[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3735-S3736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL CEREBRAL PALSY AWARENESS DAY

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 83, which was submitted earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 83) designating March 25, 2009, as 
     National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition today to submit 
a resolution to designate March 25, 2009, as National Cerebral Palsy 
Awareness Day.
  Cerebral palsy is a group of chronic, neurological disorders that 
appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body 
movement and muscle coordination necessary to maintain balance and 
posture. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to one or more specific 
areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development; before, 
during or shortly after birth; or during infancy. The top two risk 
factors for the disorders are premature births and multiple births, and 
despite the introductions of modern prenatal testing, improved 
obstetric care, and newborn intensive care technologies, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimates that every year 
10,000 babies born in the United States will develop cerebral palsy. 
These disorders are not caused by problems in the muscles or nerves 
but, instead, damage to motor areas in the brain.
  Cerebral palsy currently affects children at a rate of 1 in 278 and 
an estimated 800,000 Americans. The majority of children who have 
cerebral palsy are born with it, rather than developing the disorder 
over time; however, it may not be detected for months or years. Over 75 
percent of individuals with cerebral palsy also have one or more 
additional developmental disability including epilepsy, intellectual 
disability, autism and visual impairments or blindness. The disorders 
are not progressive and are noncommunicable.
  Currently, there is no cure for cerebral palsy. There are treatments, 
however, which can serve to alleviate some of the symptoms. Treatments 
now include physical and occupational therapy; speech therapy; drugs to 
control seizures, relax muscle spasms, and alleviate pain; surgery to 
correct anatomical abnormalities or release tight muscles; braces and 
other orthotic devices; wheelchairs and rolling walkers; and 
communication aids such as computers with attached voice synthesizers.
  It is essential that more research be conducted on ways in which to 
prevent and treat cerebral palsy. As chairman and ranking member of the 
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations 
Subcommittee, I led the effort to successfully double funding for the 
National Institutes of Health, NIH. Funding for the NIH has increased 
from $11.3 billion in fiscal year 1995 to $30 billion in fiscal year 
2009. In addition, I cosponsored an amendment to H.R. 1, the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide an additional $10 billion to 
the NIH. In 2008, the NIH provided $28 million for cerebral palsy 
research, which is a $16.5 million increase over 2000, when the NIH 
provided $11.5 million. The Department of Health and Human Services' 
``Healthy People 2010'' report identified cerebral palsy as one of the 
important public health conditions to be monitored, and the CDC 
regularly conducts studies on the prevalence of cerebral palsy across 
the nation. This report will help the CDC to provide a more 
comprehensive picture of cerebral palsy and advance efforts to provide 
better services for these children.

[[Page S3736]]

  Raising awareness of cerebral palsy is integral in the fight against 
this debilitating condition. I encourage my colleagues to work with 
Senator Casey and me to designate March 25, 2009, as ``National 
Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day.''
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, 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. 83) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 83

       Whereas the term ``cerebral palsy'' refers to any number of 
     neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early 
     childhood and permanently affect body movement and the muscle 
     coordination necessary to maintain balance and posture;
       Whereas cerebral palsy is caused by damage to 1 or more 
     specific areas of the brain, which usually occurs during 
     fetal development, before, during, or shortly after birth, or 
     during infancy;
       Whereas the majority of children who have cerebral palsy 
     are born with the disorder, although cerebral palsy may 
     remain undetected for months or years;
       Whereas 75 percent of people with cerebral palsy also have 
     1 or more developmental disabilities, including epilepsy, 
     intellectual disability, autism, visual impairments, and 
     blindness;
       Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
     recently released information indicating that cerebral palsy 
     is increasingly prevalent and that about 1 in 278 children 
     have cerebral palsy;
       Whereas approximately 800,000 people in the United States 
     are affected by cerebral palsy;
       Whereas, although there is no cure for cerebral palsy, 
     treatment often improves the capabilities of a child with 
     cerebral palsy;
       Whereas scientists and researchers are hopeful that 
     breakthroughs in cerebral palsy research will be forthcoming;
       Whereas researchers across the United States are conducting 
     important research projects involving cerebral palsy; and
       Whereas the Senate is an institution that can raise 
     awareness in the general public and the medical community of 
     cerebral palsy: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates March 25, 2009, as ``National Cerebral Palsy 
     Awareness Day'';
       (2) encourages all people in the United States to become 
     more informed and aware of cerebral palsy; and
       (3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to Reaching for the Stars: 
     A Foundation of Hope for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

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