WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Retirement Security and Aging, convened the subcommittee’s first hearing of the 110th Congress today. The hearing examined the progress that has been made, and the need for a continued investment of federal resources, in Alzheimer’s research and programs.

Last week, Senator Mikulski and Senator Kit Bond (R-Mo.) introduced The Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act of 2007 (S. 898) and The Family Assistance Act of 2007 (S. 897). The Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act of 2007, which was referred to the HELP Committee, doubles funding for Alzheimer’s research at National Institutes of Health (NIH) from $640 million to $1.3 billion. The increase will give researchers the resources they need to make breakthroughs that are on the horizon in diagnosis, prevention and intervention. It will create a national summit on Alzheimer’s to look at the most promising breakthroughs. The bill also creates a system for caregiver support that provides updated news, resources and tools for caregivers, families and physicians. The Family Assistance Act of 2007 creates a $3,000 tax credit for families caring for a loved one with a chronic condition like Alzheimer’s to help them pay for prescription drugs, home health care and special day care. It also includes a long-term care tax deduction, making long-term care insurance more affordable for people. This bill will be considered by the Senate Finance Committee and is co-sponsored by Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Witnesses at today’s hearing were: Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, Dr. Marilyn Albert, Director of the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Dr. Samuel Gandy, Professor and Director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences, Thomas Jefferson University and Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the Alzheimer’s Association, Marilyn Blum, a caregiver from Owings Mills, Md., and Robert Egge, Project Director at the Center for Health Transformation.

Senator Mikulski’s opening statement, as prepared, is below:

“Thank you to all of our witnesses today on our panel. I look forward to hearing about the state of Alzheimer’s research, 100 years after the discovery of this disease. I am excited we are holding this hearing during the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual public policy conference.

“Your presence here today sends a loud message to Congress that Alzheimer’s is an All-American disease that needs an all American effort. I am happy to have so many constituents from the state of Maryland at the hearing today – welcome to you all. Thank you for your tireless advocacy.

“The 2007 Alzheimer’s Facts and Figures Report, released today by the Alzheimer’s Association, is a wake-up call – we must respond! Many of you here today have been touched personally by Alzheimer’s. Maybe it’s someone you love. In fact, more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s.

“My own dear father was one of those 5 million Americans. I remember when I would go to visit him. It didn’t matter that I was a United States Senator who represents NIH. It didn’t matter that I could get Nobel Prize winners on the phone. The information that would have made his life easier just wasn’t there. My family and I knew about the long goodbye – we lived the 36 hour day. It was devastating to him, heartbreaking to my mother, and heart wrenching for my sisters and me. There was no safety net for our family. What was difficult was not just the disease. We felt powerless. All we could do was make my father comfortable. There was no cure. There was no safety net for our family.

“I vowed to do everything I could. Not just to support research, the search for a cure or a cognitive stretch out, but also to create a safety net for families. Because we know how hard it is. Ten million Americans have a family member with Alzheimer’s. I believe ‘Honor thy mother and father’ is not only a good commandment to live by, it’s also a good policy to govern by.

“I created the National Family Caregiver Support Program. This successful program helps people who help themselves with information, resources and respite care. I established the Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Program, which protects the income and assets of seniors who have spouses in nursing homes. This program has protected over a million seniors since it took effect in 1989.

“The experts have told us: ‘we are on the verge of amazing breakthroughs;’ ‘we will lose opportunities if we don’t move quickly;’ ‘we are at a crucial point where NIH funding can make a difference.’

“We need to do more and we need to do better. That’s why last week, I introduced bipartisan legislation with my colleague Senator Bond, The Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act of 2007 (S. 898) and The Family Assistance Act of 2007 (S. 897). An identical House companion bill was introduced by Congressmen Markey and Smith. We ask that you connect with your congressional representatives to support these important bills.

“Our bills do 3 things:

1. Doubles funding for Alzheimer’s research at NIH, from $640 million to $1.3 billion. We need to give researchers the resources they need to make breakthroughs that are on the horizon in diagnosis, prevention and intervention. This can bring us closer to a cure and find early interventions for a cognitive stretch-out. We are on the verge of breakthroughs, however we must move at a faster pace.

2. Creates a national summit on Alzheimer’s so the best scientists in the country can come together to look at the current state of research, discuss the most promising breakthroughs and chart the course for future research.

3. Provides family support because we know the family is always the first caregiver. We will provide “News You Can Use” for families and physicians. Incredible advances are being made every day – we need to get the word out about tools and resources. The legislation also creates a $3,000 tax credit for families caring for a loved one with a chronic condition like Alzheimer’s. This helps them pay for prescription drugs, home health care and special day care. It also includes a long-term care tax deduction, making long-term care insurance more affordable for people. This helps people help themselves as they plan for retirement and their future.

“Today’s hearing will focus on breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s Research and care, providing news that people can use. We will hear facts about breakthroughs in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease with promising research pertaining to drugs and treatments; prevention techniques – what works, what doesn’t work – and what research and programs mean for people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

“Research that is going on right now is the master key that will one day open doors to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. Ninety-five percent of what we know about Alzheimer’s disease we’ve learned in the past 15 years. We must stay the course and continue the investment. Expanding the cognitive stretch-out for people with this disease by five years could save billions. A one-year delay in a nursing home placement could save $12 billion annually in Alzheimer’s care costs. Public investment will mean savings to Medicare and Medicaid.

“I’m on the side of people with Alzheimer’s and the families who love and care for them. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today and getting facts about current breakthroughs in research, where we are today and the direction we need to head to make a difference in the lives of millions of people nationwide impacted by Alzheimer’s.”