U.S House Of Representatives Approves Rep. Pascrell's Concussion Treatment And Care Tools Act
Press Release
Less than two years after U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8) first introduced the legislation, the a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives today approved the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act. The landmark legislation, aimed at protecting student athletes from the dangers of sports-related concussions, passed the House by voice vote. The ConTACT Act will now be sent to the Senate for its consideration.
"I am extremely proud of my colleagues in the House of Representatives and I thank them for supporting this important legislation to protect our young athletes," said Pascrell, the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. "The ConTACT Act has already facilitated dialogue and raised awareness of the dangers young people can face after they have sustained a concussion. We owe our gratitude to the young student athletes who told their stories, the health care professionals who gave us reliable data, and the members of the media who thoroughly examined the dangers of sports concussions for the benefit of families, schools and communities across the nation. Now we have to finish the job and get the bill through the Senate. I pledge to Senator Menendez all of my support as he shepherds the ConTACT Act to the president's desk."
Rep. Pascrell spoke in support of the ConTACT Act on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening. A video of the speech can be viewed here:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=598864845
Congressman Pascrell originally introduced the ConTACT Act following the tragic death of Montclair High School football player Ryne Dougherty in October 2008. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.
The ConTACT Act will require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a conference of medical, athletic, and education professionals to establish a set of concussion management guidelines for student athletes. It will also provide new authorization to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give grants to states to implement new concussion policies as well as purchase testing equipment to better protect student athletes.
The congressman first learned of the devastating effects of TBI in 1998 through Dennis Benigno of Clifton, N.J. In 1984, Benigno's 15-year-old son was involved in a car accident that left the teenager with severe head injuries as well as cognitive and physical impairments. He continues a number of therapies to this day.
In 1998, it was estimated that 2 million Americans had experienced TBI annually, and approximately 5.3 million Americans were living with long-term, severe disabilities as a result of brain injury.
Rep. Pascrell and then-Pennsylvania Congressman James Greenwood, a physician, held the first meeting of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in June 2001. Since then, Rep. Pascrell's work has benefitted veterans -- particularly those of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where TBI has become the "signature injury"
For more details on the congressman's record on TBI efforts, follow this link: http://pascrell.house.gov/work/braininjury.shtml
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