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Yesterday's Senate hearing was very exciting for PWP, and thanks to MJF anyone in the country paying attention knows about it. The 8 new PD centers (11 in all funded in FY1999) are a good first step toward funding needed research, but we still have work to do to boost spending to the levels authorized by the Udall Act. Sen. Specter has marked NIH for a $2B increase in FY2000 ($120M for NINDS and $50M for NIEHS) -- not all PD but enough to add significantly to PD and neurodegenerative research. (Mr. Porter in the House has NIH at a 9% increase.) Funding "Institutes" rather than Diseases gets around the problem of "earmarking." Drs. Fischbach (NINDS) and Olden (NIEHS), who were both at the hearings, have become our allies in promoting the PD research agenda. For example, I attended the NINDS Council last week and was very encouraged because the emphasis was on establishing the structures and staff necessary to carry out a focused research program, including new staff to plan research and develop announcements for focused research and a process and mechanism for planning clinical trials. Last July, NIEHS held a planning meeting with leading PD researchers as well as advocates, to provide input to an environmental research initiative on PD. In addition, I have been in contact with staff at CDC, who are already working on issues of PD epidemiology and costs of PD. The Director of National Center for Health Statistics, Dr. Sondik has indicated an interest in adding a "neurodegenerative supplement" to one or more of the National Health surveys. We need to help these Agencies and Institutes get the resources to do the job. The Labor HHS Appropriations Bill is supposed to go to the Floor for a vote today or tomorrow. Now is the time to ask your Senators (I don't have one) to support the NIH increases proposed by Senator Specter. Perry Cohen