ALS Disability Insurance Access Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I am very pleased the Senate has just passed the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, 96 to 1, a bill that will bring relief to many Americans suffering from a terrible disease.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. People with ALS tragically lose the ability to control their muscles, leading to paralysis and, ultimately, death. There is no cure.

Many are familiar with ALS because of the baseball legend who succumbed to it at the height of his career, Lou Gehrig. Others know Lou Gehrig's disease because it has touched them or a neighbor or a loved one.

I have been fortunate to know several people with ALS. One of my earliest supporters in my first campaign was the great Tommy May of Pine Bluff. Tommy, amazingly, has lived with ALS for nearly 15 years, beating the odds with courage and good humor. Given the gift of time, he devoted his energy to finding a cure for ALS, serving as a trustee on the national ALS Association board. ALS advocates are lucky to have a fighter like Tommy on their side.

I have also been fortunate to know Kip Jackson of Little Rock and Thomas Galyon of Rogers and others. Sadly, these ALS advocates have passed away, but I know how pleased they would be to see this bill cross the finish line today.

ALS is not like other diseases. It typically appears, without warning, later in life. Its life expectancy within 16 months is only 50 percent--no better than a coin toss. In other words, ALS strikes fast, and it strikes hard.

People with ALS typically apply for disability benefits through Social Security. There is a problem. Disability has a 5-month waiting period. This waiting period is meant to ensure that applicants aren't suffering from a temporary affliction, and under most circumstances, it is appropriate.

But, of course, ALS isn't temporary. For those who have it, given the odds they face, every month counts. That is why, years ago, Senator Whitehouse and I introduced the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, which will waive this 5-month period for people with ALS. This will ensure they have rapid access to Social Security in the early days of their diagnosis, so they don't have to worry about benefits and can focus instead on the things that really matter during what could be their final months on Earth.

On their behalf, I want to thank Senator Whitehouse for his partnership over the years. I want to thank Senator Braun for what he has done to help get this bill across the finish line today. I am pleased so many of our colleagues supported this bill.

I want to explain briefly my position on the amendment offered by Senator Grassley. I support the amendment in concept, but I opposed the amendment today because the original purpose of this bill has always been to address ALS specifically.

I will support Senator Grassley's language in future legislation, but to pass this bill in the final days of the 116th Congress, the Senate-- and especially in the days ahead in the House--it was vital that we send the unamended bill to the House.

I look forward to working with Senator Grassley in the next Congress to ensure the sustainability of both the Social Security Disability and the ALS trust fund. He has been a great partner in protecting these vital programs, and I know he will be in the future.

Finally, I want to close by quoting Lou Gehrig's final address at Yankee Stadium in 1939. He had just received his fatal diagnosis. He didn't focus on the hardships that lay in his future. Instead, he famously exclaimed:

I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. . . . I might have been given a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for.

The same could be said of every person living with ALS today. They have an awful lot to live for, and this bill will help them live.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source