Whereas amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (referred to in this preamble as ALS ) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord; Whereas the life expectancy for an individual with ALS is between 2 and 5 years after the date on which the individual receives an ALS diagnosis; Whereas ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, gender, or socioeconomic boundaries; Whereas the 2 different types of ALS are sporadic ALS and familial ALS; Whereas sporadic ALS— (1) is the most common form of motor neuron disease in the United States; (2) accounts for between 90 and 95 percent of all cases of ALS in the United States; and (3) may affect any individual in any location; Whereas familial ALS (commonly known as FALS )— (1) is inherited; and (2) accounts for between 5 and 10 percent of all cases of ALS in the United States; Whereas there is a 50 percent chance that each offspring of an individual with familial ALS will inherit the gene mutation for familial ALS and develop the disease; Whereas, on average, the period between the date on which an individual first experiences symptoms of ALS and the date on which the individual is diagnosed with ALS is about 1 year; Whereas the onset of ALS often involves muscle weakness or stiffness, and the progression of ALS results in the further weakening, wasting, and paralysis of— (1) the muscles of the limbs and trunk; and (2) the muscles that control vital functions, such as speech, swallowing, and breathing; Whereas ALS can strike individuals of any age but predominantly strikes adults; Whereas it is estimated that tens of thousands of individuals in the United States have ALS at any given time; Whereas, based on studies of the population of the United States, slightly more than 5,600 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year, and 15 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each day