National Priorities

Has your Representative or Senator agreed to co-sponsor the ALS Registry Act? Check the bar to the left to see.

The ALS Association’s 2007 Public Policy Priorities (updated May 17, 2007)

We want the 110th Congress to:

• (PRIORITY #1) Pass the ALS Registry Act, legislation that would authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create and maintain a single nationwide ALS registry.  The establishment of a national ALS registry will help identify the incidence and prevalence of ALS in the U.S. and collect data which is urgently needed for ALS research, disease management and the development of standards of care. A national ALS registry also will promote a better understanding of the disease, help to determine causes of ALS and significantly enhance the nation’s efforts to find a treatment and cure for ALS. The ALS Registry Act is expected to be introduced in the 110th Congress by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY)

1. Click here for additional information about efforts to establish a national ALS registry.

• (PRIORITY #2) Include funding dedicated for ALS specific programs at the Department of Defense (DOD). Studies, including those conducted by the DOD, Department of Veterans Affairs and researchers at Harvard University, repeatedly have shown that ALS occurs at a greater rate in military veterans. By funding ALS specific programs at the Department of Defense, Congress will enable important ALS research to continue at DOD, help to determine why those in the military are at a greater risk of the disease, and ensure that our nation takes appropriate action to protect the health and lives of our military men and women who each day risk their own lives in defense of this country. Importantly, research conducted by the DOD also will yield important clues and data about ALS that will benefit all people suffering from the disease and will help this nation make progress in finding a treatment and cure for ALS.