Submitted Resolutions

SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

SENATE RESOLUTION 499--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 9, 2006, AS ``NATIONAL FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS AWARENESS DAY''

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. DODD, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. MURRAY, and Mr. STEVENS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

S. Res. 499

Whereas the term ``fetal alcohol spectrum disorders'' includes a broader range of conditions and therefore has replaced the term ``fetal alcohol syndrome'' as the umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy;

Whereas fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are the leading cause of mental retardation in western civilization, including the United States, and are 100 percent preventable;

Whereas fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a major cause of numerous social disorders, including learning disabilities, school failure, juvenile delinquency, homelessness, unemployment, mental illness, and crime;

Whereas the incidence rate of fetal alcohol syndrome is estimated at 1 out of 500 live births and the incidence rate of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders is estimated at 1 out of every 100 live births;

Whereas the economic cost of fetal alcohol syndrome alone to the Nation was $5,400,000,000 in 2003 and it is estimated that each individual with fetal alcohol syndrome will cost taxpayers of the United States between $1,500,000 and $3,000,000 in his or her lifetime;

Whereas, in February 1999, a small group of parents of children who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders came together with the hope that in 1 magic moment the world could be made aware of the devastating consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy;

Whereas the first International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day was observed on September 9, 1999;

Whereas Bonnie Buxton of Toronto, Canada, the co-founder of the first International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day, asked ``What if.......a world full of FAS/E [Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effect] parents all got together on the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month of the year and asked the world to remember that during the 9 months of pregnancy a woman should not consume alcohol.......would the rest of the world listen?''; and

Whereas on the ninth day of the ninth month of each year since 1999, communities around the world have observed International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) designates September 9, 2006, as ``National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day''; and

(2) calls upon the people of the United States--

(A) to observe National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day with appropriate ceremonies--

(i) to promote awareness of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol;

(ii) to increase compassion for individuals affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol;

(iii) to minimize further effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol; and

(iv) to ensure healthier communities across the United States; and

(B) to observe a moment of reflection on the ninth hour of September 9, 2006, to remember that during the 9 months of pregnancy a woman should not consume alcohol.

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