[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 332 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 332

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Defense and 
the Department of Veterans Affairs should increase their investment in 
                       pain management research.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 26, 2007

   Ms. Mikulski (for herself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Defense and 
the Department of Veterans Affairs should increase their investment in 
                       pain management research.

Whereas the characteristics of modern warfare, including the global war on 
        terror, expose members of the uniformed services to many adverse and 
        dangerous environment-related diseases and living conditions;
Whereas today's war zone conditions, including areas replete with noxious gases 
        released from explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan, produce 
        traumatic, life-altering battlefield injuries in degrees unheard of in 
        previous wars including infections, instant crushing of skulls and other 
        bones, loss of sight and limbs, dehydration, blood and other body 
        infections, and, in some cases, severe impairment or total loss of 
        mental and physical functions;
Whereas military medical rapid response teams provide superb, state of the art, 
        life-saving medical and psychological treatment and care at battlefield 
        sites with an extraordinarily high success rate;
Whereas military, Department of Veterans Affairs, and specialty civilian health 
        care treatment facilities are overburdened with caring for the most 
        serious and most painful battlefield casualties ever witnessed from war; 
        and
Whereas the Nation's medical and mental health care professionals have not been 
        provided with sufficient resources to adequately research, diagnose, 
        treat, and manage acute and chronic pain associated with present day 
        battlefield casualties: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) Federal funding for pain management research, treatment 
        and therapies at the Department of Defense, Department of 
        Veterans Affairs and at the National Institutes of Health 
        should be significantly increased;
            (2) Congress and the administration should redouble their 
        efforts to ensure that an effective pain management program is 
        uniformly established and implemented for military and 
        Department of Veterans Affairs treatment facilities; and
            (3) the Department of Defense and the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs should increase their investment in pain 
        management clinical research by improving and accelerating 
        clinical trials at military and Department of Veterans Affairs 
        treatment facilities and affiliated university medical centers 
        and research programs.
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