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Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for Als Act

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 8, 2021
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to first associate myself with the remarks made by Ms. Eshoo of California, as well as Mr. Pallone, and stand up in strong support of this bill. I also thank the lead authors, Mr. Fortenberry and Mr. Quigley, and all of us who have worked on this and other issues to help patients with ALS.

This goes back to other legislation that we have worked on, including the 21st Century Cures Act, where Congress came together, Republicans and Democrats, through the Energy and Commerce Committee, to help put a sharper focus on finding cures for diseases like ALS, diseases like Alzheimer's, and so many other debilitating diseases where you have got people that just want hope; as Ms. Eshoo said, where you have people who want the ability to live their lives to the fullest.

I know I have worked on so many of these ALS-related issues with a hero back home in my district, Steve Gleason. Steve Gleason was, for awhile, more famous as a player for the New Orleans Saints, somebody who gave us a light in the darkness of Hurricane Katrina, but then Steve was diagnosed with ALS. He turned his notoriety into a call for action for other people with ALS to be able to live their lives to the fullest.

Steve has been an inspiration to so many. He has a speech device that allows him to communicate; and he stays incredibly active. Steve brought this bill up over a year ago. So this is one more thing that we can do to help people with ALS; so that they can bring new therapies so that people living with ALS do have more ability to treat this disease.

This means lifesaving drugs will now be available for individuals who are not otherwise able to get into ALS clinical trials.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of heroes, inspirational battlers like Steve Gleason, and so many of us have other heroes in our districts, I rise in strong support of this great piece of legislation that brings Republicans and Democrats together to take action for those people who are counting on us.

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