IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 469 
Expressing support for the designation of June 2021 as ‘‘Migraine and 
Headache Awareness Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 11, 2021 
Ms. DEAN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of June 2021 as 
‘‘Migraine and Headache Awareness Month’’. 
Whereas approximately 60,000,000 Americans live with mi-
graine disease, more than have asthma or diabetes com-
bined, and 6,000,000 Americans experience chronic mi-
graine, a highly disabling neurological disorder and the 
second-leading cause of global disability; 
Whereas a migraine attack can cause severe throbbing pain 
or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head, 
which is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and ex-
treme sensitivity to light, sound, and smells; 
Whereas migraine attacks can last for hours to days, with 
pain so severe that it interferes with daily activities and 
quality of life; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:14 Jun 12, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR469.IH
HR469
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 469 IH 
Whereas the pain of cluster headache attacks is one of the 
most excruciating human experiences; 
Whereas persons living with migraine disease and headache 
disorders also experience significant stigma, often coming 
from friends, family, and coworkers; 
Whereas migraine disease and headache disorders dispropor-
tionately impact women; 
Whereas migraine disease affects approximately 45,000,000 
women in the United States, and 85 percent of those 
with chronic migraine are women; 
Whereas more than 567,000 veterans, 30 percent of whom 
are women, are diagnosed with migraine and receive their 
headache care within a Veterans Health Administration 
medical center; 
Whereas migraine disease and headache disorders are not 
only physical conditions that require living with chronic 
pain, but there is also the constant worry that these at-
tacks can strike at any moment, taking an emotional toll 
and increasing the likelihood of anxiety and depression; 
Whereas differences in diagnosis and treatment of headache 
and migraine disorders in Black, indigenous, and people 
of color communities may indicate racial and ethnic dis-
parities in access and quality of care for these patients; 
Whereas the physical pain of women is routinely dismissed by 
medical professionals and society as a whole, contributing 
to their pain and the cascading effects therefrom; 
Whereas the physical pain of Black, indigenous, and people 
of color individuals is routinely dismissed by medical pro-
fessionals and society as a whole, contributing to their 
pain and the cascading effects therefrom; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:14 Jun 12, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR469.IH
HR469
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 469 IH 
Whereas studies have shown that racial bias can affect how 
doctors assess and treat pain, including a 2016 study 
that showed trainees who believed that Black people are 
not as sensitive to pain as White people were less likely 
to treat Black people’s pain appropriately; 
Whereas migraine disease is three times more common in 
women, reaching peak prevalence between 30 and 39 
years of age, at a time when many women are rapidly 
growing in their career and balancing work, family, and 
social obligations, further contributing to the wage gap; 
Whereas more than 2,300,000 women have left the United 
States workforce since the beginning of the COVID–19 
pandemic, reversing decades of labor participation rates 
and resulting in a regressive effect on gender equality; 
Whereas women account for a large majority of the estimated 
$78,000,000,000 in migraine-associated economic costs 
in the United States, representing about 80 percent of 
both direct medical costs and lost labor costs including 
presenteeism and absenteeism; 
Whereas migraine disease has significant negative con-
sequences for individuals, their families, and society as a 
whole; 
Whereas the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded less 
than $40,000,000 in headache disorders research in fiscal 
year 2019, amounting to 0.1 percent of the total NIH 
budget, and comparisons with NIH funding of other dis-
eases of similar disability and disease burden indicate 
that funding of headache disorders research should in-
stead exceed $200,000,000 each year; 
Whereas migraine disease and cluster headache are disabling 
diseases but largely symptomatic, without reliable diag-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:14 Jun 12, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR469.IH
HR469
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS