Supports the designation of "ALS Awareness Month".

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 434 Supports the designation of ‘‘ALS Awareness Month’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 25, 2021 Mr. CROW (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. CALVERT, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. KEATING, Ms. DEAN, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. COLE, Mr. POSEY, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. LAMB, Ms. BASS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. KELLER, Mr. GARBARINO, Mr. COHEN, Mr. SIRES, Mr. VELA, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. JACOBS of California, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. NORTON, Ms. CHU, Mr. CARSON, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, and Mr. SWALWELL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supports the designation of ‘‘ALS Awareness Month’’. Whereas amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (referred to in this pre- amble as ‘‘ALS’’) is a progressive neurodegenerative dis- ease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord; Whereas the life expectancy for an individual with ALS is be- tween 2 and 5 years after the date on which the indi- vidual receives an ALS diagnosis; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 434 IH Whereas ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, gender, or socioeconomic boundaries; Whereas ALS may affect any individual in any location; Whereas the cause of ALS is unknown in up to 90 percent of cases; Whereas approximately 10 percent of cases have a strong known genetic driver; Whereas on average, the period between the date on which an individual first experiences symptoms of ALS and the date on which the individual is diagnosed with ALS is more than 1 year; Whereas the onset of ALS often involves muscle weakness or stiffness, and the progression of ALS results in the fur- ther weakening, wasting, and paralysis of— (1) the muscles of the limbs and trunk; and (2) the muscles that control vital functions, such as speech, swallowing, and breathing; Whereas ALS can strike individuals of any age but predomi- nantly strikes adults; Whereas it is estimated that tens of thousands of individuals in the United States have ALS at any given time; Whereas based on studies of the population of the United States, slightly more than 5,600 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year, and 15 individ- uals in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each day; Whereas, between 2015 and 2040, the number of ALS cases around the world is expected to increase nearly 70 per- cent; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 434 IH Whereas the majority of individuals with ALS die of res- piratory failure; Whereas military veterans may be up to twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS than the general public in the United States; Whereas as of the date of introduction of this resolution, there is no cure for ALS; Whereas the spouses, children, and family members of indi- viduals living with ALS provide support to those individ- uals with love, day-to-day care, and more; and Whereas an individual with ALS, and the caregivers of such an individual, can be required to bear significant costs for medical care, equipment, and home care services for the individual as the disease progresses: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘ALS Aware- 2 ness Month’’; 3 (2) affirms the dedication of the House of Rep- 4 resentatives to ensuring people with ALS have ac- 5 cess to effective treatments as soon as possible and 6 identifying risk factors and causes of ALS to pre- 7 vent new cases; 8 (3) affirms the dedication of the House of Rep- 9 resentatives to empowering people with ALS to en- 10 gage with the world in the way they want; 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 434 IH (4) affirms the dedication of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives to reducing physical, emotional, and fi- 2 nancial burdens of living with ALS; 3 (5) affirms the dedication of the House of Rep- 4 resentatives to ensuring all people with ALS and 5 their caregivers receive high-quality services and 6 supports that benefit them; and 7 (6) commends the dedication of the family 8 members, friends, organizations, volunteers, re- 9 searchers, and caregivers across the United States 10 that are working to improve the quality and length 11 of life of ALS patients and the development of treat- 12 ments and cures that reach patients as soon as pos- 13 sible. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS