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I had hoped for at least a doubling of the funding. 9% does not seem like enough for my tastes, but it's a step in the right direction. What I want to see is for the Appropriations Committees of both houses to fully fund Udall to the $100 million level approved by the Udall Act. This year NIH is granting $41 million to direct PD research. Next year (FY 1999), the plan is now for them to increase it to $45 million we've been told. That is not enough. That is not the $100 million approved. Furthermore, it appears that our efforts are being subverted and the efforts of legislators who support full funding are being subverted by the inclusion of $60 million in what NIH terms Parkinson's-related grants. There is the possibility that 20% of the included grants could possibly relate to PD but the rest bear no relationship. By doing this, the NIH makes it appear that Udall has been fully funded, but the facts are that it has not. Udall calls for the money to be "Parkinson's focused." That is different from "Parkinson's-related." Thanks for bringing this information to our attention. I, too, would appreciate a response from Mike Claeys. Barb Brock