[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 54 (Thursday, April 28, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4604-S4605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL BETTER HEARING AND SPEECH MONTH

  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the HELP committee be 
discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 121 and the Senate now 
proceed to its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 121) supporting May 2005 as National 
     Better Hearing and Speech Month and commending those states 
     that have implemented routine hearing screening for every 
     newborn before the newborn leaves the hospital.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 121) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 121

       Whereas the National Institute on Deafness and Other 
     Communication Disorders reports that approximately 28,000,000 
     people in the United States experience hearing loss or have a 
     hearing impairment;
       Whereas 1 out of every 3 people in the United States over 
     the age of 65 have hearing loss;
       Whereas the overwhelming majority of people in the United 
     States with hearing loss would benefit from the use of a 
     hearing aid and fewer than 7,000,000 people in the United 
     States use a hearing aid;
       Whereas 30 percent of people in the United States suffering 
     from hearing loss cite financial constraints as an impediment 
     to hearing aid use;

[[Page S4605]]

       Whereas hearing loss is among the most common congenital 
     birth defects;
       Whereas a delay in diagnosing the hearing loss of a newborn 
     can affect the social, emotional, and academic development of 
     the child;
       Whereas the average age at which newborns with hearing loss 
     are diagnosed is between the ages of 12 to 25 months; and
       Whereas May 2005 is ``National Better Hearing and Speech 
     Month'', providing Federal, State, and local governments, 
     members of the private and nonprofit sectors, hearing and 
     speech professionals, and all people in the United States an 
     opportunity to focus on preventing, mitigating, and treating 
     hearing impairments: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of May 2005 as ``National 
     Better Hearing and Speech Month'';
       (2) commends those States that have implemented routine 
     hearing screenings for every newborn before the newborn 
     leaves the hospital; and
       (3) encourages all people in the United States to have 
     their hearing checked regularly.

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