Senator Markey's Major Alzheimer’s Legislation Passes Through House, Moves to President Biden’s Desk

Then-Representative Markey authored the National Alzheimer's Project Act in 2011 and the Alzheimer's Accountability Act in 2014

Washington (September 23, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security and founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's, applauded passage by the House of Representatives of the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA)Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act, legislation that would cement and build on the important progress that has been made to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease. The National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) Reauthorization and the Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act (AAIA) now head to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

"Since my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1985, I have fought to ensure the federal government has the funding, resources, and coordination necessary to find a cure for this disease," said Senator Markey. "The National Alzheimer's Plan Act and the Alzheimer's Accountability Act have transformed our understanding of the disease and its risk factors for more than a decade. But our work is not yet done. Today's extension of these bills until 2035 is a commitment from Congress that we will not stop fighting until Alzheimer's is a disease only found in history books. I thank Senator Collins and my colleagues for their support in delivering hope to millions of families just like mine across the country as these two bills head to the President's desk."

"We have made tremendous progress in recent years to boost funding for Alzheimer's research, which holds great promise to end this disease that has had a devastating effect on millions of Americans and their families," said Senator Susan Collins, a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. "These two bills will maintain our momentum and make sure that we do not take our foot off the pedal just as our investments in basic research are beginning to translate into potential new treatments. We must not let Alzheimer's to be one of the defining diseases of our children's generation as it has ours."

"I know from firsthand experience what a devastating illness Alzheimer's disease is, as I watched my mother battle with it for a decade before her passing," said Senator Mark Warner, co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. "While we've made great strides in research, there is still so much work to be done to find effective ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer's. On behalf of the millions of American families who have been touched by Alzheimer's, I'm glad to see these two bills head to the president's desk to be signed into law."

The NAPA Reauthorization Act - co-led by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Collins (R-Maine), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) - would reauthorize NAPA through 2035 and modernize the legislation to reflect strides that have been made to understand the disease, such as including a new focus on promoting healthy aging and reducing risk factors. The bill also includes updated language to reduce health disparities for underserved communities, including Black, Brown and disabled communities, who are at increased risk for Alzheimer's as they age.

The NAPA Reauthorization Act is endorsed by the Alzheimer's Association, UsAgainstAlzheimer's, National Down Syndrobe Society, National Down Syndrome Congress, and LuMind IDSC Foundation.

The Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act - authored by Senators Markey, Collins, Capito, Warner, Moran, Menendez, Murkowski, and Stabenow - would continue through 2035 a requirement that the Director of the National Institutes of Health submit an annual budget to Congress estimating the funding necessary to fully implement NAPA's research goals. Only two other areas of biomedical research - cancer and HIV/AIDS - have been the subject of special budget development aimed at speeding discovery.

The Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act is endorsed by the Alzheimer's Association and UsAgainstAlzheimer's.

Senator Markey is a leader in the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease and to support family caregivers. In July 2024, Senator Markey applauded the HELP Committee's passage of Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included provisions based on his Respite Care And Resources for Everyone (CARE) Act and Convenient Care for Caregivers Act to expand respite care for family caregivers of older adults that need long-term care, including individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Earlier that month, Senator Markey unveiled his "Caring for Caregivers" family caregiving agenda, which included his Convenient Care for Caregivers Act to support family caregivers and individuals with Alzheimer's receiving health care services at the same time and location to improve health outcomes. As a member of the House of Representatives, Senator Markey founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's to develop a whole-of-government approach to finding a cure for Alzheimer's. He created the Independence at Home program to provide seniors, including individuals with Alzheimer's and other dementia, the option to receive primary care in their home. Senator Markey authored the bipartisan Spending Reductions Through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Act, which would encourage drug development for high-cost, chronic health conditions such as Alzheimer's, the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) Act to improve early detection and diagnoses of Alzheimer's and support caregivers, and the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act, which would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) work to improve treatment outcomes and engage federal agencies in the effort to combat Alzheimer's.

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