OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

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Floor Speech

Date: Sept. 17, 2024
Location: Washington, DC


Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 7406, the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act, sponsored by Chair Rodgers and Representatives DeGette, Cole, Holmes Norton, and others.

This bill would reauthorize for 5 years funding for the INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE. It is known as the INCLUDE Project at the National Institutes of Health.

This bill is named in honor of DeOndra Dixon, a lifelong advocate for the Down syndrome community. DeOndra was born with Down syndrome and was a tireless advocate for those with the disease. She was an awardee of the 2009 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award and a 2011 ambassador for the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award.

Sadly, DeOndra passed away in October 2020, but her memory lives on with her loved ones and the many people who she helped throughout her years of advocacy.

H.R. 7406 honors her legacy by continuing to support and fund Down syndrome research through the NIH.

Since its launch in 2018, the INCLUDE Project at NIH has been a key mechanism to fund Down syndrome research. In my district, Rutgers University received funding from the INCLUDE Project to study the predisposition people with Down syndrome have for Alzheimer's disease.

Studies like these help the scientific community better understand the disease and ensure those diagnosed with Down syndrome can live life to their fullest potential. This legislation would reauthorize funding for the program for 5 years and ensure that we continue to make progress in Down syndrome research.

I thank Chair Rodgers for her leadership on this issue. She has been a champion for people living with disabilities, and her advocacy for the INCLUDE program demonstrates that ongoing commitment.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, this is such an important bill that does research on not only Down syndrome but other conditions, and I urge my colleagues to support it on a bipartisan basis. I yield back the balance of my time.

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