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WASHINGTON, DC – This week, both the House and the Senate passed legislation that will establish a new system to collect data on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as ‘Lou Gehrig's Disease. This legislation, S. 1382, mirrors legislation (H.R. 2295) originally cosponsored by Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R-SC). The national ALS registry builds upon a registry started through the Department of Veterans affairs that was focused on veterans with ALS. The data collected by this registry was important in this week’s decision by the VA to designate ALS as a service connected disability under the VA disability system. In praising the passage of the ALS Registry Act, legislation championed by Charleston’s General Thomas Mikolajcik, Congressman Brown made the following statement:
“The passage of the ALS Registry Act is another essential step in our efforts to provide for those fighting ALS. This organized system will enable the Centers for Disease Control to develop a registry of these cases, giving researchers across the country a new tool in their efforts to study and develop new treatments for ALS. General Mikolajcik is a tireless fighter for those with ALS, and I am proud to be on his team, fighting for improved treatment for this disease.”
"This is an historic day for ALS,” General Mikolajcik said. “After 139 years of knowing about the disease, we'll now have a database of information open to researchers and scientists around the world. Now let's aggressively fund ALS research to find the cause, therapies and a cure."
To learn more about Congressman Brown’s work for veterans with ALS visit his webpage at http://brown.house.gov/Issues/veterans.html and to read the original press release on Secretary Peake’s decision go to http://brown.house.gov/list/press/sc01_brown/07142008ALSDecision.shtml.
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