I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1280 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to carry out a program of research related to 
cerebral palsy, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 1, 2023 
Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. CLEAVER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out 
a program of research related to cerebral palsy, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cerebral Palsy Re-
search Program Authorization Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Cerebral palsy is the most common motor 
disability in children, affecting more than 1,000,000 
Americans, 1 in 345 children, and over 17,000,000 
people worldwide. 
(2) In the United States, more than 10,000 ba-
bies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year. 
(3) Cerebral palsy is a broad group of disorders 
disrupting a person’s ability to move, sit, stand, 
walk, talk, and use their hands. 
(4) In more than 80 percent of cases, the cause 
of cerebral palsy is unknown. 
(5) Seventy-five percent of individuals with cer-
ebral palsy also have 1 or more additional develop-
mental disabilities including epilepsy, intellectual dis-
abilities, communication problems, learning and at-
tention disorders, chronic pain, autism, hearing dis-
orders, and visual impairments or blindness. 
(6) Children with cerebral palsy are more likely 
to die from the flu and related viruses, including 
COVID–19, than children without neurologic dis-
orders. 
(7) There is no consensus of best practices for 
a person with cerebral palsy at the time of diagnosis 
or through the lifespan. 
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(8) It is estimated that the lifetime care and 
medical costs for all people with cerebral palsy who 
were born in 2000 alone will total more than 
$13,500,000,000. The loss of productivity and lost 
wages of the individual with cerebral palsy and their 
family members is more than $35,000,000,000. 
(9) There is no known cure for cerebral palsy, 
and in most cases, it is not preventable. 
SEC. 3. CEREBRAL PALSY RESEARCH. 
Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended 
by inserting after section 317C of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
247b–4) the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 317C–1. CEREBRAL PALSY RESEARCH. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention, and in consultation with other Federal agencies 
and partners, shall carry out (directly or through grants 
or contracts) a program of research related to cerebral 
palsy, including— 
‘‘(1) research on— 
‘‘(A) the most promising avenues of cere-
bral palsy diagnosis and treatment; 
‘‘(B) factors that may mitigate the preva-
lence of cerebral palsy; and 
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‘‘(C) the health care and societal costs of 
cerebral palsy; 
‘‘(2) public health surveillance; and 
‘‘(3) other research that the Director of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deter-
mines to be appropriate to provide education and 
training for health professionals and the general 
public for purposes of diagnosing, treating, and ex-
plaining the causes, prevalence, and lifelong effects 
of cerebral palsy. 
‘‘(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 
(directly or through grants or contracts) provide technical 
assistance to public and nonprofit private entities in fur-
therance of research under this section. 
‘‘(c) EVALUATIONS.—The Secretary shall (directly or 
through grants or contracts) provide for the evaluation of 
activities under subsection (a) in order to determine the 
extent to which such activities have been effective, includ-
ing evaluation of the effects of such activities on various 
demographic populations. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—To 
carry out this section, there is authorized to be appro-
priated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 
2029.’’. 
Æ 
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