Senate Bills - 110th Congress

S. 793—The Reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act

On March 7 and March 8, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) introduced S. 793 and H.R. 1418, the Reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, respectively, identical measures to reauthorize the original Act. The bills include an additional requirement for CDC and NIH to conduct a study to determine the incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury-related disability and the clinical aspects of the disability in all age groups and racial and ethnic minority groups in the general population of the United States; and to identify common therapeutic interventions which are used for the rehabilitation of individuals with such injuries, and evaluate their effectiveness. The bills would also make technical changes to the current statutory language by changing the language “head brain injury” to just “brain injury,” and extend the authorization of appropriations from FY 2008 to 2011. S. 793 was referred to the Senate HELP Commitee and H.R. 1418 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

FLOOR ACTION

On December 11, the Senate passed by voice vote S. 793, the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, to expand and improve brain injury programs. The bill would require NIH and CDC to conduct a study to: (1) determine the incidence of traumatic brain injury and prevalence of traumatic brain injury related disability, (2) report national trends in traumatic brain injury, (3) identify common therapeutic interventions which are used for the rehabilitation of individuals with such injuries, (4) identify interventions and therapies that can prevent or remediate the development of secondary neurologic conditions related to traumatic brain injury, and (5) develop practice guidelines for such rehabilitation. The House companion measure, H.R. 1418, which would require only CDC to conduct the above study, has not yet been considered.

On August 1, S. 793 was reported (S. Rept. 110-140) out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and passed by the Senate under unanimous consent on December 11, 2007.