Arlington, Virginia – November 03, 2026 -- The President has signed the bipartisan ACT for ALS Act into law, extending the research and treatment access programs created under the original 2021 legislation through 2031, according to the ALS Association.

Reauthorization keeps 2021 research and access programs running to 2031

The measure continues the programs established when ACT for ALS first passed in 2021. The ALS Association says those programs have accelerated research into promising therapies. The reauthorization is built to help the field establish which treatments work and to deliver them to everyone living with ALS.

Advocacy campaign spanned all 50 states and both parties

The ALS Association says it mobilized advocates in all 50 states and worked with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to shape the bill. It describes three priorities behind the text: moving faster, reducing barriers to access, and generating the evidence needed to turn promising research into approved treatments. The group also says the legislation includes accountability and transparency provisions.

Advocates met with lawmakers repeatedly to prevent the program deadline from lapsing, the organization says.

Stakes remain high for a disease that is always fatal

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is always fatal, usually within five years of diagnosis. Few treatment options exist, leaving a high unmet need for therapies that address functional decline and disease progression.

"People living with ALS cannot wait, and neither will we," said Calaneet Balas, president and CEO of the ALS Association.