[Stitcher]

The Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) lauds members of the U.S. House and Senate for continuing to support $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While many other projects and programs were cut from the final bill, this critical money for NIH was saved, thanks to the work of Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), Senate Co-Chair of the Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease, and Parkinson’s disease advocates around the country.

The compromise bill, totaled at roughly $790 billion, moves next to both the House and Senate for final approval. If both houses of Congress pass the bill, it will go to President Obama’s desk for his signature. PAN advocates should stay tuned for timely Action Alerts in the coming days as this bill moves toward final approval in Congress.


and/or Read...Feb 11, 2009 ... Conference Report on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Preliminary Overview...this link open a Word document, not a webpage.

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I heard on the news yesterday (either MSNBC or CNN) that the reason they were able to hang on to the NIH funding was because Sen. Arlen Specter (R; PA) demanded that it be kept as part of his pledge to support the stimulus as one of only three Republicans.

Senator Specter is a long time supporter of medical research. Congratulations to all the advocates who called - but we are lucky to have Specter on our side in a supreme place of influence!