[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 52 (Wednesday, May 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S3789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL BETTER HEARING AND SPEECH MONTH

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 103.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 103) supporting the 
     goals and ideals of National Better Hearing and Speech Month, 
     and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
concurrent resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc; the motion to 
reconsider be laid on the table; and that any statements relating 
thereto be printed in the Record, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 103) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Con. 103

       Whereas the National Institute on Deafness and Other 
     Communication Disorders (NIDCD) reports that approximately 
     42,000,000 people in the United States suffer from a speech, 
     voice, language, or hearing impairment;
       Whereas almost 28,000,000 people in the United States 
     suffer from hearing loss;
       Whereas 1 out of every 3 people in the United States over 
     65 years of age suffers from hearing loss;
       Whereas although more than 25,000,000 people in the United 
     States would benefit from the use of a hearing aid, fewer 
     than 7,000,000 people in the United States use a hearing aid;
       Whereas sounds louder than 80 decibels are considered 
     potentially dangerous and can lead to hearing loss;
       Whereas the number of young children who suffer hearing 
     loss as a result of environmental noise has increased;
       Whereas every day in the United States approximately 33 
     babies are born with significant hearing loss;
       Whereas hearing loss is the most common congenital disorder 
     in newborns;
       Whereas a delay in diagnosing a newborn's hearing loss can 
     affect the child's social, emotional, and academic 
     development;
       Whereas the average age at which newborns with hearing loss 
     are diagnosed is between 12 and 25 months;
       Whereas more than 1,000,000 children received speech or 
     language disorder services under the Individuals with 
     Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) during 
     the school year ending in 1998;
       Whereas children with language impairments are 4 to 5 times 
     more likely than their peers to experience reading problems;
       Whereas 10 percent of children entering the first grade 
     have moderate to severe speech disorders, including 
     stuttering;
       Whereas stuttering affects more than 2,000,000 people in 
     the United States;
       Whereas approximately 1,000,000 people in the United States 
     have aphasia, a language disorder inhibiting spoken 
     communication that results from damage caused by a stroke or 
     other traumatic injury to the language centers of the brain; 
     and
       Whereas for the last 75 years, May has been celebrated as 
     National Better Hearing and Speech Month in order to raise 
     awareness regarding speech, voice, language, and hearing 
     impairments and to provide an opportunity for Federal, State, 
     and local governments, members of the private and nonprofit 
     sectors, speech and hearing professionals, and the people of 
     the United States to focus on preventing, mitigating, and 
     curing such impairments: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Better 
     Hearing and Speech Month;
       (2) commends the 41 States that have implemented routine 
     hearing screenings for every newborn before the newborn 
     leaves the hospital;
       (3) supports the efforts of speech and hearing 
     professionals in their efforts to improve the speech and 
     hearing development of children; and
       (4) encourages the people of the United States to have 
     their hearing checked regularly and to avoid environmental 
     noise that can lead to hearing loss.

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