Bill Text: NY J00269 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Resolution 269 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2019, as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in New York State

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-01-23 - ADOPTED [J00269 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-J00269-Introduced.html


Senate Resolution No. 269

BY: Senator RIVERA

        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        May 2019, as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness
        Month in New York State

  WHEREAS,  It is the custom of this Legislative Body to help increase
awareness of serious health conditions that affect the lives of citizens
of New York State; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
memorialize  Governor  Andrew  M.  Cuomo  to  proclaim  May   2019,   as
Amyotrophic  Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in the State of New York,
in conjunction with the observance of National ALS Advocacy Month; and

  WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes  called  Lou
Gehrig's  disease, is a progressive disease that attacks the nerve cells
that control voluntary movement; and

  WHEREAS, In ALS, both the upper motor neurons and  the  lower  motor
neurons  degenerate  or die, ceasing to send messages to muscles; unable
to function, the muscles  gradually  weaken,  waste  away,  and  twitch;
eventually  the  ability  of  the  brain  to start and control voluntary
movement is lost; and

  WHEREAS, Once ALS starts, it almost  always  progresses,  eventually
taking  away  the  ability  to  walk,  dress, write, speak, swallow, and
breathe, and shortening the life span; and

  WHEREAS, ALS is 100% fatal and has few  treatments  to  improve  the
quality of life; and

  WHEREAS,  There  are  two  different  types  of  ALS,  sporadic  and
familial; sporadic, which is the most common form of the disease in  the
U.S.,  is  90 - 95 percent of all cases; it may affect anyone, anywhere;
familial ALS (FALS) accounts for 5 to 10 percent of  all  cases  in  the
U.S. and means the disease is inherited; and

  WHEREAS,  Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and
75, with the majority after age 60, although it can occur at  a  younger
age; and

  WHEREAS,  Approximately  5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with
ALS each year; the incidence of ALS is two per 100,000 people; and

  WHEREAS, It is estimated that more  than  30,000  Americans  may  be
living with ALS at any given time; and

  WHEREAS,  Most  surveys  find  that  ALS  is more common in men than
women, though that gap may be closing; in  addition,  military  veterans
are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS; and

  WHEREAS,  ALS  occurs  throughout  the world with no obvious racial,
ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries; and


  WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month increases the
public's  awareness  of ALS patients' circumstances and acknowledges the
terrible impact this disease has not  only  on  patients  but  on  their
families as well; and

  WHEREAS,  The National ALS Registry was created by Congress in 2008,
to gather and organize information about who gets ALS and the  potential
causes  of  ALS;  the  Agency  for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR) is charged with developing and managing the Registry; and

  WHEREAS, The National ALS Registry collects,  manages  and  analyzes
data  about  persons  with  ALS; it includes data from existing national
databases and information provided by persons with  ALS  who  choose  to
participate; and

  WHEREAS,  In addition, researchers can use Registry data to look for
disease pattern changes over time and try to identify whether there  are
common  risk  factors among persons with ALS; the Registry also provides
updated links for participant resources like ALS clinical trials; and

  WHEREAS, Scientists need the assistance of New Yorkers  living  with
ALS  to  further their research into the causes of the disease, and help
scientists defeat ALS; and

  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to encourage those
New Yorkers who live with ALS to join the Registry online at the  Center
for  Disease  Control's  Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry;
and

  WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater  awareness  of  this
serious  health condition, and more must be done to increase activity at
the local, State and National levels; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize   Governor   Andrew  M.  Cuomo  to  proclaim  May  2019,  as
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in the State of New  York;
and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the  State  of
New York.