The Michael J. Fox Foundation is teaming up with Spring advocates / Summer and 2026 | Policy organizations nationwide to turn states into engines of Parkinson’ s policy progress. In the last two years alone, this coordinated push has delivered billions in new public research funding and driven meaningful progress toward eliminating the use of paraquat, a harmful herbicide linked to Parkinson’ s, in more than a dozen states.
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VERMONT: In May, as this issue went to print, Vermont made history as the first U. S. state to pass bipartisan legislation to ban paraquat.
PENNSYLVANIA:
Research Funding In 2025, Pennsylvania established a dedicated neurodegenerative disease research fund in its state budget, with an initial investment of $ 5 million. The state aims to dedicate another $ 5 million in 2026.
FLORIDA: In 2025, the Florida legislature passed a bill to create a new Parkinson’ s research consortium at the University of South Florida with $ 8 million to begin basic, clinical and translational studies.
Paraquat Ban In 2025, Pennsylvania became the second state to introduce legislation to ban paraquat. While the bill did not pass before the session ended, it was reintroduced in 2026 and remains under deliberation.