December 18, 1997
Vice President Albert Gore, Jr.
Old Executive Office Building
Washington, DC 20501
Dear Mr. Vice President:
As President Clinton prepares his fiscal year 1999 budget request, we urge
you to impress upon him the importance of providing the resources necessary
to fully fund the provisions of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act
of 1997.
On November 13, 1997, the President signed the Udall Act into law as part
of H.R. 2264, the 1998 Labor, Health and Education Appropriations bill. For
the first time in history, the federal government has recognized the
enormous human and fiscal costs of Parkinson's disease, acknowledged the
tremendous research potential and acted to specifically increase our
national research investment. But more needs to be done.
On behalf of the over one million Americans who live with Parkinson's
disease, we hope you will use your influence during development of the
Administration's 1999 budget request to include sufficient resources and
Parkinson's-focused research authorized by the Udall Act.
Thank you for your interest and attention to this important matter, and
please do not hesitate to call on us for information regarding any aspect of
Parkinson's disease.
Sincerely,
The American Parkinson Disease Association, Inc.
John Pillarella Joel Gerstel
President Executive Director
