2015 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 10
BY SENATOR CORTEZ AND REPRESENTATIVE STUART BISHOP
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To recognize May 2015 as "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month" and to
3 memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to provide
4 additional funding for research for the treatment and cure of Amyotrophic Lateral
5 Sclerosis.
6 WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, is more commonly known as
7 Lou Gehrig's disease; and
8 WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by degeneration
9 of cell bodies of the lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horns of the
10 spinal cord; and
11 WHEREAS, the initial symptom of ALS is usually weakness of the skeletal muscles,
12 especially those of the extremities; and
13 WHEREAS, as ALS progresses, the patient typically experiences difficulty in
14 swallowing, talking, and breathing; and
15 WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy and the patient becomes a
16 functional quadriplegic; and
17 WHEREAS, ALS does not affect mental capacity of the patient, such that the patient
18 remains alert and aware of surroundings and aware of the loss of motor functions and the
19 inevitable outcome of continued deterioration and death; and
20 WHEREAS, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS survive only two to five years
21 from the time of diagnosis; and
22 WHEREAS, despite the catastrophic consequences of a diagnosis of ALS, the disease
23 currently has no known cause, means of protection, or cure; and
Page 1 of 2 SCR NO. 10 ENROLLED
1 WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans are at a sixty percent greater
2 risk of developing ALS than those who have not served in the military; and
3 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has promulgated
4 regulations to establish a presumption of service connection for ALS thereby presuming that
5 the development of ALS was incurred or aggravated by a veteran's service in the military;
6 and
7 WHEREAS, a national ALS registry, administered by the Centers for Disease
8 Control and Prevention, is currently identifying cases of ALS in the United States and may
9 become the largest ALS research project ever undertaken; and
10 WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month increases the
11 awareness of the circumstances of living with ALS and acknowledges the terrible impact this
12 disease has, not only on the patient receiving such a diagnosis, but also on his family and
13 community; and
14 WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month also increases
15 awareness of research being done to eradicate this dire disease.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
17 recognize May 2015 as "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month".
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
19 memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to provide additional
20 funding for research for the treatment and cure of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
22 secretary of the United States Senate, the clerk of the United States House of
23 Representatives, and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States
24 Congress.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Page 2 of 2