[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 91 (Tuesday, July 6, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7590-S7592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE CALENDAR
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NATIONAL AIRBORNE DAY
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NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK
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NATIONAL ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER AWARENESS DAY
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate
proceed to immediate consideration of Calendar Nos. 585, 586, and 587,
en bloc.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 322) designating August 16, 2004 as
``National Airborne Day.''
A resolution (S. Res. 357) designating the week of August 8
through August 14, 2004, as ``National Health Center Week.''
A resolution (S. Res. 370) designating September 7, 2004,
as ``National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day.''
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolutions en bloc.
Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to,
the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid on
the table, all en bloc.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
[[Page S7591]]
The resolutions were agreed to.
The preambles were agreed to.
The resolutions, with their preambles, read as follows:
S. Res. 322
Whereas the airborne forces of the United States Armed
Forces have a long and honorable history as units of
adventuresome, hardy, and fierce warriors who, for the
national security of the United States and the defense of
freedom and peace, project the effective ground combat power
of the United States by Air Force air transport to the far
reaches of the battle area and, indeed, to the far corners of
the world;
Whereas August 16, 2004, marks the anniversary of the first
official validation of the innovative concept of inserting
United States ground combat forces behind the battle line by
means of a parachute;
Whereas the United States experiment of airborne infantry
attack began on June 25, 1940, when the Army Parachute Test
Platoon was first authorized by the United States Department
of War, and was launched when 48 volunteers began training in
July of 1940;
Whereas the Parachute Test Platoon performed the first
official Army parachute jump on August 16, 1940;
Whereas the success of the Parachute Test Platoon in the
days immediately preceding the entry of the United States
into World War II led to the formation of a formidable force
of airborne units that, since then, have served with
distinction and repeated success in armed hostilities;
Whereas among those units are the former 11th, 13th, and
17th Airborne Divisions, the venerable 82nd Airborne
Division, the versatile 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault), and the airborne regiments and battalions (some as
components of those divisions, some as separate units) that
achieved distinction as the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, the
173rd Airborne Brigade, the 187th Infantry (Airborne)
Regiment, the 503rd, 507th, 508th, 517th, 541st, and 542nd
Parachute Infantry Regiments, the 88th Glider Infantry
Regiment, the 509th, 551st, and 555th Parachute Infantry
Batallions, and the 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion;
Whereas the achievements of the airborne forces during
World War II provided a basis of evolution into a diversified
force of parachute and air assault units that, over the
years, have fought in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, the
Persian Gulf Region, and Somalia, and have engaged in
peacekeeping operations in Lebanon, the Sinai Peninsula, the
Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo;
Whereas the modern-day airborne force that has evolved from
those World War II beginnings is an agile, powerful force
that, in large part, is composed of the 82nd Airborne
Division, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the
75th Ranger Regiment which, together with other units,
comprise the quick reaction force of the Army's XVIII
Airborne Corps when not operating separately under a regional
combatant commander;
Whereas that modern-day airborne force also includes other
elite forces composed entirely of airborne trained and
qualified special operations warriors, including Army Special
Forces, Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance units, Navy SEALs,
and Air Force combat control teams, all or most of which
comprise the forces of the United States Special Operations
Command;
Whereas in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the
United States on September 11, 2001, the 75th Ranger
Regiment, special forces units, and units of the 82nd
Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault), together with other units of the Armed Forces, have
been prosecuting the war against terrorism by carrying out
combat operations in Afghanistan, training operations in the
Philippines, and other operations elsewhere;
Whereas in the aftermath of the President's announcement of
Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, the 75th Ranger
Regiment, special forces units, and units of the 82nd
Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault),
and the 173rd Airborne Brigade, together with other units of
the Armed Forces, have been prosecuting the war against
terrorism, carrying out combat operations, conducting civil
affair missions, and assisting in establishing democracy in
Iraq;
Whereas the airborne forces are and will continue to be at
the ready and the forefront until the Global War on Terrorism
is concluded;
Whereas of the members and former members of the United
States combat airborne forces, all have achieved distinction
by earning the right to wear the airborne's ``Silver Wings of
Courage'', thousands have achieved the distinction of making
combat jumps, 69 have earned the Medal of Honor, and hundreds
have earned the Distinguished-Service Cross, Silver Star, or
other decorations and awards for displays of such traits as
heroism, gallantry, intrepidity, and valor;
Whereas the members and former members of the United States
combat airborne forces are members of a proud and honorable
fraternity of the profession of arms that is made exclusive
by those distinctions which, together with their special
skills and achievements, distinguish them as intrepid combat
parachutists, special operations forces, and (in former days)
glider troops; and
Whereas the history and achievements of the members and
former members of the airborne forces of the United States
Armed Forces warrant special expressions of the gratitude of
the American people as the airborne community celebrates
August 16, 2004, as the 64th anniversary of the first
official jump by the Army Parachute Test Platoon: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates August 16, 2004, as ``National Airborne
Day''; and
(2) requests that the President issue a proclamation
calling on Federal, State, and local administrators and the
people of the United States to observe ``National Airborne
Day'' with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
____
S. Res. 357
Whereas community, migrant, public housing, and homeless
health centers are nonprofit, community owned and operated
health providers and are vital to the Nation's communities;
Whereas there are more than 1,000 such health centers
serving 15,000,000 people in over 3,500 communities in every
State and territory, spanning urban and rural communities in
all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam,
and the Virgin Islands;
Whereas these health centers have provided cost-effective,
high-quality health care to the Nation's poor and medically
underserved (including the working poor, the uninsured, and
many high-risk and vulnerable populations), acting as a vital
safety net in the Nation's health delivery system, meeting
escalating health needs, and reducing health disparities;
Whereas these health centers provide care to individuals in
the United States who would otherwise lack access to health
care, including 1 of every 8 uninsured individuals, 1 of
every 9 Medicaid beneficiaries, 1 of every 7 people of color,
and 1 of every 9 rural Americans;
Whereas these health centers and other innovative programs
in primary and preventive care reach out to over 621,000
homeless individuals and more than 709,000 migrant and
seasonal farm workers;
Whereas these health centers make health care responsive
and cost effective by integrating the delivery of primary
care with aggressive outreach, patient education,
translation, and enabling support services;
Whereas these health centers increase the use of preventive
health services such as immunizations, Pap smears,
mammograms, and glaucoma screenings;
Whereas in communities served by these health centers,
infant mortality rates have been reduced between 10 and 40
percent;
Whereas these health centers are built by community
initiative;
Whereas Federal grants provide seed money that empowers
communities to find partners and resources and to recruit
doctors and needed health professionals;
Whereas Federal grants on average form 25 percent of such a
health center's budget, with the remainder provided by State
and local governments, Medicare, Medicaid, private
contributions, private insurance, and patient fees;
Whereas these health centers are community oriented and
patient focused;
Whereas these health centers tailor their services to fit
the special needs and priorities of communities, working
together with schools, businesses, churches, community
organizations, foundations, and State and local governments;
Whereas these health centers contribute to the health and
well-being of their communities by keeping children healthy
and in school and helping adults remain productive and on the
job;
Whereas these health centers engage citizen participation
and provide jobs for over 70,000 community residents; and
Whereas designating the week of August 8 through August 14,
2004, as ``National Health Center Week'' would raise
awareness of the health services provided by health centers:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates the week of August 8 through August 14,
2004, as ``National Health Center Week''; and
(2) requests that the President issue a proclamation
calling upon the people of the United States to observe the
week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
____
S. Res. 370
Whereas Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (also
known as AD/HD or ADD), is a chronic neurobiological
disorder, affecting both children and adults, that can
significantly interfere with an individual's ability to
regulate activity level, inhibit behavior, and attend to
tasks in developmentally appropriate ways;
Whereas AD/HD can cause devastating consequences, including
failure in school and the workplace, antisocial behavior,
encounters with the justice system, interpersonal
difficulties, and substance abuse;
Whereas AD/HD, the most extensively studied mental disorder
in children, affects an estimated 3 percent to 7 percent
(2,000,000) of young school-age children and an estimated 4
percent (8,000,000) of adults across racial, ethnic, and
socioeconomic lines;
Whereas scientific studies clearly indicate that AD/HD runs
in families and suggest that genetic inheritance is an
important risk factor, with between 10 and 35 percent of
children with AD/HD having a first-degree relative with past
or present AD/HD, and with
[[Page S7592]]
approximately 50 percent of parents who had AD/HD having a
child with the disorder;
Whereas despite the serious consequences that can manifest
in the family and life experiences of an individual with AD/
HD, studies indicate that less than 85 percent of adults with
the disorder are diagnosed and less than half of children and
adults with the disorder are receiving treatment;
Whereas poor and minority communities are particularly
underserved by AD/HD resources;
Whereas the Surgeon General, the American Medical
Association (AMA), the American Psychiatric Association, the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP),
the American Psychological Association, the American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP), the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), and the National Institute of Mental
Health, among others, recognize the need for proper
diagnosis, education, and treatment of AD/HD;
Whereas the lack of public knowledge and understanding of
the disorder play a significant role in the overwhelming
numbers of undiagnosed and untreated cases of AD/HD, and the
dissemination of inaccurate, misleading information
contributes to the obstacles preventing diagnosis and
treatment of the disorder;
Whereas lack of knowledge, combined with the issue of
stigma associated with AD/HD, has a particularly detrimental
effect on the diagnosis and treatment of AD/HD;
Whereas there is a need to educate health care
professionals, employers, and educators about the disorder
and a need for well-trained mental health professionals
capable of conducting proper diagnosis and treatment
activities; and
Whereas studies by the National Institute of Mental Health
and others consistently reveal that through proper and
comprehensive diagnosis and treatment, the symptoms of AD/HD
can be substantially decreased and quality of life for the
individual can be improved: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates September 7, 2004, as ``National Attention
Deficit Disorder Awareness Day'';
(2) recognizes Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(AD/HD) as a major public health concern;
(3) encourages all people of the United States to find out
more about AD/HD and its supporting mental health services,
and to seek the appropriate treatment and support, if
necessary;
(4) expresses the sense of the Senate that the Federal
Government has a responsibility to--
(A) endeavor to raise public awareness about AD/HD; and
(B) continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the
quality of, mental health services dedicated to the purpose
of improving the quality of life for children and adults with
AD/HD; and
(5) requests that the President issue a proclamation
calling on Federal, State and local administrators and the
people of the United States to observe the day with
appropriate programs and activities.
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