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."
