III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 439 

Supporting the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 19, 2018 

Mr. CASEY (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. COONS, Mr. 

BROWN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

and Mr. MORAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis 

Awareness Week. 

Whereas multiple sclerosis (referred to in this preamble as 

‘‘MS’’) can impact individuals of all ages, races, and 

ethnicities, but MS is at least 2 to 3 times more common 

in women than in men; 

Whereas there are approximately 2,300,000 individuals 

worldwide who have been diagnosed with MS; 

Whereas MS is typically diagnosed in individuals between the 

ages of 20 and 50, but it is estimated that between 8,000 

and 10,000 children and adolescents are living with MS 

in the United States; 

Whereas MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of 

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•SRES 439 IS 

formation within the brain and between the brain and the 

body; 

Whereas symptoms of MS range from numbness and tingling 

to vision problems and paralysis, and the progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any 1 person cannot 

yet be predicted; 

Whereas, while there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited, studies show that there are genetic and environmental factors that give certain individuals a higher risk 

of developing MS; 

Whereas the exact cause of MS is unknown, and there is no 

cure for MS; 

Whereas the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition, a national network 

of independent MS organizations dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life of individuals affected by 

MS, recognizes and supports Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week; 

Whereas the mission of the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition is to 

increase opportunities for cooperation and to provide 

greater opportunity to leverage the effective use of resources for the benefit of the MS community; 

Whereas the United States plays a critical role in coordinating MS research globally and amplifies the impact of 

research in the United States through which results are 

delivered to MS patients; 

Whereas, in 2012, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society 

was a founding member of the International Progressive 

MS Alliance, which coordinates research to accelerate the 

development of treatments for progressive MS by removing international scientific and technological barriers and, 

as of 2018, includes 17 MS organizations from 17 counVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Mar 20, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR439.IS SR439

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tries, 9 foundation and trust members, and 7 pharmaceutical partners; 

Whereas the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition recognizes and supports Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week during March 

each year; 

Whereas the goals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week 

are— 

(1) to invite people to join the movement to end MS; 

(2) to encourage everyone to do something to demonstrate a commitment to moving toward a world free of 

MS; and 

(3) to acknowledge those who have dedicated time 

and talent to help promote MS research and programs; 

and 

Whereas, in 2018, Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week is recognized during the week of March 11 through March 17: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Multiple 

3 Sclerosis Awareness Week; 

4 (2) encourages States, localities, and the terri5 tories and possessions of the United States to sup6 port the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis 

7 Awareness Week by issuing proclamations desig8 nating Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week; 

9 (3) encourages media organizations— 

10 (A) to participate in Multiple Sclerosis 

11 Awareness Week; and 


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1 (B) to help provide education to the public 

2 about multiple sclerosis; 

3 (4) commends the efforts of States, localities, 

4 and the territories and possessions of the United 

5 States to support the goals and ideals of Multiple 

6 Sclerosis Awareness Week; 

7 (5) recognizes and reaffirms the commitment of 

8 the United States to ending multiple sclerosis by— 

9 (A) promoting awareness about individuals 

10 that are affected by multiple sclerosis; and 

11 (B) supporting multiple sclerosis research 

12 and education programs; 

13 (6) recognizes all individuals in the United 

14 States living with multiple sclerosis; 

15 (7) expresses gratitude to the family members 

16 and friends of individuals living with multiple scle17 rosis, who are a source of love and encouragement 

18 for those individuals; and 

19 (8) salutes the health care professionals and 

20 medical researchers who— 

21 (A) provide assistance to individuals af22 fected by multiple sclerosis; and 

23 (B) continue to work to find ways— 

24 (i) to stop multiple sclerosis; 


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1 (ii) to restore what has been lost due 

2 to multiple sclerosis; and 

3 (iii) to end multiple sclerosis forever. 

Æ 


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