As the annual Appropriations process begins this year, the Parkinson’s community has secured strong support for the Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Research Parkinson’s (NETRP) program! Every year we must fight to keep the Department of Defense NETRP program funded by securing Congressional Appropriations through a Dear Colleague funding letter led by the Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease. This year’s Dear Colleague requests $55 million dollars for Fiscal Year 2009 in funding for the NETRP program. Signing the Dear Colleague is the primary way that Members show their support for the program.
Because of the hard work of PAN advocates across the country, 73 Representatives signed the House Dear Colleague, 26 more signers than in 2007. The Senate Dear Colleague included support by 29 Senators, 13 more signers than in 2007. Last year, because of new Dear Colleague procedures on Capitol Hill, the NETRP Dear Colleague collected fewer signatures than years past. Although the sign-on procedures for the Dear Colleagues on Capital Hill are still stringent, PAN is proud of the work of its advocates in securing the strong support of Congressional champions. PAN is hopeful that the strong Dear Colleague support and continued interaction with lawmakers as the appropriations process moves forward will help fully-fund the NETRP program this year.
The Dear Colleagues have been sent to both the House and Senate Appropriation Defense Subcommittees. The Subcommittees will soon meet to establish the funding levels for the NETRP program and the entire Defense bill. Please stay tuned as PAN follows the NETRP program through the Appropriations process. Funding the NETRP program is our top-priority.
To see the list of House Dear Colleague signers, click here. To see the list of Senate Dear Colleague signers, click here.
The NETRP program strives to improve the treatment of and find a cure for Parkinson’s disease as well as provide the Department of Defense with information on how to best protect military personnel and minimize or eliminate future exposures to toxic substances, traumatic brain injury, and other known contributors to Parkinson’s disease. To learn more, click here.
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