[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 12, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S5382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TINNITUS AWARENESS WEEK

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 108, which was 
submitted earlier today by Senator Lieberman.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 108) supporting the 
     goals and ideals of Tinnitus Awareness Week.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any 
statements relating to the concurrent resolution be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 108) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 108

       Whereas 50,000,000 individuals in the United States have 
     experienced tinnitus, the perception of noises or ringing in 
     the ears and head when no external sound source is present;
       Whereas 12,000,000 individuals in the United States 
     experience tinnitus to an incessant and debilitating degree, 
     such that the sounds in their ears and heads never abate, 
     forcing them to seek assistance from a health care 
     professional;
       Whereas tinnitus is frequently caused by exposure to loud 
     noises in the workplace, where an estimated 30,000,000 
     individuals in the United States are exposed to injurious 
     levels of noise each day, and where noise-induced hearing 
     loss is the most common occupational injury;
       Whereas tinnitus is also caused by exposure to loud noises 
     in recreational settings, where levels of sound can reach 
     traumatic levels, and where individuals frequently are not 
     aware that temporary ringing in the ears can become permanent 
     after continued exposure to loud levels of sound;
       Whereas in many cases, simply wearing proper hearing 
     protection would protect individuals from damaging their 
     hearing;
       Whereas many individuals with tinnitus are told that the 
     only solution to their condition is to learn to live with it, 
     even though treatments for tinnitus are available that can 
     help reduce the stress of the incessant ringing and increase 
     the coping skills and quality of life for individuals who 
     experience this condition; and
       Whereas the American Tinnitus Association has designated 
     the week beginning May 15, 2004, as the first National 
     Tinnitus Awareness Week, in order to raise public awareness 
     and to further its mission to silence tinnitus through 
     education, advocacy, research, and support: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Tinnitus 
     Awareness Week, as designated by the American Tinnitus 
     Association;
       (2) encourages interested groups and affected persons to 
     promote public awareness of tinnitus, the dangers of loud 
     noise, and the importance of hearing protection for all 
     individuals; and
       (3) commits to continuing its support of innovative hearing 
     health research through the National Institutes of Health, 
     particularly through the National Institute on Deafness and 
     Other Communication Disorders, so that treatments for 
     tinnitus can be refined and a cure for tinnitus can be 
     discovered.

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