news

Washington, DC – Today, President Joe Biden signed into law the “Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act.” The legislation, which was championed by Congresswoman Wexton and named in her honor, is the most significant action Congress has taken in decades to combat Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative diseases like Wexton’s Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).

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. Since being diagnosed with PSP last year, a type of “Parkinson’s on steroids,” Wexton has used her unique platform to raise awareness and become a leader in the fight for greater research of treatments and cures for such diseases.

“Today is a monumental step forward in the fight against Parkinson’s and related brain diseases that will change the lives of families like mine across the country,” said Congresswoman Wexton. “I know firsthand how tough a diagnosis can be for patients and their families, which is why I’m so proud that with the bipartisan National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act now law, we’re giving these families newfound hope. I’m grateful for the work of leaders on both sides of the aisle who helped move this bill through Congress, including Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Paul Tonko, as well as to President Biden for recognizing the importance of this legislation and its impact on millions of Americans.”

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 National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act can be found here.

###