The U.S. Senate on Dec. 18 passed by unanimous consent the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Reauthorization Act of 2018, a bipartisan, bicameral bill sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the chamber’s senior Republican.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 19 subsequently approved, 352-6, the Senate’s amendments as they finalize resolution of their differences on H.R. 6615/S. 3657, clearing the way for the proposal to become a federal law.
“I wish to thank my colleagues in both the Senate and the House for working with me to get this done,” Sen. Hatch said this week.
Among several provisions, the measure would reauthorize surveillance activities and projects overseen by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce TBI and extend state grants for TBI systems, as well as grants to protection and advocacy systems that help states increase access to rehabilitation and other services for individuals with TBI, according to a summary provided by Sen. Hatch’s office.
Additionally, the bill would authorize the National Concussion Surveillance System (NCSS) at the CDC to improve understanding of the full range of circumstances leading to TBI and to track healthcare utilization and services received after a TBI, according to the summary.
“The federal TBI program assists Americans who have sustained a traumatic brain injury to connect with the vital services they need,” Sen. Hatch said. “It also provides for prevention research, including research that will help us determine the incidence and prevalence of TBI at a national scale.”
Sen. Hatch had introduced the bill in November with Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).
The legislation has the support of the Brain Injury Association of America and the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators.
Sen. Hatch said he created the bipartisan TBI program in 1996 with former U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) “and I consider it a critical piece of my public health policy legacy.”