[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 24, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H5699-H5700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2014
Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1098) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize
certain programs relating to traumatic brain injury and to trauma
research, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1098
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Traumatic Brain Injury
Reauthorization Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. CDC PROGRAMS FOR PREVENTION AND SURVEILLANCE OF
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
(a) Prevention.--Section 393B(b)(3) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b-1c(b)(3)) is amended by striking
``health-status goals for 2010, commonly referred to as
Healthy People 2010'' and inserting ``health-status goals for
2020, commonly referred to as Healthy People 2020''.
(b) Surveillance.--Subsection (b) of section 393C of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b-1d) is amended--
(1) by striking ``(b) Not later than'' and inserting the
following:
``(b) Reports.--
``(1) Initial report.--Not later than''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Subsequent report.--Not later than 24 months after
the date of enactment of the Traumatic Brain Injury
Reauthorization Act of 2014, the Secretary, acting through
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Director of the National Institutes of
Health and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall submit to the
relevant committees of Congress a report that--
``(A) identifies which recommendations in the report under
paragraph (1) have been adopted and which recommendations in
such report have not been adopted; and
``(B) includes a description of planned activities to
address each recommendation in such report that has not been
adopted.''.
(c) Funding.--Section 394A of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 280b-3) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and'' after ``1994,'';
(2) by striking the second period at the end; and
(3) by adding at the end the following: ``Of the amounts
made available to carry out this part for each of fiscal
years 2015 through 2019, there is authorized to be
appropriated $6,100,000 to carry out sections 393B and
393C.''.
SEC. 3. STATE GRANTS FOR PROJECTS REGARDING TRAUMATIC BRAIN
INJURY.
Section 1252 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300d-52) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``, acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration,'';
(2) in paragraphs (1)(A)(i) and (3)(E) of subsection (f),
by striking ``brain injury'' and inserting ``traumatic brain
injury'';
(3) in subsection (h), by striking the comma after ``under
this section'' and inserting a comma before ``including'';
and
(4) by amending subsection (j) to read as follows:
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--For carrying out
this section and section 1253, there is authorized to be
appropriated $9,760,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through
2019.''.
SEC. 4. STATE GRANTS FOR PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SERVICES.
Section 1253 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300d-53) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``, acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration (referred to in this section as the
`Administrator'),'';
(2) in subsections (c), (d)(1), (e)(1), (e)(4), (g), (h),
and (j)(1), by striking ``Administrator'' each place it
appears and inserting ``Secretary'';
(3) in subsection (h)--
(A) by striking the subsection heading and inserting
``Reporting'';
(B) by striking ``Each protection and advocacy system'' and
inserting the following:
``(1) Reports by systems.--Each protection and advocacy
system''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Report by secretary.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of the Traumatic Brain Injury
Reauthorization Act of 2014, the Secretary shall prepare and
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report
describing the services and activities carried out under this
section during the period for which the report is being
prepared.''.
(4) in subsection (i)--
(A) by striking ``Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration'' and inserting ``Secretary''; and
(B) by striking ``by the Administrator'' and inserting ``by
the Secretary'';
(5) in subsection (k), by striking ``subtitle C'' and
inserting ``subtitle C of title I'';
(6) by striking subsection (l) (relating to authorization
of appropriations); and
(7) by redesignating subsection (m) as subsection (l).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1098, the Traumatic
Brain Injury Reauthorization Act, introduced by Representative Bill
Pascrell of New Jersey, which will continue to provide the needed
services that help patients with a traumatic brain injury, TBI.
More than 3.17 million Americans live with a disability that resulted
from a TBI, including children and adults, athletes and soldiers.
The prevention and surveillance work done at the Centers for Disease
Control keeps the public and providers aware of TBI research that leads
to early diagnosis and treatment.
Research at the National Institutes of Health improves the
understanding of TBI and identifies treatments that will improve lives.
Programs available at the Health Resources and Services Administration
help families to better care for their members who suffer from a TBI.
I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1098, the Traumatic Brain
Injury Reauthorization Act of 2014.
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is an unexpected blow or a jolt to
the head. These injuries affect people of all ages. A soldier in a
blast injury, an elderly person who has fallen, or a young driver
involved in a car crash can experience TBI.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate more than 2
million Americans experience a traumatic brain injury each year.
The vast majority of these individuals have an injury that can be
treated at a hospital emergency room, but not
[[Page H5700]]
all Americans are as fortunate. Their injuries can have more
devastating consequences and may result in death or lasting disability.
The TBI program at the Department of Health and Human Services was
first established in 1996 and has been reauthorized twice, in 2001 and,
again, in 2008.
The legislation before the House today, once again, reauthorizes the
TBI program. It would extend TBI surveillance and research activities.
It will also extend programs for TBI services and support administered
across Health and Human Services.
I want to commend the sponsors of the legislation, Congressman
Pascrell and Congressman Rooney, and I also want to acknowledge the
leadership of Chairman Upton, Chairman Pitts, Ranking Member Waxman,
and Ranking Member Pallone and the work of our committee staff in
advancing this bill through the Energy and Commerce Committee and
bringing it to the floor today.
I support this bipartisan bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1915
Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from New Jersey, Congressman Pascrell, my good
friend and colleague.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the passage of
this legislation, the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of
2014.
I want to thank Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman; Chairman
Pitts; my friend from New Jersey, Ranking Member Pallone; and Mr. Gene
Green of Texas for their thoughtful consideration and support for
millions of traumatic brain injury survivors and their families.
Additionally, I want to thank my fellow cochair of the Congressional
Brain Injury Task Force, Congressman Tom Rooney of Florida, for his
leadership on this important issue as well.
Throughout my 13 years working on this issue, I have witnessed
firsthand how these programs make a difference in people's lives.
You have heard the numbers, but let's go beyond the numbers.
Traumatic brain injury has become the signature wound of the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq. Twenty percent of our soldiers deployed are
estimated to have experienced a brain injury. Many returning
servicemembers suffering from TBI will receive care and rehabilitation
services within the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
But others suffering from TBIs that are initially undiagnosed or
misdiagnosed will later look to the civilian community and local
resources for information and service. That is why it is essential that
we continue to foster civilian-military collaboration, like the
Department of Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and
Traumatic Brain Injury, to build a system that ensures returning troops
receive what they need to put their lives back together again.
Unfortunately, TBI remains the silent epidemic in this country. That
is why the legislation today is so critical.
The TBI Act is the only legislation that specifically allocates
Federal funds for programs supporting individuals with brain injury.
Originally passed in 1996 and reauthorized in 2000 and 2008, the TBI
Act represents a foundation for coordinated and balanced public policy
on prevention, education, research, and community living for people
living with TBI and their circles of support.
And it has produced results. For nearly 18 years, the Traumatic Brain
Injury Act has successfully provided direction and legal authority for
the vast traumatic brain injury community.
Grants within the TBI Act have helped States improve access to health
and other services for persons with TBI. Prior to this law, they did
not have the tools to even assess their own needs.
Thanks to the TBI Act and its directive to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, we now have a record of incidents, including
details and prevalence, plans for prevention, and, finally, access to
treatment. We have also begun to educate the public and provide much-
needed scientific data for our scientists, health care providers, and
policymakers.
Additionally, under this act, the National Institutes of Health is
conducting basic and applied research in TBI, making great strides in
our knowledge of the brain and the impact of TBI. Mr. Speaker, this is
in direct correlation to the President's BRAIN Initiative. We keep on
meeting together to explore this new horizon, which I think is going to
dramatically have very positive consequences.
The Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2014 will elevate
the TBI program within Health and Human Services by moving the program
from Maternal and Child Health's Children's Program, in acknowledgement
of the impact of TBI across the age span, including older adults and
returning servicemembers and veterans. Our intention is for the program
to be relocated to the Administration on Community Living to better
coordinate with Federal agencies regarding the long-term services and
support available to individuals with other disabilities.
Brain injury survivors from all walks of life, and their families,
look to community and local resources for all types of information and
assistance. Regardless of the source of the injury, this legislation
will ensure the framework, the information and research resources, are
available to help.
Mr. Speaker, only a strong commitment will allow us to continue the
incredible advances we have made in the area of basic brain injury:
prevention, detection, early treatment, physical and mental
rehabilitation, long-term care, and patient advocacy issues.
I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important bill.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I urge support for this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, this is another piece of important
legislation, and it enjoys bipartisan support. I urge the Members to
support it.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1098, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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