Alexander: Senate Funds New 21st Century Cures Law, Cancer Moonshot, $500 Million in State Grants “to Boost Front Lines in Opioid Fight”

WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 10, 2016 – U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said the Senate’s vote to fully fund the government through April and keep national parks open would also fully fund his 21^st Century Cures bill for next year, “sending $500 million in state grants to boost the front lines in the opioid fight.”

“This bill is going to pretty quickly send a boost to the front lines of the opioid fight in many states, which will be a big opportunity for Tennessee. It shows our commitment to funding the legislation we just passed 94 to 5, and helping find cures for cancer, treating mental illness, and better understanding the brain to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s.”

The legislation – that will fund the government through April 28 – will fully fund the first year of the 21^st Century Cures Act. It includes $352 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most of which will go toward the Cancer Moonshot, $500 million for states to respond to the opioid abuse crisis and $20 million for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Alexander continued: “This continuing resolution funds the government though April 28, 2017 and is consistent with the Budget Control Act and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. In addition to fully funding the 21^st Century Cures Act, this legislation will continue funding projects at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex, keep national parks open and provide funding for the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies. I look forward to working with the new Republican Congress to complete all of the fiscal year 2017 appropriations bills in the new year.”

On Dec. 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation 326 to 96. The bill passed the Senate on Dec. 9 by a vote of 63 to 36. The president is expected to sign the legislation into law.

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