The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD®) celebrated the signing of House Bill 46 into law by Governor Phil Scott, establishing a Rare Disease Advisory Council (RDAC) in Vermont, the Bennington Banner reports.

This legislation will ensure that Vermonters living with a rare disease have a formal voice in the state to address their unique and complex needs.

The effort carried support from more than 30 patient organizations—including the ALS Association, Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), the National Fragile X Foundation, the International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid Foundation, and the Ehlers-Danlos Society—reflecting the community-driven nature of the effort. Vermonters with lived experience of rare disease also testified alongside medical professionals from the Vermont Medical Society, the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, and the Vermont Department of Health.

Read full story at Bennington Banner

This story was also covered by (Panama City, Fla.) ABC 13, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, (Fort Myers, Fla.) Gulf & Main, (Lafayette, La.) KLFY.com, (Lake Charles, La.) KSWL, the Manchester (Vt.) Journal, (Charlotte, N.C.) Queen City News, Rutland Herald, (Elmira, N.Y.) WETN, and (Nashville, Tenn.) WKRN.