By:  Zaffirini                                       S.C.R. No. 162
                             SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Using the state's resources to prevent accidents,
    1-2  injuries, and illnesses that harm our children is sound public
    1-3  policy and would avoid greater expenditures in the future; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, According to the Texas Office for Prevention of
    1-5  Developmental Disabilities, it is believed that almost 50 percent
    1-6  of all mental retardation could be prevented, using present
    1-7  knowledge and techniques; of the 477,000 persons with mental
    1-8  retardation in Texas, 200,000 cases could have been prevented; and
    1-9        WHEREAS, Head and spinal cord injuries could be drastically
   1-10  reduced if bicyclists would wear protective headgear and if parents
   1-11  insisted that their children use seat belts; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, Fetal alcohol syndrome could be eliminated if women
   1-13  avoided drinking during their pregnancies; in addition,
   1-14  eradicating cocaine usage by women during pregnancy would reduce
   1-15  brain damage to the fetuses; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, Developmental disabilities could  be significantly
   1-17  decreased if teenagers and adults could be convinced to avoid drug
   1-18  and alcohol abuse, which can cause brain damage; drug and alcohol
   1-19  abuse can also impair judgment sufficiently to cause accidents in
   1-20  the home and on the highway; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, Incapacitating injuries could be diminished if child
   1-22  abuse and other forms of domestic violence could be stopped; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, Children's healthy development can be ensured by
    2-1  providing safe environments and protecting against chronic and
    2-2  debilitating diseases and disorders  by universal immunizations
    2-3  with approved vaccines; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, Early and appropriate mental health services for
    2-5  children would reduce the incidence of drug use, destructive
    2-6  behaviors, and suicide attempts that often leave children and
    2-7  teenagers with severe brain injuries; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, Adequate prenatal care for all mothers could
    2-9  significantly cut the incidence of low birth weight babies who are
   2-10  at a greater risk of mental retardation and other birth defects;
   2-11  and
   2-12        WHEREAS, Many children who are medically fragile suffer from
   2-13  disabilities that could have been prevented, and recognition and
   2-14  acknowledgment of this problem merits both the legislature's and
   2-15  the citizenry's renewed attention; now, therefore, be it
   2-16        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   2-17  hereby designate May, 1995, as "Child Focused Accident, Injury, and
   2-18  Illness Prevention Month."