Parkinson's Disease

Legislation | Documents/Reports | Links

I helped found the Congressional Working Group on Parkinson’s Disease in February 1999 along with Representatives Fred Upton, Lane Evans, Joe Skeen, Mark Udall, Tom Udall, and Henry Waxman. Now called the Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson's Disease, this bipartisan Caucus works to increase awareness among Members of Congress on issues related to Parkinson's Disease, including improving the state of Parkinson's related research. I am a caucus co-chair with my colleagues, Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Peter King (R-NY). The Caucus works to promote the proper implementation of the Morris K. Udall legislation. In 1997, Congress enacted the Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Research Act, which authorized up to $100 million in new funding for research focused on Parkinson’s. Since 1999, there has been a bipartisan commitment to increase funding for Parkinson’s Disease research and treatment. The Caucus has been instrumental in securing more than $225 million in funding for the only Parkinson’s-specific program in the federal government – the Department of Defense’s Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Research (NETRP) Program.  The Caucus also sponsors briefings about Parkinson’s Disease and other related biomedical research issues, and disseminates information to interested parties.

Legislation

4/10/2013-H.RES.149, Expressing support for designation of April as Parkinson's Awareness Month. [113th Congress]

02/02/00 - H.RES.414, Expressing the sense of Congress Supporting Federal Funding for Toward Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research to Further Research into Parkinson's Disease [106th Congress] 

Documents

03/20/12 – Letter to Appropriators supporting funding for the Department of Defense’s Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson's Research (NETPR) program

05/20/11 – Letter to Appropriators supporting newly-enacted Cures Acceleration Network

05/13/11 – Letter to Appropriators supporting funding for the Department of Defense’s Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson's Research (NETPR) program

03/19/08 – Letter to Appropriators requesting funding for the Department of Defense’s Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Research (NETRP) Program

12/01/06 – Letter to NIH Director Zerhouni on NIEHS Collaborative Centers

10/25/06 – Letter to Rush Limbaugh regarding his negative comments toward Michael J. Fox and Parkinson’s Disease

10/11/05 – Letter to House Appropriations supporting NETRP in FY06 Conference

03/18/05 – Letter to House Appropriations supporting NETRP in FY06

06/09/04 – Letter to House Appropriations supporting NIH Parkinson’s Disease research

Links

Medline Plus

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

NINDS - Parkinson's Disease Information Page

NINDS - Parkinson’s Research Web

Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson's Disease

American Parkinson’s Disease Association

Parkinson’s Action Network

More on Parkinson's Disease

Reps. Maloney, King and Van Hollen ask NIH to elevate Parkinson’s disease research

Jun 20, 2014 Press Release
WASHINGTON – House Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease, Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), are urging the National Institutes of Health to do more to spur medical advancements in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. The lawmakers sent a letter to NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins to request that Parkinson’s be added to the next phase of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) program, which would aid in the discovery of biomarkers that can help provide earlier diagnosis and drug development treat the disease.

Educating Rush Limbaugh: Co-Founder of Congressional Working Group on Parkinson’s Disease Sends Right-Wing Host Letter on devastating disease

Oct 25, 2006 Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, on his nationally-syndicated radio show, right-wing host Rush Limbaugh accused Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, of acting and exaggerating his symptoms in recent television ads for pro-stem cell research candidates.

Rep. Maloney Reacts to President’s Veto of Stem Cell Bill

Jul 19, 2006 Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) spoke out against President Bush’s veto of HR 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.  Bush used the first veto of his presidency to strike down HR 810; the bill would expand federal funding for stem cell research projects that use embryos from fertility clinics that would otherwise be discarded.

Mr. President, Allow the NIH Guidelines to Go Forward

Jul 17, 2001 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) joined several of her colleagues from the House and Senate, individuals suffering from various diseases which will benefit from stem cell research, and organizations supporting stem cell research to send a bipartisan, bicameral message to the President: as you come closer to making your final decisions, we urge you to allow the NIH guidelines to go forward.