Emanuel Cleaver

03/02/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/02/2023 14:19

Congressman Cleaver Joins Rep. Cohen to Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Fund Federal Cerebral Palsy Research

(Washington, D.C.)- Yesterday, on the first day of Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) joined Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) to re-introduce the Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act. The bipartisan legislation would create a cerebral palsy (CP) research program headed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and install the first-ever dedicated source of federal funding for CP research. CP is currently the most common life-long physical disability in America, impacting approximately one out of 345 children and an estimated one million people in the United States. Yet, despiteeffortsfrom Reps. Cleaver and Cohen, there has never been a federal research program focused on the disability.

"As we kick off Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, I'm proud to stand with my friend, Rep. Steve Cohen, to introduce bipartisan legislation that would finally provide federal funding to research the most common life-long physical disability impacting Americans today-cerebral palsy," said Congressman Cleaver. "By installing a federal research program dedicated to this disorder, not only can we make progress in advancing treatments and diagnostic practices, but we can also provide hope to the millions of patients, families, and friends who are faced with this condition. It's time to raise the standard of care for Americans with cerebral palsy, and the Cerebral Palsy Research Program Act is an essential step toward that goal."

"Although cerebral palsy affects one out of every 345 children, it is the most prevalent disability that has no designated federal funding for research," said Congressman Cohen. "No dedicated federal funding for cerebral palsy means there are fewer treatment options, less prevention, less education, and a lack of standards of care across lifespans. There is not currently a reliable system to count how many people in the United States have cerebral palsy, so the estimates on cerebral palsy prevalence are just that - estimates. The Cerebral Palsy Research Program Act addresses these critical oversights."

The Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act would direct the CDC to establish a research program to support research on the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation, health care costs, and societal costs of CP and track the number of people diagnosed with CP in the United States.

Last year, Reps. Cleaver and Cohen delivereda letter to the House Appropriations Committee calling on the committee to include funding for CP research in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget. As the Fiscal Year 2024 budget negotiations get underway, Congressman Cleaver will continue to call for CP research funding and support.

Official text of the Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.