Markey, Collins Bill to Federally Prioritize Alzheimer’s Research Signed into Law

Washington (October 3, 2024) - Today, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security and founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's and Susan Collins (R-Maine) a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease announced that their bipartisan Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act (AAIA) has been signed into law alongside the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) Reauthorization. These bills will cement and build on the important progress that has been made to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease.

"Since my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1985, I have fought to ensure the federal government has the funding, resources, and coordination necessary to find a cure for this disease," said Senator Markey. "The National Alzheimer's Plan Act and the Alzheimer's Accountability Act have transformed our understanding of the disease and its risk factors for more than a decade. But our work is not yet done. Today's extension of these bills until 2035 is a commitment from Congress and the Biden administration that we will not stop fighting until Alzheimer's is a disease only found in history books. I thank Senator Collins, Senator Warner, and my colleagues for their support in delivering hope to millions of families just like mine across the country."

"We have made tremendous progress in recent years to boost funding for Alzheimer's research, which holds great promise to end this disease that has had a devastating effect on millions of Americans and their families," said Senator Collins. "These bills will maintain our momentum and make sure that we do not take our foot off the pedal just as our investments in basic research are beginning to translate into potential new treatments. We must not allow Alzheimer's to be one of the defining diseases of our children's generation as it has been for ours."

"The bipartisan NAPA Reauthorization Act and the Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act being signed into law today represents a major step forward in the fight against this devastating disease," said Robert Egge, Alzheimer's Association chief public policy officer and AIM president. "On behalf of the Alzheimer's Association, thank you to Sen. Collins for your continued, outstanding leadership in advancing these critical bills through the legislative process and getting them signed into law today. Together they will build on the progress made in the fight against Alzheimer's and other dementia for years to come."

"These two bills are incredibly important to the work we are doing to end the scourge of Alzheimer's," said George Vradenburg, chair and co-founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer's. "By reinforcing our national commitment to fighting this crisis and requiring accountability for every federal dollar spent, these bills help ensure that our country will keep its foot on the gas to stop this disease. We look forward to working with Health and Human Services on establishing new national goals for 2035 and engaging the business community in those conversations so we can address the enormous economic impact of Alzheimer's. We're also grateful for the leadership of Senators Collins, Markey, Warner, and Capito and for every member of the Senate who joined them in getting these bills across the finish line."

The Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act will:

• Continue through 2035 a requirement that the Director of the National Institutes of Health submit an annual budget to Congress estimating the funding necessary to fully implement NAPA's research goals.
• • Only two other areas of biomedical research - cancer and HIV/AIDS - have been the subject of special budget development aimed at speeding discovery.

This bill is endorsed by the Alzheimer's Association and UsAgainstAlzheimer's.

The Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act is cosponsored by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

The complete text of the Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act can be read HERE.

Senator Markey is a leader in the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease and to support family caregivers. In July 2024, Senator Markey applauded the HELP Committee's passage of Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included provisions based on his Respite Care And Resources for Everyone (CARE) Act and Convenient Care for Caregivers Act to expand respite care for family caregivers of older adults that need long-term care, including individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Earlier that month, Senator Markey unveiled his "Caring for Caregivers" family caregiving agenda, which included his Convenient Care for Caregivers Act to support family caregivers and individuals with Alzheimer's receiving health care services at the same time and location to improve health outcomes.

As a member of the House of Representatives, Senator Markey founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's to develop a whole-of-government approach to finding a cure for Alzheimer's. He created the Independence at Home program to provide seniors, including individuals with Alzheimer's and other dementia, the option to receive primary care in their home. Senator Markey authored the bipartisan Spending Reductions Through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Act, which would encourage drug development for high-cost, chronic health conditions such as Alzheimer's, the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) Act to improve early detection and diagnoses of Alzheimer's and support caregivers, and the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act, which would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) work to improve treatment outcomes and engage federal agencies in the effort to combat Alzheimer's.

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