SUMMARY:       Urges the President and the Congress of the United States to
               direct increased federal funding to research chronic fatigue
               syndrome.

FISCAL NOTE:   Effect on Local Government: No.
               Effect on State or on Industrial Insurance: No.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION-- Urging the President and the Congress of the United
States to direct increased federal funding to research chronic fatigue syndrome
and to develop effective treatments and a cure for this disease.

  WHEREAS, Chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as Epstein-Barr syndrome and
chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome is a recent discovered illness for
which there is no known cure or effective treatment; and

  WHEREAS, Recent biomedical research has identified chronic fatigue syndrome
as a serious illness which affects a number of the systems of the human body
including the immune system; and

  WHEREAS, The syndrome is characterized primarily by chronic debilitating
fatigue and many influenza-like symptoms and is often accompanied by a variety
of cognitive dysfunctions; and

  WHEREAS, More serious and longer-lasting neurologic impairments, including
seizures, psychosis, and dementia, have also been observed in some of these
patients; and

  WHEREAS, Victims of this syndrome often experience symptoms of sufficient
severity to legally qualify them for Social Security Disability; and

  WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to expend the public health response to
this disease, which has been identified in every State, and which the Centers
for Disease Control has called an emerging epidemic; and

  WHEREAS, Estimates of the afflicted range as high as one-and-one-half
percent of the populace, or approximately 3,750,000 individuals; now
therefore, be it

  RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, JOINTLY,
That the Nevada Legislature respectfully memorializes the President and the
Congress of the United States to direct increased funding to research chronic
fatigue syndrome and to develop effective treatments and a cure for this
disease, and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared and transmitted
forthwith by the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President
of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to
each Senator and Representative in the Congress of the United States; and be
it further

  RESOLVED, That this resolution becomes effective upon passage and approval.