Bill Text: MI HB5963 | 2023-2024 | 102nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Holidays: other; "Huntington's Disease Awareness Month"; designate as the month of May of each year. Creates new act.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-10-15 - Bill Electronically Reproduced 10/15/2024 [HB5963 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2023-HB5963-Introduced.html
HOUSE BILL NO. 5963
A bill to recognize the month of May of each year as Huntington's Disease Awareness Month.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 1. (1) The legislature recognizes the challenges presented by Huntington's disease. Huntington's disease is a progressive degenerative neurological disease affecting over 41,000 Americans while another 200,000 are genetically at risk of inheriting the expanded gene responsible for causing the disease. Each child of a parent with Huntington's disease has a 50% chance of inheriting the Huntington's disease gene. Huntington's disease typically occurs in mid-life between the ages of 30 and 50, though onset has been known to occur in children as young as 2 years of age. The average lifespan after onset of Huntington's disease is 10 to 20 years, and the younger the age of onset, the more rapid the progression of the disease, resulting in children who develop the juvenile form of the disease rarely living to adulthood. Huntington's disease can present similarly to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or mood disorders, and due to the individualized nature of Huntington's disease, the symptoms can present all at once or 1 at a time. Since the discovery of the gene that causes Huntington's disease in 1993, the pace of research into Huntington's disease has accelerated. Scientists across the nation are conducting important research into Huntington's disease, which at present has no effective treatment or cure. It is critical to the success of research and support services to raise awareness in the general public and the medical community about Huntington's disease. In furtherance of this goal, the legislature recognizes that adult onset Huntington's disease is represented by the color blue, and juvenile onset Huntington's disease is represented by the color purple.
(2) In recognition of the effects and challenges of Huntington's disease, to encourage awareness of Huntington's disease to the general public and medical community, and in keeping with national standards, the legislature declares that the month of May of each year in this state shall be known as "Huntington's Disease Awareness Month".
