Congress on Monday passed the reauthorization of ACT for ALS, legislation aimed at funding research and giving patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis access to experimental treatments.
The Senate passed the House version ahead of the September 30 deadline, and the bill now needs only the president’s signature.
The measure, H.R. 8205, extends the programs created by ACT for ALS through fiscal year 2031. According to I AM ALS, the reauthorization represents up to $500 million in additional funding for research, infrastructure and access to experimental therapies.
AEW’s Tanea Brooks, known to fans as Rebel, was directly involved in the public campaign to get the bill passed. Brooks was diagnosed with ALS in March and was named an ambassador for I AM ALS in June. She recently asked fans to sign a petition to pressure Congress, warning that many patients could not wait until the end of the year.
I AM ALS celebrated the news, saying the bill passed with one day to spare.
“Thanks to the I AM ALS community’s leadership and relentless advocacy, ACT for ALS passed Congress by unanimous consent yesterday.”
The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill on July 22. A similar version cleared the Senate in August, but the two bills still had to be reconciled. Senators approved the House version on Monday, completing congressional action on the measure.
A few days earlier, I AM ALS had gathered more than 20,000 signatures calling for the reauthorization to be finished before September 30.