SLS 16RS-3103 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 119
BY SENATOR CORTEZ
CONGRESS. Designates May 2016 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month
and memorializes Congress to provide additional funding for research for the treatment and
cure of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To recognize May 2016 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 the mental capacity of the patient, such that the
18 patient remains alert and aware of surroundings and aware of the loss of motor functions and
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SLS 16RS-3103 ORIGINAL
1 the inevitable outcome of continued deterioration and death; and
2 WHEREAS, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS survive only two to five years
3 from the time of diagnosis; and
4 WHEREAS, despite the catastrophic consequences of a diagnosis of ALS, the disease
5 currently has no known cause, means of protection, or cure; and
6 WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans are at a sixty percent greater
7 risk of developing ALS than those who have not served in the military; and
8 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has promulgated
9 regulations to establish a presumption of service connection for ALS thereby presuming that
10 the development of ALS was incurred or aggravated by a veteran's service in the military;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, a national ALS registry, administered by the Centers for Disease
13 Control and Prevention, is currently identifying cases of ALS in the United States and may
14 become the largest ALS research project ever undertaken; and
15 WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month increases the
16 awareness of the circumstances of living with ALS and acknowledges the terrible impact this
17 disease has, not only on the patient receiving such a diagnosis, but also on his family and
18 community; and
19 WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month also increases
20 awareness of research being done to eradicate this dire disease.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
22 recognize May 2016 as "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month".
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
24 memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to provide additional
25 funding for research for the treatment and cure of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
27 secretary of the United States Senate, the clerk of the United States House of
28 Representatives, and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States
29 Congress.
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SLS 16RS-3103 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SCR 119 Original 2016 Regular Session Cortez
Recognizes May 2016 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month and
memorializes Congress to enact legislation to provide additional funding for research for the
treatment and cure of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
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