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107-216 DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATION BILL, 2003 Parkinson's disease- The Committee is aware that the Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda developed by the NIH in 2000 included professional judgment funding projections that totaled an additional $1,000,000,000 over 5 years. It is the clear intent of the Committee that the NIH, which has received substantial funding increases in recent years, come as close as possible to fulfilling that Agenda while maintaining the standards of peer review. The Committee was extremely disappointed, therefore, to learn that during fiscal years 2001 and 2002--the first 2 years of the Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda--NIH funding increases for Parkinson's failed to keep pace with funding increases for NIH overall. In addition, the NIH's projected Parkinson's budget for fiscal year 2003 falls $138,200,000 short of the $353,300,000 professional judgment budget estimate cited by the Agenda for that year. As a consequence, the NIH would fall even further behind on implementing the Agenda, and this highly promising field of research would not move ahead as speedily as the Congress intended. The Committee strongly urges the NIH to devote additional resources to Parkinson's research using all available mechanisms, including RFAs and further support of NIEHS initiatives. The Committee recommendation includes bill language that allows the NIH to expand the number of Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Centers (sec. 218). The Committee expects the NIH to report to Congress by April 1, 2003, on the steps it is taking to fulfill the Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda. ---------- As the Committee marks the conclusion of the doubling effort, it notes that the job of investing in biomedical research is far from over. Heart disease, drug abuse, mental disorders, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other debilitating diseases and conditions continue to affect millions of Americans on a daily basis. The Nation must sustain the momentum of these investments, so future generations can continue to benefit from the improvements in human health that flow from the NIH. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn