[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 132 (Wednesday, November 17, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H9870-H9872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL TOURETTE SYNDROME AWARENESS
MONTH
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 430) recognizing the importance
of early diagnosis, proper treatment, and enhanced public awareness of
Tourette Syndrome and supporting the goals and ideals of National
Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 430
Whereas Tourette Syndrome is an inherited neurological
disorder characterized by involuntary and sudden movements or
repeated vocalizations;
Whereas approximately 200,000 people in the United States
have been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and many thousands
more remain undiagnosed;
Whereas lack of public awareness has increased the social
stigma attached to Tourette Syndrome;
Whereas early diagnosis and treatment of Tourette Syndrome
can prevent physical and psychological harm;
Whereas there is no known cure for Tourette Syndrome and
treatment involves multiple medications and therapies with
costs that can be prohibitive;
Whereas the Tourette Syndrome Association is the only
national nonprofit membership organization dedicated to
identifying the cause, finding the cure, and controlling the
effects of Tourette Syndrome; and
Whereas the Tourette Syndrome Association has designated
May 15 through June 15 as National Tourette Syndrome
Awareness Month, the goal of which is to educate the public
about the nature and effects of Tourette Syndrome: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) recognizes the impact that Tourette Syndrome can have
on people living with the disorder;
(2) recognizes the importance of an early diagnosis and
proper treatment of Tourette Syndrome;
(3) recognizes the need for enhanced public awareness of
Tourette Syndrome;
(4) supports the goals and ideals of National Tourette
Syndrome Awareness Month, as designated by the Tourette
Syndrome Association; and
(5) encourages the President to issue a proclamation
calling on the people of the United States and interested
organizations to observe National Tourette Syndrome Awareness
Month.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).
General Leave
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 430.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 430 introduced
by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), my friend and colleague from
my home State of Florida.
This resolution recognizes the importance of early diagnosis, proper
treatment and enhanced public awareness of Tourette Syndrome and
supports the goals and ideals of National Tourette Syndrome Awareness
Month.
Tourette Syndrome, or TS, is a neurological disorder that arises
during childhood or adolescence. TS is characterized by repeated and
involuntary body movements, tics, and uncontrollable vocal sounds. Tics
can include eye blinking, repeated throat clearing or sniffing, arm
thrusting, kicking movements or jumping. Although the symptoms of TS
vary from person to person and range from very mild to severe, the
majority of cases fall into the mild category. Some associated
conditions can include attention problems, impulsiveness and learning
disabilities.
The National Institutes of Health, NIH, estimates that about 2
percent of Americans are affected by TS. However, these numbers are
thought to be
[[Page H9871]]
conservative because individuals with varied mild symptoms may never
seek medical attention. TS is also four times as likely to occur in
boys as in girls.
Most people with TS lead productive lives and participate in all
professions. However, lack of public awareness has increased the social
stigma attached to TS. Increased public understanding and tolerance of
TS symptoms are of extreme importance to people with Tourette Syndrome.
With early diagnosis and treatment, as well as increased social
understanding and acceptance, much of the physical and psychological
harm of TS can be prevented.
I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 430 today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Young) for
sponsoring this important resolution and thank the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for yielding me this time this evening.
Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by
involuntary actions such as physical and vocal tics, as the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) said. It is a spectrum disorder, meaning
that it manifests in a range of behaviors that occur with varying
frequency and severity.
It is estimated that up to 3 percent of children in regular education
classrooms and up to 7 percent of children in special ed classrooms
have Tourette Syndrome. Most of these cases go undiagnosed. The media's
portrayal of Tourette Syndrome has fueled significant misperceptions
and misconceptions about this disorder. For example, most patients do
not display the frequent involuntary use of violent language and other
vocal tics that actors typically draw upon when they play adults with
Tourette's. Physical tics are a far more common symptom.
While physical tics may be less dramatic than violent outbursts, they
can have the same disruptive effect on the lives of Tourette patients.
The gentleman from Florida's (Chairman Young's) concurrent resolution
acknowledges the significant impact that Tourette Syndrome has on
patients and on their families. Given Tourette's prevalence, given the
importance of early detection and treatment in mitigating its symptoms
and given the tragic consequences for patients when Tourette's is
exploited or trivialized, it is clearly in the public interest to
destigmatize Tourette Syndrome and build the necessary support to find
its cure. I think this concurrent resolution takes a small step in
doing that.
I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Young) for bringing this concurrent resolution to the
floor, and I urge my colleagues to support the concurrent resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the author of this legislation.
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida
(Mr. Bilirakis) for yielding me this time and for bringing this
concurrent resolution to the House floor today and also the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Brown), the ranking member, for supporting this bill.
This concurrent resolution has been explained by the gentleman from
Florida (Chairman Bilirakis) very well, and I introduced this because
of a friend that I have, a 17-year-old teenager in my district who
suffers from Tourette's and has for most of his life. I have learned
his personal story of living with Tourette's and what it is like. And
like so many children and adults with Tourette's, he faced
difficulties, not only in his life but in his classroom because
classmates and teachers did not understand the nature of the illness.
He faces daily difficulties with the medication he has to take to
reduce the symptoms of Tourette's so that he can work and function.
Johnny Loder is one of the thousands of Tourette sufferers who bravely
seek to lead a normal life with a disease that tries to make that
virtually impossible.
Despite coping with the condition, Johnny has been wonderfully
successful in his own endeavors, and I wish that there was some magic
cure because this kid is such a great young American, and he and so
many others that suffer with this disease really do suffer.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of this concurrent resolution, and I
include the balance of my statement in the Record.
Mr. Speaker, last May I introduced House Concurrent Resolution 430 to
support the goals and ideals of a National Tourette Syndrome Awareness
Month. This issue is very important to me and the other cosponsors of
this resolution; we all have many friends and constituents whose lives
are affected by Tourette Syndrome. It is quite clear that our country
needs more medical research, education and increased public knowledge
about this greatly misunderstood and frequently misdiagnosed disease.
The resolution we consider today recognizes the importance of an
early and accurate diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome, appropriate
treatment, and educational outreach. The resolution will enhance our
collective efforts to encourage new awareness, attention and
understanding.
Tourette Syndrome, or TS--is a genetic neurobiological disorder
characterized by repeated involuntary movements and sounds that are
known as ``tics.'' This complex disorder affects children and adults in
all racial and ethnic groups. In a large percentage of cases TS is
accompanied by other ``co-occurring'' disorders, the most common of
which are Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder and nonverbal learning disabilities.
Researchers estimate that about 200,000 Americans have what is called
substantially impairing Tourette Syndrome, and even more individuals
have milder symptoms of the disorder. Largely due to the nature of the
disease and the lack of understanding in our society, many individuals
with Tourette Syndrome endure the stigma, isolation, and the
psychological impact of this chronic disorder on a daily basis.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to report that the Appropriations Committee
which I chair appropriated funds to the Centers for Disease Control for
a new research and educational outreach program on TS. This effort is
designed to provide intensive training for the public, physicians,
allied healthcare workers and teachers. It is our hope that this new
effort will begin to educate the public and remove the stigma and other
obstacles associated with living with this complex disorder.
Johnny Loder, a 17-year-old teenager from my Congressional District
in Pinellas County, Florida, shared with me his personal story of
living with Tourette Syndrome. Like so many children and adults with
Tourette's, he faced difficulties in the classroom because his
classmates and teachers did not understand the nature of his illness.
He faces daily difficulties with the medication he takes to reduce the
symptoms so that he can work and function. Johnny is one of the
thousands of Tourette's sufferers who bravely seek to lead a normal
life with a disease that tries to make that virtually impossible.
Despite coping with the condition, Johnny has been wonderfully
successful in his own endeavors. He and many others with Tourette
Syndrome are leading rich, fulfilling lives despite the challenges that
may be present along the way. They each provide outstanding examples of
determination, perseverance and hope to their families, and to us all.
Mr. Speaker, the Tourette Syndrome Association has designated
National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month for the purposes I have
described. I wholeheartedly support its goals and encourage Members to
do the same. Passage of House Concurrent Resolution 430 would give all
of us an opportunity to participate in the larger effort to familiarize
ourselves and our citizens with the condition and the need for more
research. It will help us better understand the impact that Tourette
Syndrome can have on people living with the disorder, while recognizing
the importance of early diagnosis and proper treatment.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I, too, want to compliment and thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Brown) and all of the committee staffers for their work on this and for
their cooperation.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 430.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
[[Page H9872]]
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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