[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 132 (Thursday, October 4, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S10334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SPECTER:

[[Page S10334]]

  S.J. Res. 24. A joint resolution honoring Maureen Reagan on the 
occasion of her death and expressing condolences to her family, 
including her husband Dennis Revell and her daughter Rita Revell; to 
the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the joint resolution be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the joint resolution was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 24

       Whereas the Congress is greatly saddened by the tragic 
     death of Maureen Reagan on August 8, 2001;
       Whereas Maureen Reagan's love of life and countless 
     contributions to family and the Nation serve as an 
     inspiration to millions;
       Whereas Maureen Reagan was a remarkable advocate for a 
     number of causes and had many passions, the greatest being 
     her dedication to addressing the scourge of Alzheimer's 
     disease;
       Whereas in 1994 when former President Ronald Reagan 
     announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's 
     disease, Maureen Reagan joined her father and Nancy Reagan in 
     the fight against Alzheimer's disease and became a national 
     spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association;
       Whereas Maureen Reagan served as a tireless advocate to 
     raise public awareness about Alzheimer's disease, support 
     care givers, and substantially increase the Nation's 
     commitment to research on Alzheimer's disease;
       Whereas Maureen Reagan helped inspire the Congress to 
     increase Federal research funding for Alzheimer's disease by 
     amounts proportionate to increases in research funding for 
     other major diseases;
       Whereas Maureen Reagan went far beyond merely lending her 
     name to the work of the Alzheimer's Association: she was a 
     hands-on activist on the association's board of directors, a 
     masterful fund-raiser, a forceful advocate, and a selfless 
     and constant traveler to anywhere and everywhere Alzheimer's 
     advocates needed help;
       Whereas at every stop she made and every event she attended 
     in her efforts to eradicate Alzheimer's disease through 
     research, Maureen Reagan emphasized that researchers are in a 
     ``race against time before Alzheimer's reaches epidemic 
     levels'' with the aging of the Baby Boomers;
       Whereas Maureen Reagan stated before the Congress in 2000 
     that ``14 million Baby Boomers are living with a death 
     sentence of Alzheimer's today'';
       Whereas despite her declining health, Maureen Reagan never 
     decreased her efforts in her battle to eliminate Alzheimer's 
     disease;
       Whereas during the last six months of her life, from her 
     hospital bed and home, Maureen Reagan urged the Congress to 
     invest $1,000,000,000 to fund research at the National 
     Institutes of Health focused on Alzheimer's disease;
       Whereas Maureen Reagan said, ``The best scientific minds 
     have been brought into the race against Alzheimer's, a solid 
     infrastructure is in place, and the path for further 
     investigations is clear. What's missing is the money, 
     especially the Federal investment, to keep up the pace.''; 
     and
       Whereas Maureen Reagan's remarkable advocacy for the 
     millions affected and afflicted by Alzheimer's disease will 
     forever serve as an inspiration to continue and ultimately 
     win the battle against the illness: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     Congress, on the occasion of the tragic and untimely death of 
     Maureen Reagan--
       (1) recognizes Maureen Reagan as one of the Nation's most 
     beloved and forceful champions for action to cure Alzheimer's 
     disease and treat those suffering from the illness; and
       (2) expresses deep and heartfelt condolences to the family 
     of Maureen Reagan, including her husband Dennis Revell and 
     her daughter Rita Revell.

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