The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Reauthorization Act of 2014 has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, providing money for TBI-related programs through the 2019 fiscal year, according to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) advocacy group.
The bill also provides new authority for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to review brain injury management in children and find potential research opportunities, and it instructs the CDC to report back to Congress on its findings, BIAA said.
Passage of the act means that research relating to children with brain injuries will gain more attention, said Susan Connors, BIAA's president and CEO. It also means that TBI prevention and surveillance programs at the CDC will continue, along with state grant programs and the protection and advocacy grant program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
The TBI Act, originally passed in 1996 and reauthorized in 2000 and 2008, is a foundation for coordinated and balanced public policies in TBI prevention, education, research, and community living opportunities, BIAA said. It allocates federal funds for programs supporting individuals with TBI to agencies including the CDC, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), and HRSA.
