Litigation

Brain Injury Legislative Update

By Michael Kaplen

The following information has been posted at the request of the Brain Injury Association of America:

Dear Advocates:

After  legislation to reauthorize the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act successfully passed Congress on April 10, the bill still needs to be considered by the President for his signature into law.  BIAA anticipates this consideration will occur within the next week, and is closely monitoring the situation.
This week the House of Representatives passed by a veto-proof margin H.R. 5613, important legislation which would place a moratorium until March 2009 on seven harmful Medicaid regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.  BIAA issued a Legislative Action Alert earlier this week before the vote encouraging advocates to urge their Representative to vote YES on the bill.  The fate of the bill is now up to the Senate.

Also this week, BIAA submitted written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in charge of funding TBI programs within the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education.  BIAA?s testimony urges an increase in funding in Fiscal Year 2009 for programs authorized through the TBI Act, as well as TBI research programs conducted within the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

In addition, a representative of BIAA was invited to attend an event hosted by President George W. Bush on Thursday, April 24, at the White House.  The inspiring event honored a group of wounded warriors as they kicked off the Wounded Warrior Project?s second annual ?Soldier Ride:  White House to Light House Challenge.?

And lastly, BIAA was proud to sign on as a supporter of the National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week Resolution (S. Res. 518), which passed the Senate on Monday.  The Resolution, introduced by Senator Dodd (D-CT), dedicates this week (the week of April 21st through 25th) to raise awareness of Shaken Baby Syndrome and to ultimately eliminate its occurrence.

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on April 26, 2008 (boomark / email).