[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 40 (Monday, March 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1820-S1821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

 SENATE RESOLUTION 477--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF DESIGNATING 
MARCH 2008 AS NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS EDUCATION AND AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. CASEY (for himself and Ms. Snowe) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

                              H. Res. 477

       Whereas multiple sclerosis can impact men and women of all 
     ages;
       Whereas multiple sclerosis affects men and women of all 
     races and ethnicities;
       Whereas approximately 400,000 Americans live with multiple 
     sclerosis;
       Whereas approximately 2,500,000 people worldwide have been 
     diagnosed with multiple sclerosis;
       Whereas approximately 200 people a week are diagnosed with 
     multiple sclerosis;
       Whereas over 400 cases of childhood multiple sclerosis have 
     been identified in medical journals since 1980 and it is 
     estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 children and 
     adolescents are affected;
       Whereas the exact cause of multiple sclerosis is still 
     unknown;
       Whereas the symptoms of multiple sclerosis are 
     unpredictable and vary from person to person;
       Whereas there is no laboratory test available for multiple 
     sclerosis;
       Whereas multiple sclerosis is not genetic, contagious, or 
     directly inherited, but studies show there are genetic 
     factors that indicate certain individuals are susceptible to 
     the disease;
       Whereas multiple sclerosis symptoms occur when an immune 
     system attack affects the myelin, destroying it and replacing 
     it with scar tissue and severing nerve fibers interfering 
     with the transmission of nerve signals;
       Whereas in rare cases multiple sclerosis is so progressive 
     it is fatal;
       Whereas there is no known cure for multiple sclerosis; and
       Whereas March 2008 is recognized as National Multiple 
     Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Multiple 
     Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month;
       (2) invites the chief executive officers of the States, 
     territories, and possessions of the United States to issue 
     proclamations designating March 2008 as National Multiple 
     Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month and recognizing the 
     goals and ideals of National Multiple Sclerosis Education and 
     Awareness Month;
       (3) commends the efforts of the States, territories, and 
     possessions of the United States, localities, non-profit 
     organizations, businesses, and other entities and the people 
     of the United States who support the goals and ideals of 
     National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month;
       (4) recognizes and reaffirms our Nation's commitment to 
     combating multiple sclerosis by promoting awareness about its 
     causes and risks and by promoting new education programs, 
     supporting research, and expanding access to medical 
     treatment; and
       (5) recognizes all Americans living with multiple 
     sclerosis, expresses gratitude to their family members and 
     friends who are a source of love and encouragement to them, 
     and salutes the health care professionals and medical 
     researchers who provide assistance to those so afflicted and 
     continue to work to find cures and improve treatments.

  Mr. President, I offer today, along with my colleague Senator Snowe, 
this resolution supporting the goals and ideals National Multiple 
Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month. I am pleased to introduce this 
resolution which recognizes and reaffirms our commitment to combating 
multiple sclerosis by promoting awareness about its causes and risks 
and by promoting new education programs, supporting research and 
expanding access to medical treatment. It is also my hope that this 
resolution that Senator Snowe and I offer today will help us to more 
consciously recognize all Americans living with multiple sclerosis. We 
are grateful to their family members and friends who are a source of 
love and encouragement to them and we salute the health care 
professionals and medical researchers who provide assistance to those 
with MS and who continue to work to find cures and improve treatments.
  We know a lot about MS but unfortunately there is still a great deal 
we do not know. We know it can strike males and females of all ages, 
races and ethnicities. Today, approximately 400,000 Americans live with 
this disease and about 2.5 million people have been diagnosed 
worldwide. Every week, another 200 people are diagnosed and it is 
estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 children and adolescents have 
MS.
  The exact cause of multiple sclerosis is still unknown and its 
symptoms are unpredictable, varying from person to person. We have no 
laboratory test that will tell us if someone has multiple sclerosis. 
This disease is not genetic, contagious, or directly inherited, but 
studies show there are genetic factors that indicate certain 
individuals are susceptible to the disease.
  Multiple sclerosis symptoms occur when an immune system attack 
affects the myelin, destroying it and replacing it with scar tissue and 
severing nerve fibers, thus interfering with the transmission of nerve 
signals. There is as yet no known cure for multiple sclerosis. MS can 
be an especially devastating disease as it is often diagnosed in young 
adults who are just setting out on their own, beginning their personal 
and professional lives. While MS is not a fatal disease, it is a 
noncurable, sometimes progressive disease that can affect every aspect 
of life.
  Because MS is an unpredictable disease, it presents those suffering 
from it with many uncertainties about the future. For instance, one 
young constituent of mine suffering from MS confided that she felt 
limited in choosing a career, feeling that she needed to find an 
occupation that could accommodate any potential disabilities. In 
considering employment offers, she not

[[Page S1821]]

only had to consider the merits of the job itself, but also had to 
factor in finding employment with someone who provided adequate 
insurance coverage and leave policies, and was also willing to 
accommodate situations like the need for flexible work schedules and 
adaptive equipment.
  MS can also complicate decisions about personal relationships, 
marriage, and child bearing. Since MS affects twice as many women as 
men, young women with MS often struggle with the decision of whether or 
not to have children who could potentially inherit the disease. In 
making such decisions, they also have to consider options for caring 
for those children in the event that MS leaves them impaired or 
disabled.
  Because many of the symptoms of MS--like fatigue, pain, vision 
problems, and numbness of extremities--are ``invisible'' to others, 
people often don't realize the extent to which the disease affects 
those who suffer from it.
  For those suffering from MS, some of the most important steps they 
can take are to seek prompt treatment with a physician qualified to 
address MS, consider beginning therapy with one of the FDA approved 
disease modifying drugs, and develop a supportive network of family and 
friends.
  The most important thing that we in Congress can do for those who 
have MS is recognize the scope of this illness, which we are doing 
through this resolution, and resolve to find ways to improve treatments 
for those suffering from this devastating disease, and ultimately, 
resolve to help find a cure. With this resolution, I also invite the 
chief executive officers of the States, territories and possessions of 
the U.S. to issue proclamations designating National Multiple Sclerosis 
Education and Awareness Month.
                                 ______
                                 

SENATE RESOLUTION 478--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF ``WORLD WATER 
                                 DAY''

  Mr. SMITH (for himself and Mr. Kerry) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 478

       Whereas the United Nations General Assembly, via 
     resolution, has designated March 22 of each year as World 
     Water Day;
       Whereas a person needs 4 to 5 liters of water per day to 
     survive;
       Whereas a person can live weeks without food, but only days 
     without water;
       Whereas every 15 seconds a child dies from a water-borne 
     disease;
       Whereas, for children under age 5, water-borne diseases are 
     the leading cause of death;
       Whereas millions of women and children spend several hours 
     a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources;
       Whereas every dollar spent on water and sanitation saves on 
     average $9 in costs averted and productivity gained;
       Whereas, at any given time, \1/2\ of the world's hospital 
     beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-borne 
     disease;
       Whereas 88 percent of all diseases are caused by unsafe 
     drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene;
       Whereas 1,100,000,000 (1 in 6) people lack access to an 
     improved water supply;
       Whereas 2,600,000,000 people in the world lack access to 
     improved sanitation;
       Whereas the global celebration of World Water Day is an 
     initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations 
     Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro;
       Whereas the participants in the 2002 World Summit on 
     Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, including the United 
     States, agreed to the Plan of Implementation which included 
     an agreement to work to reduce by \1/2\ from the baseline 
     year 1990 ``the proportion of people who are unable to reach 
     or to afford safe drinking water'', ``and the proportion of 
     people without access to basic sanitation'' by 2015; and
       Whereas Congress passed and the President signed into law 
     the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public 
     Law 109-121), which was intended to ``elevate the role of 
     water and sanitation policy in the development of U.S. 
     foreign policy and improve the effectiveness of U.S. official 
     programs'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals of ideals of ``World Water Day'';
       (2) urges an increased effort and the investment of greater 
     resources by the Department of State, the United States 
     Agency for International Development, and all relevant 
     Federal departments and agencies toward providing sustainable 
     and equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation 
     for the poor and the very poor; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     the week with appropriate activities that promote awareness 
     of the importance of access to clean water.

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
supporting the ideals and goals of World Water Day. I am pleased to 
have my colleague Senator John Kerry joining me in this cause by 
serving as the co-sponsor of this resolution.
  March 22 was established as World Water Day by the United Nations 
General Assembly to promote awareness of the importance of access to 
clean water and improved sanitation. Over 1 billion people lack access 
to an improved water supply and 2.6 billion people lack access to 
improved sanitation.
  Activities are planned internationally to further the goals and 
ideals of World Water Day. In many cities across the United States, 
UNICEF is sponsoring the Tap Project. Restaurants will offer patrons 
the opportunity to add at least $1 to their checks during the week of 
March 16. Each dollar donated will result in a child receiving clean 
water for 40 days. Thee are currently 16 featured cities, including 
Portland, OR, and Boston MA.
  In 2000, the United Nations member States adopted eight millennium 
development goals as a basis for working cooperatively. To ensure 
environmental stability, one of the goals established is to reduce by 
half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe 
drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. While some progress has 
been made, much more remains to be done. The United Nation's 2007 
Millennium Development Goals Report reveals that we are on pace to miss 
the 2015 target for access to basic sanitation by over 600 million.
  Each day millions of women and girls spend hours traveling miles to 
transport water to their homes. In many cases, the source is polluted. 
At any given time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by 
patients suffering from waterborne diseases. These diseases are the 
leading cause of death for children under 5.
  The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 set a goal of 
providing equal and affordable access to clean and safe water and 
sanitation in developing countries. This access has long been 
recognized by the U.S. as a contributing factor to our foreign policy 
interests. More importantly, access to clean and safe water is basic 
human right.
  We urge our colleagues to support this important piece of 
legislation.

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