67th Legislature HJ 19.1
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19
2 INTRODUCED BY M. BERTOGLIO, B. GILLESPIE, B. MOLNAR, A. BUCKLEY, E. BUTTREY, G. CUSTER, D.
3 FERN, S. GIST, S. GREEF, E. HILL, B. MERCER, J. SCHILLINGER, S. VINTON, K. WHITMAN
4
5 A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF
6 MONTANA PROCLAIMING THE MONTH OF MAY AS AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS)
7 AWARENESS MONTH AND URGING THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO
8 ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR RESEARCH IN ORDER TO FIND A
9 TREATMENT AND A CURE FOR AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS.
10
11 WHEREAS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is better known as Lou Gehrig's disease; and
12 WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of
13 the lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horns of the spinal cord; and
14 WHEREAS, the initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the skeletal muscles, especially those of the
15 extremities; and
16 WHEREAS, as ALS progresses the patient experiences difficulty in swallowing, talking, and breathing;
17 and
18 WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy, and the patient becomes a functional
19 quadriplegic; and
20 WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental capacity, and the patient remains alert and aware of
21 the loss of motor functions and the inevitable outcome of continued deterioration and death; and
22 WHEREAS, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive 2 to 5 years from the time of
23 diagnosis; and
24 WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, means of prevention, or cure; and
25 WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS
26 as those who have not served in the military; and
27 WHEREAS, the Department of Veterans Affairs implemented regulations to establish a presumption of
28 service connection for ALS, thereby presuming that the development of ALS was incurred or aggravated by a
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1 veteran's service in the military; and
2 WHEREAS, a national ALS patient registry, administered by the Centers for Disease Control and
3 Prevention, is currently identifying cases of ALS in the United States and may become the single largest ALS
4 research project ever created; and
5 WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month increases the public's awareness of ALS
6 patients' circumstances and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not only on the patient but on his
7 or her family and the community and recognizes the research being done to eradicate this horrible disease.
8
9 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
10 THE STATE OF MONTANA:
11 That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month of May each year as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
12 Awareness Month in Montana.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Legislature urges the President and Congress of the United
14 States to enact legislation to provide additional funding for research in order to find a treatment and eventually a
15 cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State send a copy of this resolution to the governor
17 of Montana, the Montana congressional delegation, the majority and minority leaders of the United States
18 Senate and House of Representatives, and the President of the United States.
19 - END -
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