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MEDIA ALERT Udall Parkinson's Research Bill Passes Both Houses As Part of Labor HHS Appropriations Bill For Immediate Release November 8, 1997 Contact: Monica Bowman/Michael Claeys 202-544-1880 WASHINGTON, DC--The Congress has passed the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act as part of the FY'98 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations (Labor/HHS) conference report. The bill passed the House of Representatives on Friday, November 7, by a vote of 352-65, and the Senate on Saturday, November 8, by a vote of 91-4. Passage is expected to be followed by Presidential signing, at which time the Udall bill will become law. The passage of the Labor-HHS bill containing the Udall Parkinson's bill is the culmination of a four-year effort to enact Parkinson's research legislation. Parkinson's research historically has been neglected in the federal budget in comparison with many higher-profile diseases. While diseases such as AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes receive hundreds of millions of dollars annually, the Parkinson's investment has been stagnant at about $30 million or less per year--$30 per patient --for decades. The "Udall bill" was first introduced in 1994 by now-retired Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR), and re-introduced in April of 1997 by John McCain (R-AZ), Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Fred Upton (R-MI) and Henry Waxman (D-CA). The bill is named after Morris K. Udall, a 30-year Member of Congress and 1976 Presidential candidate, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. Udall was forced to retire from Congress due to his Parkinson's symptoms, and presently resides in a Veterans Administration long-term care facility in Washington, D.C. The Udall bill directs the National Institutes of health to expand its Parkinson's research program, including authorization of up to $100 million dollars for the 1998 fiscal year, and necessary amounts thereafter. The bill also provides several mechanisms for strengthening and focusing the Parkinson's research program, including the establishment of Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Centers and Udall Awards for promising research efforts. "This represents a major victory in the fight to stop the suffering inflicted by Parkinson's," said Joan Samuelson, President of the Parkinson's Action Network. "Parkinson's has been the 'invisible disease.' To change that, our community has had to step forward, talk about our suffering and demand federal attention. Now Parkinson's is finally where it belongs: in the national spotlight with other devastating disorders, and on the federal priority list." Samuelson, a 47 year-old lawyer, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1987. Parkinson's disease currently afflicts one million Americans, and costs the U.S. $25 billion annually, including $7 billion in federal funds. It is estimated that as the U.S. Population ages, the Parkinson's population will grow to at least 4 million Americans, with corresponding increases in costs. Founded in 1991, the Parkinson's Action Network is a non-profit education and advocacy organization dedicated to the earliest possible discovery of a cure for Parkinson's disease.