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Walz signs Tomassoni's ALS bill

There were some emotional moments at state capitol Wednesday as a veteran Iron Range senator with ALS thanked colleagues for backing his research funding bill.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Wednesday was Sen. David Tomassoni's day at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Lawmakers, friends, family and media crowded into the Governor's Reception Room for the first time since before the pandemic to watch Gov. Tim Walz sign a bill written by Sen. Tomassoni.

It will send $20 million to the University of Minnesota for research grants for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS. It also sets aside $5 million to help pay for caregivers that help ALS patients.

For Tomassoni it was very personal. He was diagnosed with ALS last summer.

The former Olympic hockey player has already lost the ability to walk unassisted. And Wednesday he used text-to-voice adaptive technology to thank fellow lawmakers for running his bill through the legislative process so quickly.

"My ultimate thank you is to my legislative colleagues. This is about making the future better," Tomassoni told the crowd of onlookers as tears welled in his eyes.

"We can all be proud of that. This is a good day."

The bill sailed through the legislature. In fact, the Senate passed it twice without a single "no" vote.  That is a testament to how deeply moved Tomassoni's fellow lawmakers have been by his plight and the struggles of others dealing with the incurable degenerative disease.

At one point Tomassoni mentioned that Gov. Walz and top legislative leaders all vowed to help him after learning of his diagnosis.

"I guess I should've asked for more!" Tomassoni quipped as a smile broke across his face.

Fellow Iron Ranger Tom Bakk, who helped shepherd the bill through the legislature, recalled how stunned he was to learn of his friend's diagnosis.

"He had a hard time getting the words and he finally said, 'I've got ALS.' And I said, 'What's the prognosis?' and he said, 'Tom, they tell me there's nothing they can do'," Bakk told the crowd.

RELATED: Minnesota Senator David Tomassoni diagnosed with ALS

"My hope and Dave's hope for the bill is that someday somebody's friend or family member might come home from a diagnosis and say, 'There's something they might be able to do'."

Tomassoni, who lives in Chisholm, was first elected to the House in 1992 and won his first Senate race in 2000. He won every race running as a DFL candidate but broke from the DFL Senate Caucus in 2020, along with Bakk.

The two split from the main party on proposed copper-nickel mines near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Enbridge Line 3 replacement pipeline.

RELATED: Mining ban near BWCA once again on the table

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