Sponsors (11)
The bill provides modest, targeted federal funding and national coordination to study environmental causes of neurodegenerative disease—potentially improving prevention, care, and surveillance—while imposing multi-year federal costs and creating privacy, equity, and research-prioritization trade-offs.
Scientists and university researchers receive a dedicated federal research fund ($50M/year for FY2027–FY2031), expanding capacity to study environmental contributors to neurodegenerative diseases.
Patients with neurodegenerative conditions and people at risk will likely benefit from improved prevention, earlier detection, and better management strategies developed from focused research on toxicant exposures and presymptomatic markers.
Health care professionals gain continuing education and access to disseminated findings, improving clinical identification and management of environmental risk factors for neurodegenerative disease.
Taxpayers bear increased federal spending of roughly $50 million per year for five years to fund the program.
Establishing a nationwide data system and clearinghouse creates privacy and data-security risks for patients with neurodegenerative conditions if safeguards are insufficient.
Prioritizing research on environmental toxicants could divert limited HHS research funds and attention away from other health priorities or disease areas.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HHS to create and fund a coordinated research program and collaborative centers to study environmental toxicants and other risk factors for neurodegenerative disease, with $50M/year for FY2027–2031.
Introduced March 3, 2026 by Suhas Subramanyam · Last progress March 3, 2026
Creates a new HHS research program to study how environmental toxicants and other risk factors contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, fund collaborative research centers, train researchers, and share findings with the public and Congress. The Secretary of HHS must coordinate across agencies, expand and support centers at eligible institutions, require periodic peer review and reporting, and is authorized $50 million per year for FY2027–FY2031 to carry out the program.