Kaine Statement On Passage Of The Bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on final Senate passage of the 21st Century CURES Act, which passed both chambers of Congress with strong bipartisan support and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law:
“Thanks to this bipartisan legislation, our nation’s top researchers will have additional resources they need to find cures and treatments for the devastating diseases that touch us all. The bipartisan 21st Century CURES Act includes critically important funding for breakthrough biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, including the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The bill also includes $1 billion in funding to combat the opioid abuse crisis, which was recently declared a public health emergency in Virginia, as well as policies to improve access to mental health care.”
Kaine has been a leader in Congress on efforts to address the opioid epidemic and support disease research. In July, provisions he authored to expand opioid abuse prevention and education became law with passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. Kaine also partnered with former Congressman Eric Cantor to champion the Gabriella Miller Kids First Act, which authorized pediatric research within the Common Fund at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The legislation was named for 10 year-old Gabriella Miller of Loudoun County who passed away from cancer in October of 2013. During the 2015 appropriations process, Kaine secured $12.6 million in pediatric research funding for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Act.
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