WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress on Wednesday voted to pass the Steve Gleason Act, sending it to President Barack Obama’s desk to be signed into law.

The act will make speech-generating devices more accessible to patients with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The legislation, sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Sen David Vitter, R-La., is named for former Saints safety Steve Gleason who was diagnosed with the disease in 2011.

“This is a huge victory for ALS patients across the country,” Vitter said in a prepared statement. “Making this equipment more accessible and affordable will give them the ability to communicate with their family and friends – even literally giving them a voice when they lose their ability to speak.”

The Senate approved the bill in April.