Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas House Bill HR1978 Compare Versions

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1	1	82R28202 CBE-F
2	2	By: Zerwas H.R. No. 1978
3	3
4	4
5	5	R E S O L U T I O N
6	6	WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and
7	7	irreversible brain disorder characterized by a steady decline in
8	8	cognitive, behavioral, and physical abilities severe enough to
9	9	interfere with daily life; and
10	10	WHEREAS, Disease progression and physical manifestations
11	11	include loss of strength and balance, the inability to perform
12	12	simple tasks and physical activities, and incontinence; as more of
13	13	the brain is affected, areas that control basic life functions like
14	14	swallowing and breathing become irreversibly damaged, leading to
15	15	death; and
16	16	WHEREAS, AD is the seventh leading cause of death in the
17	17	United States and has an economic burden that exceeds $182 billion
18	18	annually; 5.4 million people in the United States have AD,
19	19	including approximately 340,000 Texans; Texas ranks third in the
20	20	number of AD cases and second in the number of AD deaths; a new
21	21	person develops AD every 69 seconds, and current projections
22	22	indicate that this rate will increase to one new case every 33
23	23	seconds by 2050; and
24	24	WHEREAS, Other causes of death have been declining in recent
25	25	years, but those due to AD have risen; between 2000 and 2006, deaths
26	26	from heart disease, stroke, and prostate cancer declined by 12
27	27	percent, 18 percent, and 14 percent, respectively, while deaths
28	28	attributable to AD increased by 47 percent; by 2050, AD is expected
29	29	to strike nearly a million additional persons per year in the United
30	30	States and affect an estimated 11 to 16 million Americans; and
31	31	WHEREAS, Individuals providing care for AD patients in Texas
32	32	grew from 690,058 to 852,820 between 2005 and 2009, with most of
33	33	these being unpaid family members; the estimated total value of
34	34	this unpaid care in Texas increased from $5.8 billion in 2005 to
35	35	$11.2 billion in 2009, the second highest in the nation; Texas
36	36	businesses are also impacted by AD, losing over $14 billion
37	37	annually in health care costs and lost productivity; and
38	38	WHEREAS, There is a great need for Texas to develop
39	39	infrastructure and capability commensurate with the state's
40	40	increasing burden imposed by AD; in 2005, recognizing Texas' AD
41	41	challenge, the legislature began making investments in AD research,
42	42	and at the close of the 2009-2011 biennium, nearly $12.5 million
43	43	will have been put toward this cause; now, therefore, be it
44	44	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
45	45	Legislature hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker
46	46	of the house of representatives to create a joint interim committee
47	47	to study the overall economic and systemic impact of Alzheimer's
48	48	disease through 2017, including an inventory of public and private
49	49	infrastructure and capacity for addressing the challenges of AD;
50	50	and, be it further
51	51	RESOLVED, That the study identify funds and systems to
52	52	support and expand ongoing statewide disease-specific strategic
53	53	planning through the Texas Department of State Health Services and
54	54	also identify funds and systems available to support and expand
55	55	activities of the Texas Alzheimer's Research Consortium; and, be it
56	56	further
57	57	RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be
58	58	governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim
59	59	committees as the 82nd Legislature may adopt.