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PRINTER'S NO. 3157
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 473
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY CUTLER, MULLINS, VITALI, WEAKNECHT, VENKAT,
ISAACSON, FEE, McNEILL, GREINER, ANDERSON, BERNSTINE, STAATS,
PICKETT, RAPP, FREEMAN, SAMUELSON, KRUEGER, HAMM, GUENST,
RIVERA, KUTZ, DALEY, SAPPEY, BRENNAN, KAUFFMAN, HOHENSTEIN,
PASHINSKI, COOPER, DOUGHERTY, NEILSON, SANCHEZ, CIRESI,
GALLAGHER, FLOOD, ROWE, CAUSER, MOUL, GILLEN, STENDER,
SCHEUREN, CURRY AND M. MACKENZIE, APRIL 8, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, APRIL 9, 2026
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of May 2026 as "Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is better known
as Lou Gehrig's disease; and
WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease
characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the lower motor
neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horn of the spinal
cord; and
WHEREAS, The initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the
skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; and
WHEREAS, As ALS progresses, the ALS patient experiences
difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing; and
WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy, and the
ALS patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and
WHEREAS, ALS does not affect the ALS patient's mental
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capacity, leaving the patient alert and aware of the patient's
loss of motor functions and the inevitable outcome of continued
deterioration and death; and
WHEREAS, ALS occurs in adulthood, most commonly between 40
and 70 years of age, with an average age of 55 at the time of
diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, ALS is 20% more common among men than women; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 5,000 new ALS patients are diagnosed
annually; and
WHEREAS, On average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive
two to five years from the time of diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, prevention or cure; and
WHEREAS, "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month"
increases public awareness of ALS patients' circumstances,
acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has on ALS
patients and their families and recognizes the research being
done to eradicate this horrible disease; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of May 2026 as "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
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