[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 984 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 984

  Expressing support for the designation of January 30, 2024, as CTE 
  (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and RHI (repeated head impacts) 
                             Awareness Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2024

   Mr. Fitzpatrick (for himself, Mr. DeSaulnier, and Mr. Langworthy) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for the designation of January 30, 2024, as CTE 
  (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and RHI (repeated head impacts) 
                             Awareness Day.

Whereas chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a progressive degenerative 
        brain disease which appears in persons with a history of repeated head 
        injury sustained over a period of years;
Whereas, after decades of advancement in research related to repeated head 
        injuries, in October 2022, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
        formally acknowledged that there is a causal link between repeated blows 
        to the head and CTE;
Whereas researchers have found that in brains with CTE, there is buildup of an 
        abnormal protein, tau, in the brain leading to brain atrophy;
Whereas tau buildup is also found in Alzheimer's disease and other forms of 
        dementia, and people with CTE may show signs of another 
        neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral 
        sclerosis (ALS), Lewy body disease (LBD), and Parkinson's disease;
Whereas the risk of developing CTE is greatest with athletes and military 
        veterans, who frequently endure repeated subconcussive blows to the head 
        from playing contact sports or suffer traumatic injury from military 
        training or blasting, but it has also appeared in survivors of domestic 
        abuse and those with epilepsy;
Whereas symptoms associated with CTE and RHI, such as memory loss, tremors, 
        addictions, progressive dementia, depression, suicidal thoughts, 
        impaired judgment, and paranoia, most often are present years or decades 
        after the brain trauma or hits stop, but have been found in a patient as 
        young as 17 years old;
Whereas, currently, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed after death through 
        postmortem neuropathological analysis;
Whereas advocacy organizations, health care providers, and institutional 
        researchers are dedicated to studying the causes and symptoms of CTE in 
        order to enable parents and families to make informed decisions 
        regarding the best interests of their children in youth sports and to 
        develop an earlier diagnostic tool so patients may address these 
        symptoms as early as possible; and
Whereas the Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation, the Chandler Kimball 
        Foundation, the Mac Parkman Foundation, the Matthew Benedict's One Last 
        Goal foundation, the Zac Easter's CTE Hope foundation, and many other 
        organizations celebrate CTE and RHI Awareness Day across the United 
        States in order to reflect on those lost to CTE and RHI, how to help 
        those suffering with the disease, and most importantly how to stop the 
        disease: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of CTE and RHI Awareness Day;
            (2) recognizes the doctors and researchers who advance the 
        study of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and RHI 
        (repeated head impacts);
            (3) recognizes persons and their families and caregivers 
        who may be suffering from symptoms of CTE and RHI;
            (4) encourages the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to 
        publish information on CTE and RHI, in concussion education 
        materials, and educate the public on the symptoms and potential 
        contributing factors; and
            (5) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that promote 
        awareness of CTE and RHI.
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