IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 399 
Supporting the goals and ideals of International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ 
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2019 
Ms. LOFGREN (for herself, Mr. BERGMAN, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, and 
Mr. JOYCE of Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of International Myalgic 
Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness 
Day. 
Whereas the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly 
known as the Institute of Medicine, has found Myalgic 
Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) 
to be ‘‘a serious, chronic, complex, and systemic disease 
that frequently and dramatically limits the activities of 
affected patients’’; 
Whereas between 836,000 and 2,500,000 individuals of all 
ages, races, and sexes in the United States are believed 
to be afflicted with ME/CFS, with millions more afflicted 
by ME/CFS worldwide, and the vast majority of individ-
uals with ME/CFS are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed; 
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•HRES 399 IH 
Whereas ME/CFS is approximately 4 times more prevalent in 
women than in men; 
Whereas ME/CFS is a chronic disease with no known cure 
and leaves 1⁄4 of individuals with ME/CFS housebound or 
bedbound for extended periods of time; 
Whereas 50 to 75 percent of individuals with ME/CFS can-
not work or attend school; 
Whereas medical expenses and lost productivity related to 
ME/CFS cost the economy of the United States an esti-
mated $17,000,000,000 to $24,000,000,000 annually; 
Whereas the cause of ME/CFS is unknown, there is no diag-
nostic test for ME/CFS, and there is no treatment for 
ME/CFS that is approved by the Food and Drug Admin-
istration; 
Whereas NAM has noted a ‘‘paucity of research’’ on ME/ 
CFS and that ‘‘more research is essential’’; 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC) has called ME/CFS ‘‘America’s Hidden Health 
Crisis’’; 
Whereas individuals with ME/CFS struggle to find doctors to 
care for them, and ME/CFS is included in the curricula 
of fewer than 1⁄3 of medical schools; 
Whereas in recognition of the dearth of research on ME/CFS 
and the profound impact that the disease has on individ-
uals with ME/CFS and their loved ones and caretakers, 
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is ‘‘committed to 
unraveling the underlying biologic cause(s) of ME/CFS 
as swiftly as possible, and promoting research that will 
inform the development of effective strategies for treat-
ment and prevention of this devastating condition’’; 
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•HRES 399 IH 
Whereas, in 2017, 11 Institutes at the NIH and the Office 
of the Director of the NIH contributed more than 
$7,000,000 in grants to assist in establishing Collabo-
rative Research Centers and a Data Management Coordi-
nating Center to improve the coordination of ME/CFS 
research and help accelerate understanding of ME/CFS; 
and 
Whereas, in 2019, May 12 is recognized as International ME/ 
CFS Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals of International Myalgic 
Encephalomyelitis/Chronic 
Fatigue 
Syndrome 
Awareness Day; 
(2) recognizes and affirms the commitment of 
the United States to— 
(A) supporting research and medical edu-
cation for ME/CFS; and 
(B) promoting awareness among health 
professionals and the public about ME/CFS; 
and 
(3) recognizes the continued importance of— 
(A) health care professionals and medical 
researchers who care for individuals with ME/ 
CFS; and 
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•HRES 399 IH 
(B) those who work to discover the cause 
of, and develop and improve diagnosis of, treat-
ments for, and a cure for, ME/CFS. 
Æ 
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