[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S1875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Landrieu, and Mr. 
        Inouye):
  S. 3154. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize 
and extend the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome prevention and services program, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I join Senators Inouye, Landrieu, 
and Murkowski in introducing the Advancing FASD Research, Prevention, 
and Services Act. I thank them for joining in this important effort to 
improve the surveillance, identification, and prevention of Fetal 
Alcohol Syndrome Disorders, or FASD.
  I have great concern about the impact of FASD in South Dakota and 
across the country. This disease is entirely preventable, and yet as 
many as 40,000 infants each year are estimated to be born with an FASD. 
Researchers estimate that 1 percent of our population lives with an 
FASD, which is more than 3 million Americans. In my home State of South 
Dakota, over 7,800 individuals are suspected of living with an FASD.
  The tragedy of FASD must be addressed at the source, by increasing 
awareness that any amount of alcohol during pregnancy can have 
heartbreaking, lifelong effects. We must increase efforts to reach out 
to all women of child-bearing age and connect those most at risk to 
treatment and counseling services. This bill will make available grants 
to federally qualified health centers to implement and evaluate 
programs to increase awareness and identification of FASD in those 
settings. Participating health centers will be able to provide training 
to health care providers on identifying and educating women who are at 
risk for alcohol consumption during pregnancy and on screening children 
for FASD.
  Another provision in this bill will create public awareness and 
education campaigns in at-risk areas to further the prevention of this 
disease. This bill will authorize the development and broadcast of 
national public service announcements to raise public awareness of the 
risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
  We must also move past the stigma of this devastating disease to 
truly help those and their families who are affected by FASD get the 
health, education, counseling and support services they need and 
deserve. This bill focuses provision of services in areas where FASD-
affected individuals are already receiving help. In South Dakota, more 
than 60 percent of people diagnosed with an FASD lived within a foster 
care home for some part of their lives. With that in mind, our bill 
works to train foster care workers and foster parents on how to best 
communicate with and serve children living with FASD.
  Furthermore, it is estimated that 60 percent of individuals with FASD 
will spend some time in a correctional institution or mental health 
facility during their lives. Most individuals with FASD will commit 
their first crime between the ages of 9 and 14. To that end, our bill 
will provide health care and judicial system workers with the resources 
they need to work with and understand FASD-affected individuals when 
they encounter them in health care settings or the court system.
  The costs of this completely preventable condition to our country are 
staggering, in dollars and in loss of human potential. According to a 
2003 study by the Lewin Group, an FAS birth carries lifetime health 
costs of $860,000 to $4.2 million. The annual cost of FASD to South 
Dakota, including medical treatment, special education services, and 
home and residential care, is estimated to be $18 million. Nationally, 
the cost for these services will approach $6 billion this year alone, 
but neither of these estimates include the economic costs of lost 
productivity.
  In my home state of South Dakota, we have had great successes in 
working on this issue. With the leadership of the health professionals 
at our esteemed universities, parents, and teachers, among countless 
others, we have made some important progress in addressing FASD. This 
legislation will bolster the efforts of these dedicated South Dakotans 
and many others across the country who are working hard to prevent FASD 
and support the children and families living with its consequences.
  This bill will also provide much needed support in the area of 
research by requiring the National Institutes of Health to develop a 
research agenda focusing on the most promising avenues in diagnosis, 
intervention, and prevention, as well as factors that may mitigate the 
effects of fetal alcohol exposure.
  I have long-supported efforts to put an end to this entirely 
preventable and destructive disease. I am pleased to be reintroducing 
this bill with my colleagues and encourage all of our colleagues to 
consider supporting this bill. I would also like to take a moment to 
thank former Senator Tom Daschle for his leadership on FASD. His 
commitment to combating this illness continues in South Dakota and in 
the lives of those who battle FASD every day.
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