2015 -- H 5945

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LC002236

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

RECOGNIZING MARCH 2-8, 2015, AS NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AWARENESS

WEEK IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Nunes, and Chippendale

     Date Introduced: March 19, 2015

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease of the central nervous

system, affecting 2.3 million people worldwide; and

     WHEREAS, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Greater New England Chapter

reports that in our state nearly 2,000 people are diagnosed with MS, and that the disease generally

strikes people in the prime of life, between ages 20 through 50, and causes unpredictable effects

in which the progression, severity and specific symptoms cannot be foreseen, and the cause and

cure for this often debilitating disease remain unknown; and

     WHEREAS, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Greater New England Chapter

has been committed for more than 60 years to a world free of MS, heightening public knowledge

about and insight into the disease; and

     WHEREAS, Since 1946, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has been a driving force

of MS research, relentlessly pursuing prevention, treatment and a cure and has invested more than

$868 million dollars in groundbreaking research; and

     WHEREAS, Funds raised through the National Multiple Sclerosis Society fuel the efforts

of nearly 380 research projects globally, totaling $50.2 million dollars annually at the best

medical centers, universities and other institutions throughout the United States and abroad.

Because of this, MS research has never been more hopeful than it is today; and

     WHEREAS, Discovering the cause, finding a cure, and preventing future generations

from being diagnosed with MS is an important task that all Americans and Rhode Islanders

should support; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby recognizes the importance of finding the cause and cure of MS, a

chronic and often devastating disease, and expresses its appreciation and admiration for the

dedication that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Greater New England Chapter has

shown toward a future free of MS; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this House hereby joins with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

in recognizing the week of March 2-8, 2015, as "National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week" to

enhance the understanding of multiple sclerosis, and to encourage participation in voluntary

activities to support the local programs and services offered by the National Multiple Sclerosis

Society – Greater New England Chapter and the funding of research programs to find a cure for

this disease; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Warwick office of the National Multiple

Sclerosis Society – Greater New England Chapter.

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