President Joe Biden , joined by U . S . Representatives Jennifer Wexton ( D-VA ) and Gus Bilirakis ( R-FL ) and their families , signed the first federal legislation aimed at ending Parkinson ' s last July .
A Major Milestone : A New Law , by and for the PD Community
Federal lawmakers took a historic step forward this year in the search for better treatments and a cure for Parkinson ’ s by passing the National Plan to End Parkinson ’ s Act , the firstever federal legislation dedicated to ending PD . The law was passed unanimously by the U . S . Senate last May after passing with overwhelming bipartisan support in the U . S . House of Representatives in late 2023 .
Signed by President Joe Biden in early July , the new law is the result of an extraordinary effort by the Parkinson ’ s community — tens of thousands of policy advocates , partner organizations and champions in Congress — to help policymakers understand the critical importance of the bill and build support for its passage . From signing MJFF ’ s petition , calling and writing representatives and senators , pitching op-ed articles to media outlets and sharing stories on social media , advocates in all 50 states joined the push to pass the bill .
Enacting the bill into law authorizes the U . S . Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) to create a National Parkinson ’ s
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