WASHINGTON, D.C. : Bill Aiding Coma Victims Is Signed

President Clinton signed into law the first federal initiative aimed at helping coma victims, providing money to improve research and treatment and putting a national spotlight on brain-injury as a major health problem. Under the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, the federal government will earmark $24.5 million over the next three years to develop a nationwide plan to deal with the medical needs of the 250,000 Americans each year who suffer severe head injuries. Brain-injury has been called the No. 1 killer of young Americans under age 40, with an estimated 60,000 U.S. deaths expected this year.