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Washington, DC – Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) celebrated the Senate’s bipartisan vote to pass the “Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act.” The legislation, named in Wexton’s honor, now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

Wexton became a champion for the legislation following her diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a form of atypical parkinsonism, last summer, which led to her decision to retire from Congress at the end of this term. Wexton has used her unique platform to raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease and related brain diseases like PSP, and has become a leader in the fight for greater research of treatments and cures for such diseases.

Wexton was instrumental in rallying wide bipartisan support for the House passage of the bill last December, sharing her personal story with colleagues and on the House floor.

“With the Senate’s passage of the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, Congress has taken a groundbreaking step to fight Parkinson’s and atypical parkinsonisms to give families like mine hope that one day soon we can and will find a cure for these terrible diseases,” said Congresswoman Wexton. “This fight has become personal for me, and I’m proud to do all I can on behalf of the broader Parkinson’s community to deliver this major win. I’m grateful for the dedicated bipartisan work to advance this bill with the urgency it deserves, especially the leadership of Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Paul Tonko and Senators Chris Murphy and Shelley Moore Capito, who have championed this historic legislation.”

“On behalf of the 1 million Americans living with Parkinson’s disease, The Michael J. Fox Foundation applauds the passage of The National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act in Congress,” said Ted Thompson, senior vice president of policy for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Representative Wexton, as well as to Representatives Bilirakis and Tonko and Senators Capito and Murphy, for their exceptional leadership on this bill. To the thousands of advocates across the country who helped achieve this historic step toward a future free from Parkinson’s – thank you. We look forward to continuing to champion this bill as it moves on to the President’s desk.”

“Every day, we receive multiple phone calls from Americans who have just received a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Many of them had been first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which shows the complexity and needed improvement in the understanding of these complex diseases. Thanks to recent progress in research, we can share a message of hope when we talk with these families,” said Kristophe Diaz, Ph.D. Executive Director and Chief Science Officer of CurePSP. “This historic bill and the drive and courage of Rep. Wexton hold the promise of fostering the collaborations that are essential to advancing improved treatments and a cure and to provide better care for individuals living with Parkinson's and related neurodegenerative parkinsonism. This bill is a catalyst for action and is poised to transform hope into tangible progress.”

The National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act would bring key federal agency stakeholders together along with nonfederal experts, patients, and caregivers to build a national plan to prevent, treat, and cure Parkinson’s Disease, including atypical Parkinsonisms like progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The bill would take a major step forward in the federal government’s work to confront this disease for the over one million Americans with Parkinson’s and Parkinsonisms, following the model of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, signed into law in 2011, which has spurred major advances in the development and funding of research for treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

In addition to advocating for passage of the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, Wexton has taken action to promote better brain health including pushing for greater regulation of Trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical that has been tied to Parkinson’s Disease, and leading a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to designate April as Parkinson’s Awareness Month and a bipartisan resolution with more than one hundred Members of the House to recognize May as PSP Awareness Month.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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