Rep. Bilirakis discusses legislation to help find cure for Parkinson’s disease

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Parkinson’s Disease is a non-curable neurological disorder that impacts more than 1 million Americans, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association.

But this week, President Joe Biden signed off on bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis aimed at putting an end to the disease.

The new law is called The Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act.

It was named after Rep. Bilirakis’ brother, who passed away from the disease last year at just 61, and Rep. Jennifer Wexton, who has been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

“My brother passed away last year from a Parkinson’s complications, my mother-in-law, my father has it. So, you know, I’m familiar with it. And, we want to bring in the caregivers as well, because we need treatments and to make things easier for the patients,” said Bilirakis.

The National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act establishes an advisory council of federal agency members, caregivers, patients and other medical experts in the private sector to work together to create a plan to prevent and cure the disease. It will submit an annual report to Congress. The report will also look for ways to lessen the cost of the disease on patients and the federal government.

Leading agencies in the fight to end Parkinson’s, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Parkinson’s Foundation and the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), support the law.

“This is a historic moment for the one million people currently living with PD in the United States, the 90,000 receiving a new PD diagnosis each year, and the larger PD community, including the many advocates who have supported this legislation. APDA is proud to be counted among them,” APDA said in a statement.

Bilirakis says he believes his brother Emanuel, who was a doctor himself, would be proud to see the bill signed into law.

“His family was with me in the Oval Office. I told them that he’s smiling from above. So, I think he would be very pleased,” Bilirakis said.