WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last week, Representative Rob Menendez (D-NJ) joined Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) in introducing legislation honoring the work and legacy of the late Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr., expanding traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) programs and grants across the United States.
The legislation builds on Rep. Pascrell’s decades of work championing the reauthorization of the TBI Act and leading Congress’ efforts to address traumatic brain injuries as a public health crisis. The bill will fund vital research, treatment, and services that help vulnerable communities struggling with TBI, require a report to Congress identifying populations that may be at higher risk for TBI, and require a study on recognizing TBIs as a chronic condition. In recognition of Rep. Pascrell’s legacy, the legislation also changes the name of the program to “The Bill Pascrell, Jr. National Program for Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance and Registries.”
“For more than two decades, Bill Pascrell was an exceptional advocate for brain injury treatment and research,” said Congressman Rob Menendez (D-NJ). “It’s a privilege to join Ranking Member Pallone and my colleagues in building on his legacy and working to deliver critical funding to improve health outcomes across the country. This legislation will continue our efforts toward recognizing TBIs as a chronic condition, continue to develop new, more effective treatments, and invest in the next generation of researchers who will make it happen.”
“My late friend Congressman Bill Pascrell never backed down from a fight, especially when it came to protecting those suffering from traumatic brain injuries,” said Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ). “His leadership made TBI a national priority, and our bill ensures his work will continue helping Americans long into the future. I am grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working together to make this happen. Bill’s legacy is not just in the name of this program – it is in every patient who gets the care they need because of his relentless advocacy.”
From 1996 through its expiration in 2024, the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, originally signed into law by President Bill Clinton, was landmark legislation that coordinated federal response to the treatment, prevention, and research of TBIs via grant funding to individual states. Studies have shown that while the incidence of TBIs has risen globally since 1996, the mortality rate has remained stable.
