, March 15, 2007, at 10 a.m. to consider the nomination of Gregory B. Cade to be Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration at the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, March 15, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Dirksen Room 226.

Agenda

I. Committee Authorization

Authorization of Subpoenas in Connection with Investigation into Replacement of U.S. Attorneys

II. Bills

S. 236, The Federal Agency Data Mining Reporting Act of 2007; Feingold, Sununu

S. 261, Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007; Cantwell, Specter, Durbin, Kyl, Feinstein, Feingold, Kohl

S. 376, Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2007; Leahy, Specter, Kyl, Cornyn, Grassley, Sessions

S. 231, A bill to authorize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program; Feinstein, Cornyn, Kohl, Durbin, Biden, Grassley

S. 368, COPS Improvements Act of 2007; Biden, Leahy, Kohl, Feinstein, Schumer, Durbin, Specter

S. 627, Safe Babies Act; Harkin, Specter

III. Resolutions

S. Con. Res. 14, Commemorating the 85th anniversary of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association; Snowe

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 15, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a Business Meeting..

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 15, 2007.

The agenda to be considered: Hearing on Water Resources Needs and the President's Budget Proposal for the Army Corps of Engineers for fiscal year 2008.

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

Madam Speaker, my wife and I had the opportunity to take care of my mother and her parents in their later years for a period of about 8\1/ 2\ years prior to their passage some 1\1/2\ years ago. We were always aware of the danger that was posed by falls, and certainly falls are one of the main causes of injuries and hospital admissions for senior adults.

S. 845, the Safety of Seniors Act of 2008, tries to address this danger by focusing attention on preventing falls among senior citizens and conducting research to evaluate the cause of falls among our older adults. The legislation provides the Secretary with discretion to implement a national education campaign, and, also, it gives him authority to evaluate the effectiveness of community programs designed to prevent falls. It also gives the Secretary the ability to create demonstration projects focused on evaluating and preventing falls in senior citizens.

I urge the adoption of this bill.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 99, S. 845.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, the committee-reported substitute, as amended, be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read three times, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.