Bill Heads to Conference Committee

Call your Members of Congress and urge them to maintain $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in H.R. 1, the American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Yesterday, the Senate passed an $819 billion stimulus package that included an amendment offered by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Senate Co-Chair of the Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease, and Senator **** Durbin (D-IL) that increased funding for NIH to $10 billion. This is the second successful increase in stimulus funding for NIH. As you may know, two weeks ago, thanks to the efforts of PAN advocates, the House voted to include $3.5 billion for NIH in its version of the stimulus package.

The bill has been sent to a conference committee where members of the House and Senate will work out the differences in the bills. President Obama hopes to sign the bill before the President’s Day holiday on February 16. Please call today to ensure Members of Congress voice their support for research that will help create jobs across the country and bring us one step closer to finding better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s.

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