Last week was another landmark week in the nation’s fight against Alzheimer’s and other dementia. Two pieces of critical bipartisan legislation that renew the nation’s commitment to addressing this devastating disease were signed into law: the NAPA Reauthorization Act (P.L. 118-92) and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act (P.L.118-93). These bipartisan bills, championed by the Alzheimer’s Association and AIM, will continue the critical work of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease to support Alzheimer’s research and improve the delivery of clinical care and services for people impacted by Alzheimer’s.

The NAPA Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) (P.L. 111-375), extending the strategic National Plan and emphasizing the importance of healthy aging and risk reduction. Prior to NAPA, landmark legislation signed into law over a decade ago, there was no coordinated, comprehensive plan to address Alzheimer’s. 

The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act builds on the original Alzheimer’s Accountability Act (AAA), which was first enacted in 2014. This bipartisan legislation ensures Congress will continue to hear directly from scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding needed to achieve the goals in the National Plan.

Since the passage of the original NAPA and AAA, we’ve made great progress. We now have multiple Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Alzheimer’s treatments, better understanding of risk factors and prevention, and improved dementia care and support. And we are closer than ever to biomarker tests for Alzheimer’s, which will improve access to earlier and more accessible diagnosis. 

All of this progress would not be happening without the dedication of AIM’s nationwide network of advocates, who have been taking action to share their stories and grow support for these two bipartisan bills. And AIM’s bipartisan congressional champions have been working tirelessly to introduce, grow support and advance these bills through the legislative process. 

With these two reauthorizations, Congress has taken action to ensure our nation will continue making progress into the next decade. These laws will keep the momentum going, advancing new policies and accelerating the discovery of novel innovations that improve the lives of people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia and their families.

Thank your member of Congress for supporting these critical bills.