House Proceeding 03-23-09 on Mar 23rd, 2009 :: 0:15:00 to 0:21:45
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0:14:56 to 0:15:16( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: from all of our colleagues for this resolution here today and urge a yes vote. i thank the gentleman for yielding and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from missouri reserves. mr. akin: i verve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized.

0:15:00 to 0:21:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Bill Jr.Pascrell

0:15:17 to 0:15:38( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: mr. lynch: mr. speaker, at this time i take great pleasure in recognizing the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pascrell, for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for five minutes. screllscrell thank you, mr. speaker, -- mr. pascrell: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. speaker, i learned about

0:15:39 to 0:15:59( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: this injury about 10 years ago when i was approached by one of my constituents whose son was struck by a car, leaving him with severe cognitive and ysical disabilities. in response, congressman -- former congressman jim greenwood from pennsylvania, and i formed the congressional brain injury task force to

0:16:00 to 0:16:21( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: further educate and make aware of brain injuries and support funding for brain injury research. there wasn't too much at that time. in fact, most of the members of congress didn't know about the seriousness of the injury, how a million and a half americans are affected every year. i think people often wonder why we spend so much time talking about brain injury.

0:16:22 to 0:16:44( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: unfortunately it took the war to crystalize what this entire issue is all about. someone in america suffers a traumatic brain injury every 21 ?? seconds. at least a million and a ha americans sustain this injury injury, as i've mentioned. that's more than breast cancer, h.i.v., multiple sclerosis,

0:16:45 to 0:17:05( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: spinal cord injuries combined. of those, 50,000 will die every year. an estimated 3.2 million americans are currently living a long-term disability because of t.b.i. as many as 20% of the 1.8 million deployed troops in afghanistan and iraq, that's

0:17:06 to 0:17:26( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: 360,000 soldiers, have sustained t.b.i.'s in iraq and afghan. that is -- afghanistan. that is an astonishing figure. t.b.i. isne of the rare afflictions that is widespread among both the civilian population and our soldiers. there's been a weakness in the defense health care system and

0:17:27 to 0:17:48( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: many injured soldiers weren't receiving the level of care that they deserve. the military's made great strides in the last several years to better prevent, identify, treat brain injuries among our brave men and women in uniform. and congress has been a willing partner in the effort to ensure sustained progress on this front. just today, mr. speaker, my

0:17:49 to 0:18:10( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: good friend from massachusetts, just today on "usa today," front page, review, "g.i.'s at risk by fitness practices many of the soldiers are not fit to go to the battlefieldment many of our football players -- battlefield. many of our football players in college are not fit to go onto the field if they're not screened we are doing an

0:18:11 to 0:18:31( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: injustice to the cause. accordingly, the brain injury task force brought together experts from all over the world at st. j medical center in patterson, new jersey, in october for the international corn behavioral health and traumatic brain injury. these experts generated recommendations that have been -- that were presented to the

0:18:32 to 0:18:53( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: congress two weeks ago. we cannot forget for those wounded warriors and their families, the war will not end when the last shots are fired. despite the staggering statistics and heart-shattering stories that come to us from iraq and afghanistan, public awareness continues to lag, t.b.i. remains a

0:18:54 to 0:19:14( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: epidemic playinging our nation -- plaguing our nation. traumatic brain injury can strike anyone and leave devastating results. we probably all kn someone or know the story of someone whose life was irreverseably changed because of a brain injury. just last week we saw a flurry of media accounts of the tragic death of actress in a tasha richardson who sustained a

0:19:15 to 0:19:35( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: brain injury from skiing. if that tragedy taught us anything, it's that as far as science has come, we still know relatively little about this pervasive injury. the congressional brain injury task force continues to seek increased funding for the programs authorized by the traumatic brain injury act. after an unprecedented amount

0:19:36 to 0:19:56( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: of congressional support in these recent years. designating a month to recogniz the seousness of brain injuries among both civilians and military community will bring much-needed public attention to this frequently forgotten malady. and i might add, mr. speaker, that this wednesday throughout the day, from 10:00 in the

0:19:57 to 0:20:17( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: morning until 2:00 in the afternoon, in the rayburn building, we're having a fair, twice as many displays, close to 50 displays and then we will have the leading folks fm the military and civilian talk about it from 3:30 until 4:30 and in t evening, a reception. we're coming together, bringing the military and civilian

0:20:18 to 0:20:39( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: together to help our soldiers and help americans. this resolution will honor the families who day in and day out care for and love their family members. who have afflicted and do so without fanfare, without 30 s mr. lynch: i grant the

0:20:40 to 0:21:00( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: gentleman an dish minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemais recognized for an dish minute. mr. pascrell: they do it because they love their sons or that you are daughters, their brothers or sister, eef day every month. to meet some of the folks as we recognize brain injury awareness month here in on capitol hill. we are hosting a fare with

0:21:01 to 0:21:21( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: hundred -- fair with hundreds of individuals from the brain injury community. let's pass this resolution to confirm congressional commitment to promoting awarenes education, prevention and research by reminding all americans of those individuals of families who suffer from a brain injury. we've come a long way, mr. speaker. in 10 years. we could fit the amount of

0:21:22 to 0:21:42( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: people in our caucus in a phone booth. that's all changed. now we're close to 125, 130 members of this, both sides of the aisle. we're doing -- we're really seeing results, particularly in the last three or four years. i want to thank the gentleman from massachusetts. i wa to thank my friend from pennsylvania because this is only the beginning of a fight

0:21:43 to 0:21:45( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Jr.Pascrell: where we will respond and our men and women who put their