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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, better known |
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as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal debilitating disease |
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characterized by the degeneration of motor nerve cells in the brain |
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and spinal cord; and |
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WHEREAS, The initial symptom of ALS is often weakness of the |
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skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; as ALS |
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progresses and muscle atrophy worsens, the patient experiences |
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difficulty swallowing, talking, and breathing; because ALS does not |
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commonly affect mental capacity, sufferers remain alert and aware |
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of their loss of motor control and the inevitable outcome of |
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continued deterioration; and |
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WHEREAS, ALS affects roughly 30,000 Americans, with slightly |
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more than 5,600 diagnosed each year; there is no known cause, means |
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of prevention, or cure, and on average, patients only survive two to |
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five years from the time of diagnosis; and |
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WHEREAS, Studies have indicated that military veterans are |
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approximately twice as likely to develop ALS as those who have not |
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served; in light of this finding, the Department of Veterans |
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Affairs implemented a presumption of service connection for ALS, |
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thereby concluding that the development of the disease could be |
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incurred or aggravated by a person's service in the military; and |
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WHEREAS, Through a number of initiatives, researchers are |
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investigating possible causes and treatments for ALS, and one |
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related endeavor is a national patient registry; administered by |
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the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the registry is |
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currently identifying cases in the United States and may become the |
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single largest ALS research project ever undertaken; and |
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WHEREAS, During May 2013, health and advocacy organizations |
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nationwide are observing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness |
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Month with a variety of activities to raise awareness of the |
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profound impact that ALS has on patients, their families, and their |
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communities and to recognize and support the important research |
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being conducted to end this devastating disease; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate May 2013 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis |
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Awareness Month in Texas. |
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Zerwas |
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Straus |
M. Gonzalez of El Paso |
Oliveira |
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Allen |
N. Gonzalez of El Paso |
Orr |
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Anderson |
Gutierrez |
Patrick |
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Aycock |
Harper-Brown |
Perry |
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Bell |
Hernandez Luna |
Phillips |
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Bonnen of Brazoria |
Hilderbran |
Pitts |
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Bonnen of Galveston |
Howard |
Price |
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Capriglione |
Keffer |
Rodriguez of Bexar |
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Carter |
King of Hemphill |
Rodriguez of Travis |
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Clardy |
King of Parker |
Rose |
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Coleman |
King of Taylor |
Sanford |
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Collier |
King of Zavala |
Schaefer |
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Cortez |
Klick |
Sheffield of Bell |
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Craddick |
Kolkhorst |
Sheffield of Coryell |
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Crownover |
Kuempel |
Simpson |
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Davis of Dallas |
Lavender |
Springer |
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J. Davis of Harris |
Leach |
Stephenson |
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S. Davis of Harris |
Lewis |
Stickland |
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Dutton |
Lucio III |
Thompson of Brazoria |
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Eiland |
Marquez |
Thompson of Harris |
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Fallon |
Martinez Fischer |
Turner of Collin |
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Farias |
McClendon |
Turner of Harris |
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Farney |
Menendez |
Turner of Tarrant |
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Fletcher |
Miller of Comal |
Villarreal |
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Flynn |
Miller of Fort Bend |
Vo |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 98 was adopted by the House on April |
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24, 2013, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 98 was adopted by the Senate on April |
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29, 2013, by a viva-voce vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: __________________ |
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Date |
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__________________ |
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Governor |