PRESS RELEASE contact :Nancy Ives 202-224-7130 April 10, 1997 from U.S. Senator John McCain Arizona McCain Fights To Increase funding For Parkinson's Disease Research. -Authorizes $100M for Research, Establishes 10 Research Centers & Clearinghouse- WASHINGTON D.C. -- In an effort to significantly increase the funding for Parkinson's disease research, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduced the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research and Education Act of 1997 that would authorize $100 million for disease research, establish ten research centers across the country, and create a national Parkinson's Disease Information Clearinghouse. The bill honors Arizona Congressman Mo. Udall, currently afflicted with Parkinson's who retired in 1991 after serving 30 years in the House. "It is imperative that we give our scientific researchers the necessary funding and support to combat this debilitating, degenerative disease that afflicts millions of Americans," said McCain. "This bill will help us make significant scientific progress in finding a cure for a disease that knows no boundries, does not discriminate and strikes without warning." With approximately 50,000 people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, the bill increases the authorization for Parkinson's disease direct research from $32 million in FY96 to $100 million in FY97. It also establishes up to ten Morris K. Udall Centers for Research on Parkinson's Disease throughout the nation. Set-up in a manner which would allow them to become a source for developing teaching programs for health care professionals and disseminating programs for public use, these centers would conduct basic and clinical research in addition to delivering care to Parkinson's patients. In addition, the bill creates a national Parkinson's Disease Information Clearinghouse which would gather and store pertinent data on Parkinson's patients and their families and facilitate and enhance the knowledge and understanding of Parkinson's disease. In order to recognize investigators whose work has demonstrated significant potential for the diagnosis or treatment of the disease, the bill would establish a Morris K. Udall Excellence Award. In the 104th congress, a similar bill (S.684) unanimously cleared the Labor Committee and passed the Senate as part of the National Institute of Health (NIH) reauthorization bill (S.1897). However, despite the bill's broad bipartisan support -- 62 co-sponsors in the Senate and 235 co-sponsors in the House -- it failed to reach the House floor for a vote. The bill, as introduced today, ccurrently has 36 co-sponsors. "We must support and enact the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research and Education Act of 1997," said McCain. "We can not allow this opportunity to make significant progress in the area of Parkinson's research slip away because of a lack of support for our nation's scientific researcher."