NAPA Reauthorization Act and Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act
Washington, D.C., January 31, 2023 — The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) are proud to support the bipartisan introduction of the NAPA Reauthorization Act (S. 133 / H.R. 619) and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act (S. 134 / H.R. 620). Reintroduced today in Congress, the NAPA Reauthorization Act would extend the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) (P.L. 111-375) and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act will ensure Congress continues to hear directly from scientists on what resources are needed to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease.
First introduced in the 117th Congress, AIM advocates worked to build bipartisan support for these critical bills, with 65 cosponsors in the House and 27 in the Senate for the NAPA Reauthorization and 45 cosponsors in the House and 24 in the Senate for the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act. We look forward to continuing to expand on this bipartisan progress in the 118th.
“On behalf of the Alzheimer’s community, we thank the Senate and House sponsors for reintroducing these important bipartisan bills to continue the progress we have made in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia,” said Robert Egge, Alzheimer’s Association chief public policy officer and AIM executive director. “These bills reaffirm our nation’s commitment by helping to secure federal investments in Alzheimer’s research and improve access to better quality care and support services for individuals living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. We look forward to working together to pass these bipartisan bills and help improve the lives of those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia throughout the nation.”
The NAPA Reauthorization Act was introduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in the Senate and Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y), Chris Smith (R-N.J) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in the House. The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act was introduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in the Senate, and Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and in the House.
The NAPA Reauthorization Act
The Alzheimer’s Association and AIM worked with congressional champions to develop and build bipartisan support for NAPA, resulting in the first National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease with its first goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's disease. Thanks to NAPA, the National Plan and dedicated bipartisan congressional champions, Alzheimer’s research funding has seen a more than seven-fold increase since the passage of NAPA in 2011.
With NAPA set to expire in 2025, updated legislation is urgently needed by people living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. The NAPA Reauthorization Act would build on the progress made in clinical and long-term care and public awareness by improving our nation's care and support response, emphasizing the importance of healthy aging and risk reduction, and seeking to help address health disparities.
The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act
The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act builds on the original Alzheimer’s Accountability Act (AAA), which was first enacted in 2014, to ensure Congress can continue to review the annual professional judgment budget compiled by scientists and appropriate annual NIH Alzheimer's and dementia research funding reflective of the needs outlined by those scientists.
As the initial AAA law is also set to expire in 2025, the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act is essential to ensure Congress will continue to hear from researchers about the resources needed to prevent and treat Alzheimer's and other dementia. With continued investment from Congress, scientists will be able to work at a more rapid pace to advance basic disease knowledge, explore ways to reduce risk, uncover new biomarkers for early diagnosis and drug targeting, and develop potential treatments.
