Yeshaya Roth
February 1, 2023
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Alzheimer’s Task Force, today joined Paul Tonko (D-NY) in reintroducing a package of bipartisan legislation aimed at bolstering federal support for combating Alzheimer’s disease.
The legislative package includes the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act—which provides funding for researchers to effectively treat Alzheimer’s—and the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes the National Alzheimer’s Project through 2035 to provide a plan for federal efforts to combat Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“With 6.5 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s, there is an enormous, immediate need for more federal resources and programs to prevent, treat and ultimately find a cure for this devastating disease,” said Rep. Smith. “While real progress has been made and new therapies are advancing to help patients and caregivers, we cannot let up in the fight for improved treatments and a potential cure for Alzheimer’s.”
The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act would expand the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act that was signed into law in 2015 by permanently requiring scientists at the National Institutes of Health to submit an annual Alzheimer’s research budget proposal directly to Congress.
The NAPA Reauthorization Act would extend the national strategic plan addressing Alzheimer’s that is set to expire in 2025. It would address health disparities among underrepresented populations, add a sixth goal to the plan on healthy aging and reducing risk factors for dementia, and add new federal representatives to the Advisory Council.
Smith’s Alzheimer’s bill bolsters federal support for combating the disease
