Supporting the designation of May 2020 as "ALS Awareness Month".

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 970 Supporting the designation of May 2020 as ‘‘ALS Awareness Month’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 15, 2020 Mr. CROW (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. CAL- VERT, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. CLAY, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. HOLDING, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Mr. ROUDA, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. HURD of Texas, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Mr. COLE, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. CAS- TOR of Florida, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mrs. RODGERS of Washington, Mr. GALLAGHER, Mr. CASE, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. LAMBORN, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. ROSE of New York, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. BOST, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. FINKENAUER, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. TRONE, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. COHEN, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. WELCH, Mr. MAST, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. LAMB, Mr. TONKO, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. TIMMONS, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CURTIS, and Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of May 2020 as ‘‘ALS Awareness Month’’. Whereas amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (referred to in this pre- amble as ‘‘ALS’’) is a progressive neurodegenerative dis- VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 May 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR970.IH HR970 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 970 IH 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; Whereas ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, gender, or socioeconomic boundaries; Whereas the 2 different types of ALS are sporadic ALS and familial ALS; Whereas sporadic ALS— (1) is the most common form of motor neuron dis- ease in the United States; (2) accounts for between 90 and 95 percent of all cases of ALS in the United States; and (3) may affect any individual in any location; Whereas familial ALS (commonly known as ‘‘FALS’’)— (1) is inherited; and (2) accounts for between 5 and 10 percent of all cases of ALS in the United States; Whereas there is a 50 percent chance that each offspring of an individual with familial ALS will inherit the gene mu- tation for familial ALS and develop the disease; 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 about 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 May 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR970.IH HR970 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 970 IH (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; Whereas the majority of individuals with ALS die of res- piratory failure; Whereas military veterans are approximately twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS as 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 health care services for the individual as the disease progresses: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 May 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR970.IH HR970 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 970 IH (1) supports the designation of ‘‘ALS Aware- 1 ness Month’’; 2 (2) affirms the dedication of the House of Rep- 3 resentatives to working toward securing cures and 4 better treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 5 (referred to in this resolution as ‘‘ALS’’) as soon as 6 possible; 7 (3) recognizes the challenges that individuals 8 with medically determined ALS face on a daily 9 basis; and 10 (4) commends the dedication of the family 11 members, friends, organizations, volunteers, re- 12 searchers, and caregivers across the United States 13 that are working to improve the quality and length 14 of life of ALS patients. 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 May 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR970.IH HR970 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS