IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 277 
Expressing support for designation of April 2017 as National Stress 
Awareness Month. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 25, 2017 
Mr. CA´RDENAS (for himself, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. KELLY 
of Illinois, Ms. LEE, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RYAN 
of Ohio, Mr. VARGAS, and Mr. WALZ) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for designation of April 2017 as National 
Stress Awareness Month. 
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services, Na-
tional Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental 
Health, and Health Resource Network have declared the 
month of April 2017 as National Stress Awareness 
Month; 
Whereas three-fourths of employees believe the worker has 
more on-the-job stress than a generation ago; 
Whereas stress can be brought about by a sudden negative 
change such as losing a job, divorce, illness, or traumatic 
event in which one may be seriously hurt or in danger 
of being killed; 
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Whereas the Secretary of Veterans Affairs reports that of 
veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, 
Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn who 
are receiving health care from the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs, more than 570,000 have received a diag-
nosis for at least 1 mental health disorder; 
Whereas a recent survey by the Cooperative Institutional Re-
search Program at UCLA, found that incoming students 
in 2014 possessed the lowest self-rated emotional health 
in 49 years since the survey began; 
Whereas the physical effects of stress can start out as a sim-
ple headache or digestive problem, evidence gathered by 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds 
that it can escalate to serious cardiovascular disease and 
musculoskeletal disorders; 
Whereas research shows that long-term exposure to stress 
creates an imbalance in grey and white matter in the 
brain, leading to decreased cognitive function; 
Whereas among workers who report higher levels of stress, on 
average they miss 20 days of work and necessitate 50- 
percent higher health care costs compared with other 
workers; 
Whereas separate studies done through UCLA and the Alz-
heimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, and the 
University of Oregon have showed that 12 minutes a day 
of meditation can have strong positive effects on reducing 
stress and lowering cortisol levels that affect memory 
function; 
Whereas a survey done by the American Psychological Asso-
ciation found that more than half of people say it is very 
important to manage stress yet less than 37 percent 
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proactively attempt to manage it through eating healthy 
or being physically active; 
Whereas eating a healthy, well-balanced diet can help reduce 
stress and benefit both one’s personal environment and 
the broader global environment; 
Whereas it is important to take time for oneself through exer-
cise, meditation, and proper rest, in order to reduce 
stress; and 
Whereas the month of April 2017 has been declared as Na-
tional Stress Awareness Month by numerous groups: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of National Stress 
Awareness Month; 
(2) supports the goals and ideas of National 
Stress Awareness Month; 
(3) honors and recognizes the efforts made by 
the Department of Health and Human Services to 
educate people in the United States about the 
causes, symptoms, and treatment of stress; and 
(4) encourages the people of the United States 
to observe National Stress Awareness Month by tak-
ing the opportunity to learn about and implement 
positive stress reduction methods. 
Æ 
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