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February 07, 2008
REAUTHORIZATION - Making History
TODAY Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-17) and Rep. Michael Burgess (TX-26) will be introducing the reauthorization bill in the House, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (GA) will be introducing the bill in the Senate.
In honor of the late Senator Paul Wellstone, the title of this legislation is called the Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education Amendments of 2008.
The history of this legislation is amazing. The Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education Act of 2001 (the MD-CARE Act, P.L. 107-84) changed the face of muscular dystrophy, increasing investment in muscle disease throughout federal agencies, attracted industry, and positively impacted care.
The MD-CARE Act specified a number of provisions for expanding and intensifying research on muscular dystrophy. The original authorization had 310 House cosponsors, 46 Senate cosponsors, not a single vote was cast against it, and the bill was signed into law a mere 10 months after introduction. We are hopeful that this reauthorization bill will receive similar support and look to all of you to connect with your representatives about the importance of this legislation.
When the MD-CARE act was signed into law in 2001, we could not have predicted the widespread impact, the relevance of research findings, or imagined that we could get so far in such a short period of time. Six years later, we stand at the forefront of real possibilities for our sons, and hopefully soon, a day when treatments are available. Together, we will work to end Duchenne.
We are deeply grateful to the F.E.D, Nash-Avery Foundation, Charley’s Fund, and Cure Duchenne for their support of our work with Cornerstone.
Posted by ppmd at 02:12 PM | Comments (0)