,,iv  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #adac  ,,in ,,the ,,house    
,,of ,,representatives  ,september #cj1 
#bjbb,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for   
himself and ,ms4 ,schakowsky7 submitted 
the following resolution2 which was     
referred to the ,committee on ,energy   
and ,commerce  ,,resolution  ,expressing
 support for designation of ,september  
#bjbb as ,national ,dystonia ,awareness 
,month and raising awareness and        
understanding of the disorder of        
dystonia4  ,whereas dystonia is the     
third most common movement disorder1    
affecting no fewer than #cjj1jjj people 
in the ,united ,states and millions     
worldwide2 ,whereas dystonia is a       
neurological movement disorder          
presenting in various forms1            
characterized by involuntary muscle     
contractions causing repetitive or      
twisting movements2 ,whereas symptoms of
 dystonia can range from very mild to   
severe and may affect only one muscle1  
only one group of muscles1 or muscles   

throughout the body including those that
 move the foot1 hand1 neck1 eyes1 and   
mouth2 ,whereas people with dystonia may
 experience physical pain1 depression1  
and anxiety1 and dystonia can impede the
 ability to perform daily tasks2        
,whereas there are limited treatments   
for dystonia1 and there is currently no 
cure2 ,whereas dystonia is commonly     
misdiagnosed1 delaying access to        
appropriate medical care for those      
affected2 ,whereas caregivers and family
 members provide physical1 emotional1   
and financial support associated with   
caring for persons living with dystonia2
 ,whereas the severity of the symptoms  
of dystonia and the limited public      
awareness of the disease can cause      
isolation for people with dystonia2     
,whereas ,national ,dystonia ,awareness 
,month will raise public awareness and  
understanding of the disorder of        
dystonia1 a disorder affecting people of
 all ages1 races1 ethnicities1 genders1 
and socioeconomic classes2 ,whereas     

,national ,dystonia ,awareness ,month   
will also increase awareness and        
knowledge of the impact that the various
 forms of dystonia have on those        
affected and their caregivers and       
families2 ,whereas the dystonia         
community is united in raising awareness
 throughout ,september2 and ,whereas the
 ,benign ,essential ,blepharospasm      
,research ,foundation1 the ,dystonia    
,medical ,research ,foundation1 the     
,national ,spasmodic ,dysphonia         
,association1 and the ,national         
,spasmodic ,torticollis ,association are
 dedicated to-- 7#a7 conducting research
 to find treatments and a cure for      
dystonia2  7#b7 fostering public        
awareness and understanding of the      
disorder2  7#c7 educating patients and  
their families about dystonia to improve
 their quality of life1 treatment       
opportunities1 and care2 and  7#d7      
providing support and encouraging people
 to become advocates1 including through 
annual patient education conferences1   

school-based educational programs1 and  
local events to raise funds for dystonia
 research1 education1 advocacy1 and     
awareness3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that
 the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7  
supports the designation of ,national   
,dystonia ,awareness ,month2  7#b7      
supports the goals and ideals of        
,national ,dystonia ,awareness ,month to
 raise public awareness and             
understanding of dystonia2  7#c7        
recognizes the need for additional      
research to find a cure for all forms of
 dystonia2 and  7#d7 encourages all     
people in the ,united ,states and       
interested groups to support ,national  
,dystonia ,awareness ,month through     
activities to promote public awareness  
of dystonia and foster the understanding
 of the impact of dystonia in people    
living with it and their caregivers and 
families4