IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 779 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the 
designation of a National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2006 
Mrs. KELLY (for herself, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. MOORE of 
Kansas, Mr. JEFFERSON, and Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with 
respect to the designation of a National Shaken Baby 
Syndrome Awareness Week, and for other purposes. 
Whereas the month of April has been designated ‘‘National 
Child Abuse Prevention Month’’ as an annual tradition 
that was initiated in 1979 by former President Jimmy 
Carter; 
Whereas the most recent National Child Abuse and Neglect 
Data System figures reveal that almost 900,000 children 
were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States 
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•HRES 779 IH 
in 2002, causing unspeakable pain and suffering to our 
most vulnerable citizens; 
Whereas among the children who are victims of abuse and 
neglect, nearly 4 children die in the United States each 
day; 
Whereas children aged 1 year or younger accounted for 41.2 
percent of all child abuse and neglect fatalities in 2002, 
and children aged 4 years or younger accounted for 76.1 
percent of all child abuse and neglect fatalities in 2002; 
Whereas abusive head trauma, including the trauma known 
as ‘‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’’, is recognized as the lead-
ing cause of death of physically abused children; 
Whereas Shaken Baby Syndrome can result in loss of vision, 
brain damage, paralysis, seizures, or death; 
Whereas a 2003 report in the Journal of the American Med-
ical Association estimated that, in the United States, an 
average of 300 children will die each year, and 600 to 
1,200 more will be injured, of whom 2⁄3 will be babies or 
infants under 1 year in age, as a result of Shaken Baby 
Syndrome, with many cases resulting in severe and per-
manent disabilities; 
Whereas medical professionals believe that thousands of addi-
tional cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome are being 
misdiagnosed or are not detected; 
Whereas Shaken Baby Syndrome often results in permanent, 
irreparable brain damage or death to an infant and may 
result in more than $1,000,000 in medical costs to care 
for a single, disabled child in just the first few years of 
life; 
Whereas the most effective solution for ending Shaken Baby 
Syndrome is to prevent the abuse, and it is clear that the 
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•HRES 779 IH 
minimal costs of education and prevention programs may 
prevent enormous medical and disability costs and im-
measurable amounts of grief for many families; 
Whereas prevention programs have demonstrated that edu-
cating new parents about the danger of shaking young 
children and how they can help protect their child from 
injury can bring about a significant reduction in the 
number of cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome; 
Whereas education programs have been shown to raise aware-
ness and provide critically important information about 
Shaken Baby Syndrome to parents, caregivers, daycare 
workers, child protection employees, law enforcement per-
sonnel, health care professionals, and legal representa-
tives; 
Whereas efforts to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome are sup-
ported by advocacy groups across the United States that 
were formed by parents and relatives of children who 
have been killed or injured by shaking, including the Na-
tional Shaken Baby Coalition, the Shaken Baby Associa-
tion, the Shaking Kills: Instead Parents Please Educate 
and Remember Initiative (commonly known as the 
‘‘SKIPPER Initiative’’), the Shaken Baby Alliance, 
Shaken Baby Prevention, Inc., A Voice for Gabbi, Don’t 
Shake Jake, and the Kierra Harrison Foundation, whose 
mission is to educate the general public and professionals 
about Shaken Baby Syndrome and to increase support 
for victims and the families of the victims in the health 
care and criminal justice systems; 
Whereas child abuse prevention programs and ‘‘National 
Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week’’ are supported 
by the National Shaken Baby Coalition, the National 
Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, the Children’s De-
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fense Fund, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the 
Child Welfare League of America, Prevent Child Abuse 
America, the National Child Abuse Coalition, the Na-
tional Exchange Club Foundation, the American Humane 
Association, the American Professional Society on the 
Abuse of Children, the Arc of the United States, the As-
sociation of University Centers on Disabilities, Children’s 
Healthcare is a Legal Duty, Family Partnership, Family 
Voices, National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Preven-
tion Funds, United Cerebral Palsy, the National Associa-
tion of Children’s Hospitals and related institutions, 
Never Shake a Baby Arizona, Prevent Child Abuse Ari-
zona, the Center for Child Protection and Family Sup-
port, and many other organizations; 
Whereas a 2000 survey by Prevent Child Abuse America 
shows that approximately half of all citizens of the 
United States believe that, of all the public health issues 
facing the United States, child abuse and neglect is the 
most important issue; 
Whereas it would be appropriate to observe the third week of 
April 2006 as National Shaken Baby Syndrome Aware-
ness Week; and 
Whereas Congress strongly supports efforts to protect chil-
dren from abuse and neglect: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That— 
(1) it is the sense of the House of Representa-
tives that a National Shaken Baby Syndrome 
Awareness Week should be established to raise 
awareness regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome; and 
(2) the House of Representatives— 
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