Nebraska

State Director

Nebraskans are represented in the United States Congress by two Senators and three Representatives.  Each of our two Senators, Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns, represents the entire state.  

Our three Representatives, Jeff Fortenberry, Lee Terry, and Adrian Smith, each represent a particular area of Nebraska.  Lee Terry represents primarily Douglas and Sarpy counties (the 2nd District), Jeff Fortenberry represents most of the rest of the eastern third of the state (the 1st District), and Adrian Smith’s 3rd District covers most of the western two-thirds of the state.

To determine who your Representative is, go to PAN’s Legislative Action Center.

The importance of keeping in touch with our Senators and Congressmen on Parkinson’s issues cannot be emphasized enough.  If we, their constituents, do not tell them what is important to us, they will not know.  PAN makes it easy to keep in touch.  If you sign up for PAN’s Action Alerts at http://capwiz.com/pan/mlm/signup/  you will be notified by email when action on an important issue comes up.  With just a few keystrokes, you can have a letter to our Senators and your Congressman done.  The computer does it all for you—no need to compose a letter, look up addresses, find stamps or get to the post office.

WHERE DOES THE NEBRASKA DELEGATION STAND ON PAN’S ISSUES?

Nebraska’s Parkinson’s advocates took three issues to Capitol Hill in February, or “asks” as they are called in Washington-speak.  For this website article, each member of the Nebraska delegation was given an opportunity to comment on the issues or on Parkinson’s in general in their own words.  We so appreciate their comments during this busy time in Washington. The issues and how each Senator and Representative responded as of August 1, 2009 are below:

Issue No. 1: Co-sponsor the National MS and Parkinson’s Disease Registries Act.

The National MS and Parkinson’s Disease Registries Act will establish national Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease registries at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  We do not have accurate information on how many Americans are battling Parkinson's disease and MS and why.  The registries will determine incidence and prevalence of the diseases and lay a foundation for better evaluating and understanding many factors, including geographic clusters of diagnoses, variances in gender ratio, changes in health care practices, and changes in disease burden and population over time.  To develop the registries, the CDC will use a methodology that relies on de-identified information from existing databases.

Senator Ben Nelson has co-sponsored the Registries Act.

Senator Mike Johanns has co-sponsored the Registries Act. 

Both Senators had comments they requested that we share:

Senator Ben Nelson said: “Our nation suffers from a number of debilitating and chronic diseases which impact us all in a unique way.  On a personal level, I was good friends with the late former Nebraska Congressman Peter Hoagland, who passed away after fighting Parkinson's disease for over five years.  The Parkinson’s Action Network has always done a great job advocating for those who suffer from this disease and I am very honored to join their efforts by cosponsoring the National MS and Parkinson’s Disease Registries Act.  This legislation will help build upon epidemiological data and build a foundation to better serve and treat Americans suffering from this disease and work toward a cure.”

Senator Mike Johanns said: “Parkinson’s Disease can be heartbreaking for those who battle it and for their families. I salute the many Nebraskans and all Americans who are determined to overcome it.   Since taking the oath as your U.S. Senator in January, I have been pleased to support the initiatives of the Parkinson’s Action Network and I look forward to working with you in the future.  My hope is that through an increased federal investment in research and awareness, we will be able to decrease and eventually eliminate the devastating effects of this disease.”     

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (1st Dist.) has co-sponsored the Registries Act.

Rep. Lee Terry (2nd Dist.) has co-sponsored the Registries Act. 

Rep. Adrian Smith (3rd Dist.) did not respond to our request.

Issue No. 2:  Support the Department of Defense’s Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s Research Program.

The NETPR program is a national, peer-reviewed granting program that examines how to best protect our military personnel from toxic substances, head injury, and other known contributors to Parkinson’s disease.  In addition to helping protect our soldiers, research breakthroughs in prevention, detection, and treatment are immediately applied to the broader Parkinson’s disease community.   The members of the Nebraska delegation were asked to sign a letter of support addressed to their Appropriations Committees.

Sen. Nelson did not sign the letter because, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, it would be like signing a letter to himself.

Sen. Johanns signed the letter

Rep. Fortenberry did not respond

Rep. Terry signed the letter

Rep. Smith did not respond

Issue No. 3:  Join the Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease.

The Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease was created to increase awareness on Capitol Hill about Parkinson’s disease issues, and as a means to keep Members of Congress and their staffs informed of the latest developments in Parkinson’s-related legislation and biomedical research.  As leaders in the struggle to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease, Caucus members work together to support the needs of the Parkinson’s community.

Sen. Nelson did not join the Caucus because he does not join disease-specific caucuses

Sen. Johanns joined the Caucus

Rep. Fortenberry did not respond

Rep. Terry joined the Caucus

Rep. Smith did not respond

We are grateful to those in the Nebraska delegation who gave their support to our issues and participated in this article.  Without the support of our elected representatives, it would be impossible for the Parkinson’s community to reach our goals.  But, the need for advocacy continues every day.  Please send an email or write a letter to our Senators and Representatives to thank those who support our issues. Please urge those who do not support us to do so.  

Contact Information for the Members of the Nebraska Congressional Delegation:
 
U.S. Senators

To send an email to Sen. Nelson:  http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm  

In addition to his Washington, DC office, Senator Nelson has offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Scottsbluff, Kearney, and South Sioux City.  The addresses and phone numbers for those offices are listed on Sen. Nelson’s website http://bennelson.senate.gov

To send an email to Sen. Johanns:  http://johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorJohanns  

In addition to his Washington, D.C. office, Sen. Johanns has offices in Lincoln, Omaha, Kearney, and Scottsbluff.  The addresses and phone numbers for those offices are listed on Sen. Johanns’ website: http://johanns.senate.gov

Representatives:
 
To send an email to Rep. Fortenberry: go to his website at http://fortenberry.house.gov/ and click on "Contact  Information”  In addition to his Washington, D.C. office, Congressman Fortenberry has offices in Lincoln, Norfolk, and Fremont.  The addresses and phone numbers for those offices are listed on Rep. Fortenberry’s website listed above.

To send an email to  Rep. Terry go to his website at: http://leeterry.house.gov and click on "Contact Lee"   In addition to his Washington, D.C. office, Congressman Terry has an office in Omaha.  The address and phone number for that office is listed on Rep. Terry’s website above.

To send an email to Rep.Adrian Smith: go to his website at http://adriansmith.house.gov/ and click on "Contact Adrian"   In addition to his Washington, D.C. office, Congressman Smith has offices in Scottsbluff and Grand Island.  The addresses and phone numbers for those offices are listed on Rep. Smith’s website listed above.

Parkinson’s Disease-Related Federal Funding in Nebraska

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Non American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Non-ARRA)
•    University of Nebraska Medical Center
•    University of Nebraska Lincoln

Total Non-ARRA funding $466,530

Actual ARRA
•    There are no ARRA NIH funded Parkinson’s disease grants in Nebraska.

Department of Veterans Affairs Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECC) and Consortium Sites
•    Omaha Division – VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System in Omaha, NE

Department of Defense (DoD)
Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson's Research (NETPR) program grantees:
•    We know of no DoD Parkinson’s grantees in Nebraska.