CurePSP is thrilled that HR 2365, originally the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act and now the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, December 14th, by a vote of 407 to 9!
This bipartisan no-cost legislation would create an advisory council comprising members of federal agencies, patients, care partners, researchers, clinicians and other experts to coordinate federal efforts around the Parkinsonian diseases, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA), and report annually to Congress on the progress made to prevent, treat and cure the diseases. Click here to see how your Representative voted on the bill.
Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton of Virginia, who announced earlier this fall that she was diagnosed with PSP, celebrated the bill’s progress in a press release.
“I am thrilled that the House has come together today to take a transformative step to fight Parkinson’s and atypical Parkinson’s which would save lives and give families like mine hope,” said Rep. Wexton.
Kristophe Diaz, CurePSP’s Executive Director and Chief Science Officer, was quoted in Wexton’s press release as saying “Every day, we receive multiple phone calls from Americans who have just received a diagnosis of PSP. Many of them had been first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which shows the complexity and needed improvement in the understanding of these complex diseases. Thanks to recent progress in research, we can share a message of hope when we talk with these families. This historic bill and the drive and courage of Rep. Wexton hold the promise of fostering the collaborations that are essential to advancing improved treatments and a cure and to provide better care for individuals living with Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative parkinsonism. This bill is a catalyst for action and is poised to transform hope into tangible progress.”
CurePSP has been working closely with Rep. Wexton’s office to amplify awareness of and impact for PSP and the other atypical Parkinsonian diseases during the remainder of her term. We will continue to partner with her and her team in this next stage of advocacy.
So, what comes next? A bill must pass both chambers (the House of Representatives and the Senate) before it can go to the President to sign and become law. The bill will now leave the House and go to the Senate, where the Senate will decide if it will be brought up for a vote. We are hopeful with this momentum from the House that the bill will move quickly through the Senate in the New Year.
CurePSP is hard at work revamping our online toolkit for the bill with new resources to urge Senators to follow the House’s lead. We will be in touch soon with more information on how you and your networks can get involved, including sending emails and organizing virtual meetings with Senate offices.