,,iii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #gea  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #ba1 
#bjbf,mr4 ,coons 7for himself1 ,ms4     
,murkowski1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 and ,mr4  
,cotton7 submitted the following        
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on the ,judiciary            
,,resolution  ,designating ,may #bjbf as
 ,,als ,awareness ,month4  ,whereas     
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 7referred 
to in this preamble as ,,als7 is a      
progressive neurodegenerative disease   
that affects nerve cells in the brain   
and the spinal cord2 ,whereas the life  
expectancy for an individual with ,,als 
is between #b and #e years after the    
date on which the individual receives an
 ,,als diagnosis2 ,whereas ,,als occurs 
throughout the world with no racial1    
ethnic1 gender1 or socioeconomic        
boundaries2 ,whereas ,,als may affect   
any individual in any location2 ,whereas
 the cause of ,,als is unknown in up to 
#ij percent of cases2 ,whereas          

approximately #aj percent of ,,als cases
 have a strong known genetic driver2    
,whereas1 on average1 the period between
 the date on which an individual first  
experiences symptoms of ,,als and the   
date on which the individual is         
diagnosed with ,,als is more than #a    
year2 ,whereas the onset of ,,als often 
involves muscle weakness or stiffness1  
and the progression of ,,als results in 
the further weakening1 wasting1 and     
paralysis of-- 7#a7 the muscles of the  
limbs and trunk2 and  7#b7 the muscles  
that control vital functions1 such as   
speech1 swallowing1 and breathing2      
,whereas ,,als can strike individuals of
 any age1 but it predominantly strikes  
adults2 ,whereas it is estimated that   
tens of thousands of individuals in the 
,united ,states have ,,als at any given 
time2 ,whereas1 based on studies of the 
population of the ,united ,states1 more 
than #e1jjj individuals in the ,united  
,states are diagnosed with ,,als each   
year1 and #ae individuals in the ,united

 ,states are diagnosed with ,,als each  
day2 ,whereas1 every #ij minutes1       
someone dies from ,,als or is diagnosed 
with ,,als in the ,united ,states2      
,whereas the majority of individuals    
with ,,als die of respiratory failure2  
,whereas1 in the ,united ,states1       
military veterans are more likely to be 
diagnosed with ,,als than individuals   
with no history of military service2    
,whereas1 as of the date of introduction
 of this resolution1 there is no cure   
for ,,als2 ,whereas the spouses1        
children1 and family members of         
individuals living with ,,als provide   
support to those individuals with love1 
day-to-day care1 and more2 and ,whereas 
an individual with ,,als1 and the       
caregivers of such an individual1 can be
 required to bear significant costs for 
medical care1 equipment1 and home care  
services for the individual as the      
disease progresses3 ,now1 therefore1 be 
it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates  
,may #bjbf as ,,als ,awareness ,month2  

7#b7 affirms the dedication of the      
,senate to-- 7,a7 ensuring individuals  
with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis      
7referred to in this resolution as      
,,als7 have access to effective         
treatments and high-quality services and
 supports as early as possible after    
diagnosis2  7,b7 identifying risk       
factors and causes of ,,als to prevent  
new cases2  7,c7 empowering individuals 
with ,,als to maintain their personal   
independence to the maximum extent      
possible2 and  7,d7 reducing the        
physical and emotional burdens of living
 with ,,als2 and  7#c7 commends the     
dedication of the family members1       
friends1 organizations1 volunteers1     
researchers1 and caregivers across the  
,united ,states who are working to      
improve the quality and length of life  
of ,,als patients and develop treatments
 and cures that reach patients as soon  
as possible4