WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) on Thursday applauded Senate passage of the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, legislation that aims to unite the federal government in a mission to cure and prevent Parkinson’s, alleviate financial and health burdens on American families, and reduce government spending over time. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives in December 2023, was introduced by Senators Murphy and Capito, along with U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.). The Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, which is now on its way to the president for his signature, is the first-ever legislation solely devoted to ending Parkinson’s disease.

The legislation was renamed to recognize Representative Gus Bilirakis’ (R-Fla.) brother, Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis, who passed away in May 2023 after a long battle with the disease, and a Congressional colleague, Representative Jennifer Wexton, who is courageously battling the rare neurodegenerative disease Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and who helped with the bill’s passage. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common – and fastest-growing – neurological disease globally, with nearly 90,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

“All across Connecticut, I meet families that are suffocated by a family members' Parkinson's diagnosis. Anyone living with or caring for a person with Parkinson’s knows it can be an absolutely devastating disease. As the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s is expected to rise to more than one million in the next few years, we need real collaboration across the public and private sectors to fast-track promising research, develop better treatments, support patients and their loved ones, and find a cure. I’m proud to have helped get this legislation across the finish line so we can finally establish a national plan to end Parkinson’s once and for all,” said Murphy.

“I have spoken with, seen, and heard so many stories of West Virginians impacted by Parkinson’s disease,” said Capito. “Whether they are living with the disease or caring for someone impacted by it, Parkinson’s takes a terrible toll on the physical, mental, emotional, and economic well-being of everyone involved. The Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act is commonsense legislation that will establish a robust response to address the disease and move us towards new treatments and a cure, and I’m thrilled to see it pass the Senate and on its way to becoming law.”

The Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act will create an advisory council comprising members of federal agencies that supports research, care, and services for Parkinson’s, plus caregivers, patients, and other non-federal experts. Specifically, the council will:

  1. Ensure coordination among federal entities with responsibility for managing, treating, and curing Parkinson’s disease
  2. Evaluate all current federal programs related to Parkinson’s
  3. Write a national plan to prevent and cure Parkinson’s, and reduce the financial impact of the disease on patients and the federal government
  4. Report to Congress on progress toward the plan’s goals

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