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69th Legislature 2025 HJ 19
- 1 - Authorized Print Version – HJ 19
ENROLLED BILL
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF
MONTANA TO DECLARE THE LAST FULL WEEK IN SEPTEMBER AS FRONTOTEMPORAL
DEGENERATION AWARENESS WEEK IN THE STATE OF MONTANA.
WHEREAS, it is the custom of the Montana Legislature to recognize official weeks that are set aside to
increase awareness of conditions that affect the lives of citizens of Montana; and
WHEREAS, attendant to such concern, it is the sense of the Montana Legislature to proclaim the last
full week of September as Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) Awareness Week in the State of Montana, in
conjunction with the observance of World FTD Awareness Week; and
WHEREAS, FTD is identified in the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease as a related
dementia and included as a priority in the goals and strategies of the plan to achieve the vision of a nation free
of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; and
WHEREAS, a primary goal of the Montana Alzheimer’s and Dementia State Plan is to promote public
awareness and understanding of dementia related diseases; and
WHEREAS, the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) reports that frontotemporal
degeneration (FTD) is a terminal and incurable neurodegenerative disease affecting the frontal and temporal
lobes, causing impairments to speech, personality, behavior, and motor skills, which constitutes a major public
health concern; and
WHEREAS, it takes an average of 3.6 years from the onset of symptoms to get an accurate diagnosis
of FTD with average life expectancy of 7-13 years after start of symptoms; and
WHEREAS, FTD strikes people as young as 21 and old as 80 with the largest percentage of those
affected being in their 40s to 60s, rendering people in the prime of life unable to work or function normally; and
WHEREAS, FTD represents an estimated 5 to 15 percent of all dementia cases and is the most
69th Legislature 2025 HJ 19
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ENROLLED BILL
common form of dementia for people under 60 years of age; and
WHEREAS, FTD is often misdiagnosed as a psychiatric problem or other neurodegenerative disease
because of the wide range of cognitive and behavioral symptoms and their young onset; and
WHEREAS, FTD imposes average annual costs associated with care and living with the disease that
are approximately double those of Alzheimer’s disease; and
WHEREAS, FTD often affects a person’s ability to express emotions and to show affection and
empathy for loved ones; and
WHEREAS, in the behavioral variant of FTD, a person’s sense of social graces and appropriate
behavior can be lost, and their personality may be significantly changed; and
WHEREAS, in the language variants of FTD (primary progressive aphasia), a person may have trouble
producing speech and understanding grammar, lose the meaning of words or become hesitant in their speech,
and may eventually become mute; and
WHEREAS, in the movement variants of FTD, a person may experience muscle weakness, falling, loss
of balance, difficulty making speech, difficulty swallowing, or choking; and
WHEREAS, while there has never been a global epidemiology study of FTD, it is estimated that more
than 60,000 people are affected in the United States today; and
WHEREAS, AFTD is the leading national organization exclusively focused on the spectrum of FTD
disorders with a mission to improve the quality of life of people affected by FTD and drive research to a cure;
and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that there be greater awareness of this serious disease, and more must be
done to increase activity at the local, state, and national levels.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE STATE OF MONTANA:
That the Legislature proclaims the last full week of September as Frontotemporal Degeneration
Awareness Week and requests that the Governor issue a proclamation of the same.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State send a copy of this resolution to the
Governor, to the director of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, and to the county
69th Legislature 2025 HJ 19
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ENROLLED BILL
commission of each county in Montana.
- END -
I hereby certify that the within bill,
HJ 19, originated in the House.
___________________________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
___________________________________________
Speaker of the House
Signed this _______________________________day
of____________________________________, 2025.
___________________________________________
President of the Senate
Signed this _______________________________day
of____________________________________, 2025.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19
INTRODUCED BY J. REAVIS, B. EDWARDS, J. ISALY, M. LEE, P. STRAND, J. SECKINGER, B. CLOSE, S.
FYANT, J. WEBER, C. SCHOMER, J. SOOKTIS, A. GRIFFITH, D. BEDEY, E. BUTTREY, E. MATTHEWS, T.
RUNNING WOLF, M. FOX, M. CAFERRO, B. CARTER, J. COHENOUR, D. HAWK, J. KARLEN, C. KEOGH, L.
REKSTEN, K. SULLIVAN, M. THANE, M. MARLER, S. DEMAROIS, D. JOY, C. FITZPATRICK, V. MOORE
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF
MONTANA TO DECLARE THE LAST FULL WEEK IN SEPTEMBER AS FRONTOTEMPORAL
DEGENERATION AWARENESS WEEK IN THE STATE OF MONTANA.