I have just heard from Bill Turenne at our Washington Office that the Udall
Bill has passed by a staggering 91 to 4 votes in the Senate and 352 to 65
votes in the House.
Congratulations to all of you on a job well done!
Below for your information is the press release I am sending out to the
media nationally on behalf of the National Parkinson Foundation and the
Parkinson Community at Large.
Please do your part and call your local papers and ask them to print this
monumental news!!!
Thanks for all your hard work and effort. Melinda Brown, NPF
------------------------------------------------------------
Passage of Parkinson=92s Research Bill Is A Victory For Parkinson=92s=
Community
***
The Morris K. Udall Parkinson=92s Research Act of 1997 is passed by the 105t=
h
Congress
MIAMI, NOV. 8, 1997 =96 Today, the Morris K. Udall Parkinson=92s Research Ac=
t
of 1997 was passed by the 105th Congress. This crucial piece of legislation
was offered as an amendment to the Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY=9298. The $80
billion spending bill was passed by an impressive 91 to 4 votes in the
Senate and 325 to 65 votes in the House, and will now be sent to the White
House for President Clinton=92s signature.
Currently, federal support for Parkinson=92s research by the National
Institutes of Health is only $34 million year, while it is estimated that
Parkinson=92s cost Americans an excess of $25 billion a year. The passage of
the Udall Bill, named after former Congressman and Parkinson patient,
Morris K. Udall, will pave the way for securing the needed research dollars
that will lead to a cure for this devastating neurological disorder.
According to the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF), passage of the Udall
Bill is a victory for the Parkinson community whose tireless efforts and
countless grassroots activists made this possible.
Since the introduction of the Udall Bill in early April, the National
Parkinson Foundation along with other Parkinson=92s organizations and
activists, worked diligently to garner the necessary support in the
grassroots community to ensure the passage of this crucial legislation.
Most famous of the Parkinson=92s activists involved in the passage the Udall
Bill is Muhammad Ali, who as the spokesperson for the National Parkinson
Foundation, testified before congress regarding the importance of this Bill.
"My wife, Lonnie and I are both tremendously gratified to learn of the
passage of the Udall Bill by the United Sates Congress and only hope that
our appearance before the appropriations committee with the National
Parkinson Foundation last April played some small role in convincing
Congress to increase funding for Parkinson=92s disease research" stated
Muhammad Ali. "We are confident that with these added resources, a
NPF/Udall Bill Cont=92d 2
cure for this disease will hastened greatly, and owe a debt of gratitude to
the National Parkinson Foundation
and the many Parkinson=92s activists across the nation for their tenacious
fight in bringing about this legislative victory".
=20
The principal congressional sponsors of the Udall Bill in the House and
Senate are Senator John McCain
(R-AZ) and Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), and Congressmen Fred Upton
(R-6th-MI) an Henry Waxman (D-29th-CA). Their countless hours of attention
to this issue and determination to see the Bill passed are truly=
appreciated.
" I am optimistic that by increasing research funding, we=92ll be one step
closer to finding a cure to combat this debilitating, degenerative disease
that afflicts a million Americans," stated Senator McCain. "This disease
knows no boundaries, does not discriminate ands strikes without warning."
Though the passage of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson=92s Research Act of 1997
is an occasion to be celebrated, the struggle to seek equitable funding
levels for Parkinson=92s disease research is not over. There will be several
legislative initiatives related directly to Parkinson=92s in the next sessio=
n
of Congress and in the years to come. Encouraged by this tremendous
victory, the National Parkinson Foundation will fight with the renewed
vigor for the interests of those affected by this terrible disease by
establishing a Parkinson Patient Congress. The intent of this "Congress" is
to provide a vehicle for people with Parkinson=92s disease to formulate
national agenda for the Parkinson=92s community. This will include the
identification of legislative, regulatory and other public policy issues
that impact and affect people with Parkinson=92s disease.
The National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) is one of the largest research
institutes, with 50 research centers around the world. NPF=92s mission is to=
:
find the cause and cure for Parkinson=92s disease and allied neurological
disorders through research; to educate general medical practitioners to
detect the early warning signs of Parkinson=92s disease; to educate patients=
,
their caregivers and the general public; to provide diagnostic and
therapeutic services, to improve the quality of life for both patients and
caregivers.=20
The Foundation supports researchers, physicians, occupation, physical and
speech therapists and psychological counseling through it Centers of
Excellence word-wide, and houses a world class Brain Endowment Bank in the
Foundation=92s international headquarters in Miami, Fl. For more information
on the National Parkinson Foundation call: 1(800) 327-4545 or visit NPF on
the world wide web at http://www.parkinson.org.=20
###
