[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 24 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1003-S1006]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 74--DECLARING THAT ACHIEVING THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE 
   NATIONAL PLAN TO ADDRESS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO PREVENT AND EFFECTIVELY TREAT ALZHEIMER'S 
             DISEASE BY 2025 IS AN URGENT NATIONAL PRIORITY

  Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Warner, 
Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Markey, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                               S. Res. 74

       Whereas the number of individuals in the United States with 
     Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (referred to in 
     this preamble as ``Alzheimer's'') is as high as 5,200,000, 
     which is more than double the number in 1980;
       Whereas based on the trajectory of Alzheimer's, as many as 
     16,000,000 individuals in the United States may have 
     Alzheimer's by 2050;
       Whereas the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's and other 
     dementias is a global health crisis that afflicts an 
     estimated 44,000,000 individuals worldwide as of December, 
     2013 and may afflict over 135,000,000 individuals by 2050;
       Whereas Alzheimer's is a leading cause of death in the 
     United States with new data indicating that more than 500,000 
     deaths each year are attributable to the disease;
       Whereas Alzheimer's is the only disease among the top 10 
     causes of death in the United States without an effective 
     means of prevention, treatment, or cure;
       Whereas Alzheimer's places an enormous financial strain on 
     families, the health care system, and State and Federal 
     budgets;
       Whereas the Medicare program under title XVIII of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid 
     program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1396 et seq.) are estimated to bear more than two-thirds of 
     the total costs of this care in 2015;
       Whereas a RAND Corporation study published in 2013 and 
     commissioned by the National Institute on Aging found that 
     Alzheimer's is the costliest disease in the United States, 
     costing more than cancer and heart disease;
       Whereas in 2013, an estimated 15,500,000 family members and 
     friends of individuals with Alzheimer's provided those 
     individuals with 17,700,000,000 hours of unpaid care, an 
     amount valued at more than $220,000,000;
       Whereas Alzheimer's disease has a disproportionate impact 
     on many populations including women, African Americans, and 
     Latinos;
       Whereas the global cost of Alzheimer's exceeds 
     $600,000,000,000 each year, an amount equal to approximately 
     1 percent of the world's gross domestic product;
       Whereas in December 2013, the G-8 nations met and adopted a 
     political declaration supporting the goal of a cure or 
     disease-modifying therapy for dementia by 2025 as well as 
     collectively and significantly increasing resources committed 
     to dementia research;
       Whereas Alzheimer's takes an emotional and physical toll on 
     caregivers that results in a higher incidence of chronic 
     conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, and depression 
     among caregivers;
       Whereas the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease of 
     the Department of Health and Human Services enables family 
     caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's to provide care 
     while maintaining personal health and well-being;
       Whereas the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease 
     supports informal caregivers by--
       (1) identifying the support needs of caregivers;
       (2) developing and disseminating modes for intervention;
       (3) providing information that caregivers need, 
     particularly in crisis situations; and
       (4) assisting caregivers in maintaining personal health and 
     well-being;
       Whereas a strong and sustained research effort is the best 
     tool to slow the progression and ultimately prevent the onset 
     of Alzheimer's;
       Whereas while the cost to the Medicare and Medicaid 
     programs of caring for Alzheimer's patients is estimated to 
     be $153,000,000,000 in 2015, the United States, through the 
     National Institutes of Health, will spend about $586,000,000 
     on Alzheimer's research in 2015;
       Whereas the Chairman of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's 
     Research, Care, and Services created by the National 
     Alzheimer's Project Act (42 U.S.C. 11225) has testified 
     before Congress that the United States must devote at least 
     $2,000,000,000 each year to Alzheimer's research to reach the 
     goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 
     2025; and
       Whereas the public members of the Advisory Council on 
     Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services unanimously agree 
     with the testimony of the Chairman regarding the amount of 
     money required to reach the goal for 2025: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) is committed to strengthening the quality of care and 
     expanding support for individuals with Alzheimer's disease 
     and related dementias (referred to in this resolution as 
     ``Alzheimer's'') and family caregivers of individuals with 
     Alzheimer's;
       (2) declares that achieving the primary goal of the 
     National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease to prevent and 
     effectively treat Alzheimer's by 2025 is an urgent national 
     priority;
       (3) recognizes that bold action and considerable increases 
     in funding are necessary to meet that goal;
       (4) encourages greater collaboration between the United 
     States and other global governments, particularly the G-7 
     nations, to advance a global Alzheimer's and dementia 
     research plan;
       (5) supports innovative public-private partnership and the 
     pursuit of innovative financing tools, incentives and other 
     mechanisms to accelerate the pursuit of disease-modifying 
     therapies; and
       (6) strives to--
       (A) double the amount of funding the United States spends 
     on Alzheimer's research in fiscal year 2016; and
       (B) develop a plan for fiscal years 2017 through 2020 to 
     meet the target of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's 
     Research, Care,

[[Page S1004]]

     and Services for the United States to spend $2,000,000,000 
     each year on Alzheimer's research.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that 
takes a tremendous personal and economic toll on the individual, the 
family, and society. In addition to the human suffering it causes, 
Alzheimer's costs the United States an estimated $226 billion a year, 
including $153 billion from the Medicare and Medicaid Programs. These 
costs will only skyrocket as the baby boom generation ages. Already our 
Nation's costliest disease, Alzheimer's is projected to cost more than 
$1.1 trillion if nothing is done to change its current trajectory. It 
is now estimated that nearly one in two of the baby boomers reaching 
age 85 will develop Alzheimer's. As a consequence, chances are that 
members of the baby boom generation will either be spending their 
golden years suffering with Alzheimer's or caring for someone who has 
it. In many ways Alzheimer's has become the defining disease of this 
generation.
  If we are to prevent Alzheimer's from becoming the defining disease 
of the next generation, it is imperative that we dramatically increase 
our investment in Alzheimer's research. At a time when the United 
States is spending some $226 billion a year caring for Alzheimer's 
patients, we are spending less than three-tenths of 1 percent of that 
amount--under $600 million a year--on research. This makes no sense. We 
currently spend $4.5 billion a year for cancer research, $3 billion a 
year for research on HIV-AIDS, and $2 billion for cardiovascular 
research--all investments that have paid dividends.
  Surely we can do more for Alzheimer's given the tremendous human and 
economic price of this devastating disease. Investments in research for 
other diseases have yielded tremendous results. We see that with 
cancer, with HIV/AIDS. Patients have access to new treatments, and 
death rates for some of these diseases are decreasing. At the same 
time, mortality due to Alzheimer's is escalating.
  Alzheimer's is one of our Nation's leading causes of death, with 
recent data revealing that each year more than 500,000 deaths are 
attributable to Alzheimer's and other dementia, 6 times the amount 
previously estimated. Moreover, Alzheimer's is the only one of our 
Nation's top 10 deadliest diseases without an effective means of 
prevention, treatment or a cure.
  Fortunately there is promising research that holds hope for 
Alzheimer's patients and their families. The research community is 
poised to make important advances through clinical trials and by 
investigating new therapeutic targets, but adequate funding is critical 
to achieve this promise. The National Plan to Address Alzheimer's 
Disease was authorized by the bipartisan National Alzheimer's Act, 
which I coauthored with then-Senator Evan Bayh.
  The national plan has as its primary goal to prevent and effectively 
treat Alzheimer's disease by the year 2025. The chairman of the 
advisory council that was created by the act, Dr. Ronald Petersen of 
the Mayo Clinic, has testified before Congress that the United States 
should be devoting $2 billion a year at a minimum to Alzheimer's 
research in order to reach that goal.
  A dramatic increase in funding for Alzheimer's research will not just 
save lives, it will also save money. According to a report issued by 
the Alzheimer's Association last year, a Federal investment of $2 
billion a year between now and the year 2025, as recommended by the 
experts on the Alzheimer's Advisory Council and the scientific 
community more broadly, would be recouped within the first 3 years 
after a treatment delaying the onset of Alzheimer's by just 5 years 
becomes available.
  I am therefore pleased to be introducing today, with my colleagues 
Senators Klobuchar, Mikulski, Warner, Durbin, and Stabenow, a 
resolution declaring that the goal of preventing and effectively 
treating Alzheimer's is an urgent national priority. In recognition of 
the fact that bold action and considerable increases in funding are 
necessary to meet that goal, our resolution states that the Senate will 
strive to double the amount of funding the United States spends on 
Alzheimer's research in fiscal year 2016 and that we will develop a 
plan to meet the target of $2 billion over the next 5 years.
  Our bill is supported by a number of organizations including the 
Alzheimer's Association, UsAgainstAlzheimer's, the Leaders Engaged on 
Alzheimer's Disease--or the LEAD Coalition--and the Alzheimer's 
Foundation of America.
  I ask unanimous consent that the letters from these organizations be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                             LEAD--Leaders Engaged


                                       on Alzheimer's Disease,

                                                February 11, 2015.
     Hon. Susan Collins,
     Chairman, Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senate, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Collins: As executive director of Leaders 
     Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease (the LEAD Coalition), I write 
     to thank you for your inspirational leadership in 
     reintroducing the Senate resolution to strengthen care and 
     support, encourage greater international collaboration, 
     incentivize private sector research, double federal 
     investments in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias 
     research in FY 2016, and bring annual federal investments to 
     at least $2 billion by 2020. Your resolution is an important 
     next step toward each of these vital goals and the LEAD 
     Coalition will continue to work arm-in-arm with you and your 
     colleagues to realize the resolution's promise.
       There are few more compelling or complex issues to confront 
     our aging society now and over the coming decades than 
     Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (including 
     vascular, Lewy body or frontotemporal dementia). Its place as 
     a national priority was made clear by the effort you led 
     resulting in unanimous congressional passage of the National 
     Alzheimer's Project Act. That law directed creation of the 
     National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease and, as you 
     know, the National Plan's goal number one is to prevent and 
     effectively treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementias 
     by 2025.
       In fact, as your resolution highlights, Alzheimer's disease 
     and related dementias are an urgent national priority that 
     impose enormous costs to our nation's health and prosperity, 
     costs that are skyrocketing. Today, more than five million 
     Americans have dementia at an annual cost to our economy 
     exceeding $200 billion. Alzheimer's disease contributes to 
     the deaths of approximately 500,000 Americans each year, 
     making it the third leading cause of death in the United 
     States. If the current trajectory of the disease persists, 
     between 13 million and 16 million Americans will have 
     dementia in 2050 and total costs of care are projected to 
     exceed (inflation adjusted 2014 dollars) $1 trillion 
     annually. The federal government, through Medicare and 
     Medicaid payments, shoulders an estimated 70 percent of all 
     such direct care costs.
       Globally, the stakes of American scientific leadership are 
     higher still. Today, 44 million people have dementia with 
     annual costs exceeding $600 billion or about one percent of 
     the world's GDP. If the current trajectory of the disease 
     persists, upwards of 135 million persons worldwide will have 
     dementia in 2050. American scientific leadership is nowhere 
     more urgent than in Alzheimer's disease and related 
     dementias.
       Congress, the President and NIH Director Dr. Francis 
     Collins have overcome enormous obstacles to increase funding 
     and prioritization of Alzheimer's disease and related 
     dementias research over the past several years. The National 
     Institute an Aging (NIA) and other NIH institutes--such as 
     the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 
     the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
     Bioengineering, the National Institute of Mental Health and 
     the National Institute of Child Health and Human 
     Development--are supporting a number of promising research 
     projects to: understand the genetic risk factors, address the 
     disproportionate impact on women, African Americans, 
     Hispanics, and persons with intellectual disabilities; and 
     pursue cutting-edge but costly and time consuming trials 
     aimed at preventing or substantially slowing disease 
     progression by administering treatments much earlier in the 
     disease process. These resources of time, talent and treasure 
     are precious and indefensibly scarce. We owe it to the 
     taxpayers, to the research community and--most of all--to 
     people living with, or at risk of, Alzheimer's disease and 
     related dementias to provide adequate and necessary resources 
     proportionate to the disease burden, unmet medical need, and 
     our nation's ethical and moral compass.
       The broad, diverse, and unified Alzheimer's disease and 
     related dementias community--working together as the LEAD 
     Coalition--deeply admires and appreciates your remarkable 
     leadership on this and so many other issues of vital 
     importance to our nation's cognitive health, economic well-
     being, and global scientific leadership. We look forward to 
     working with you for passage of the resolution and subsequent 
     congressional action on each of its goals.
           Sincerely,

                                             Ian Kremer, Esq.,

                                               Executive Director,
                                                   LEAD Coalition.

[[Page S1005]]

     
                                  ____
                                          USAgainstAlzheimers,

                                                February 10, 2015.
     Hon. Susan Collins,
     Chairman, Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senate, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Collins: On behalf of USAgainstAlzheimers, 
     the national movement committed to mobilizing the nation 
     around the goal of stopping Alzheimer's by 2020, I am writing 
     to applaud you for recognizing the mounting threat of 
     Alzheimer's and dementia and for leading the call for the 
     level of public resources that are necessary to stop this 
     disease before it destroys our nation's health and finances.
       As you are well aware from your extensive history of 
     leadership against Alzheimer's and dementia, more than five 
     million Americans are currently suffering from this disease, 
     and millions more are impacted as family members and 
     caregivers. Economic estimates suggest that Alzheimer's 
     disease costs the nation upwards of $200 billion each year, 
     with about 70 percent of costs shouldered by Medicare and 
     Medicaid. Direct care costs of Alzheimer's have been found to 
     be larger than similar costs of cancer and heart disease, and 
     a groundbreaking 2014 study from Rush University indicates 
     that more than 500,000 deaths each year are attributable to 
     Alzheimer's disease, six times more than the levels that have 
     been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention (CDC).
       Fortunately, thanks to your leadership several years ago, 
     our nation has a National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease 
     that established as goal one preventing and effectively 
     treating the disease by 2025, a mere 10 years away. As your 
     resolution recognizes, while we can set bold goals, we simply 
     will not achieve them absent the appropriation of necessary 
     resources. I commend you for being a champion in Congress 
     behind measures to substantially increase the amount of 
     public resources committed to Alzheimer's disease research so 
     we can reach the level of $2 billion in annual funding that 
     multiple experts have estimated as being needed to maximize 
     our chances of achieving the 2025 goal.
       I understand the multiple fiscal challenges confronting the 
     nation. At the same time, we must recognize that the question 
     is not whether or not we will pay for Alzheimer's. We are 
     paying, dearly, today, and we will pay even more tomorrow 
     unless we redouble efforts to achieve scientific 
     breakthroughs and develop therapies and means of prevention. 
     Your resolution outlines a sensible track to achieve the 
     necessary level of funding within a timeframe during which we 
     can achieve the necessary impact, and makes clear that 
     preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease must be a 
     national priority.
       Thank you, again, for your tremendous leadership on behalf 
     of all Americans impacted by this disease.
           Sincerely,
                                                George Vradenburg,
     Founder and Chairman.
                                  ____



                                      Alzheimer's Association,

                                Washington, DC, February 11, 2015.
     Hon. Susan Collins,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Amy Klobuchar,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Collins and Senator Klobuchar: On behalf of 
     the Alzheimer's Association and its nationwide network of 
     advocates, thank you for your continued leadership on issues 
     and legislation important to Americans with Alzheimer's and 
     their caregivers. The Alzheimer's Association proudly 
     supports your most recent Alzheimer's resolution, which 
     supports the goals of National Plan to Address Alzheimer's 
     Disease.
       The Alzheimers Association is the world's leading voluntary 
     health organization in Alzheimers care, support and research. 
     Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease and other 
     dementias through the advancement of research; to provide and 
     enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the 
     risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our 
     vision is a world without Alzheimer's.
       As one of our nation's strongest voices on behalf of 
     Americans living with Alzheimer's, you know that more than 5 
     million Americans are living with the disease, and without 
     significant action, as many as 16 million Americans will have 
     Alzheimer's by 2050. A 2013 study funded by the National 
     Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the New England 
     Journal of Medicine further confirmed that Alzheimers disease 
     is the most expensive disease in America. Additionally, as 
     the baby boomer generation ages, one in eight will develop 
     Alzheimer's. This explosive growth will cause Alzheimers 
     costs to Medicare and Medicaid to increase from $153 billion 
     today to nearly $800 billion in 2050 (in today's dollars) and 
     threatens to bankrupt families, businesses and our health 
     care system. Unfortunately, our work is only growing more 
     urgent.
       The passage of the National Alzheimer's Project Act in 
     2010, and the subsequent release of the National Plan to 
     Address Alzheimer's Disease, marks a new era for Alzheimers 
     disease and other dementias. Achieving the first goal of the 
     National Plan, to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's 
     disease by 2025, and supporting individuals with the disease 
     and their caregivers are critical to the success of this 
     legislation.
       The Alzheimers Association deeply appreciates your 
     continued leadership on behalf of all American's living with 
     Alzheimer's. If you have any questions about this or any 
     other legislation, please contact Rachel Conant, Director of 
     Federal Affairs, at [email protected] or at 202.638.7121.
           Sincerely,

                                                  Robert Egge,

                                         Executive Vice President,
                      Government Affairs, Alzheimer's Association.

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, we have to face the facts that if we do 
not invest in Alzheimer's research at the levels the experts tell us is 
necessary to develop effective treatments for this disease or perhaps a 
means of prevention or eventually a cure, this disease is going to 
continue to cause untold suffering not only for its victims but for its 
families, and it will bankrupt America 's health care system.
  I urge our colleagues to join us as cosponsors. I want, in 
particular, to recognize my partner in this effort, the Senator from 
Minnesota, Ms. Klobuchar. The home of the Mayo Clinic is in her State. 
She has been stalwart in supporting the efforts to increase funding for 
Alzheimer's research.
  With that, I am very pleased to yield to my partner, Senator 
Klobuchar.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor to join my 
friend and colleague from Maine, Senator Collins, who has for so long 
been a leader on this issue. I thank her for that and thank her for her 
very strong remarks.
  This is a horrible disease. Senator Collins did a very good job of 
going through the costs to our country. Mr. President, 5.2 million 
Americans are already living with Alzheimer's, and by 2050 an estimated 
13.5 million Americans will be living with the disease. Also, $226 
billion is being spent in 2015 caring for individuals with Alzheimer's, 
and by 2050 costs will reach $1.1 trillion.
  Those are the numbers. They are pretty stunning numbers, but I think 
we all know we are not just here to talk about the numbers. We are here 
to talk about the people. Every single Senator in this Chamber knows 
someone who is suffering from Alzheimer's or someone who has died from 
Alzheimer's. So this resolution, yes, it is about the numbers and being 
smarter about how we spend our money to prevent this horrible disease 
from occurring in the first place, but it is also for that daughter who 
goes to see her mom every day in the assisted living care facility and 
with each and every day her mom's memory slips away to the point where 
she does not remember who she is anymore.
  It is for that wife who has valiantly cared for her husband as it 
gets harder and harder and harder as he goes wandering around the 
neighborhood and gets lost. She does not know if she can leave him at 
home anymore. That is what this is about. Every single person in this 
Chamber and every single person back home knows of someone who suffers 
from this disease.
  The only way to stem the tide of this devastating disease is through, 
as the great Senator from Maine mentioned, through research. Yes, a lot 
of that research is going on in Minnesota, both at the University of 
Minnesota and at the Mayo Clinic. If we were able to delay the onset of 
Alzheimer's by just 5 years, similar to the effect that anticholesterol 
drugs have had on preventing heart disease, we would be able to 
significantly cut the government's spending on Alzheimer's care, but 
more importantly we would be able to give these families extra years, 
extra time, less time battling this disease.
  We all know the answers to Alzheimer's will not just drop out of the 
sky. If that was true, it would have been cured a long time ago. It 
will take dedicated scientists, advanced research initiatives, and 
skilled doctors with knowledge of the disease to conduct trials and 
care for as many patients as possible until we find a cure.
  That is why we are coming together for this important resolution, 
which resolves simply that the Senate will strive to double the funding 
the United States spends on Alzheimer's research in 2016 and will 
develop a plan to meet the target of $2 billion a year in Alzheimer's 
research funding over the next 5 years.
  As Senator Collins mentioned, this effort is led on the national 
level by Dr. Ronald Petersen, a Minnesota native and a leading 
researcher. He agrees this is the time to move forward to get this 
research done. What kind of research are we talking about? I remember 
first hearing about some of the

[[Page S1006]]

work Mayo had done and realizing they were focusing on trying to 
identify this disease early to be able to figure out if people were 
getting it early.
  I thought: That is great, but how does that help? They still have the 
disease. What I learned is the earlier they can identify the disease, 
then the earlier they can start those trials so they can tell what is 
working or not. If they wait too long to identify the disease, it is 
nearly impossible to tell what kind of potential cures work and what do 
not.
  This is a very important part of this initiative, which is to be able 
to immediately identify what those risk factors are when they think 
someone actually has Alzheimer's. Two years ago the United States 
launched the BRAIN Initiative, which is a national research effort to 
map the human brain in hopes of finding new ways to prevent and cure 
brain diseases. Similar to the Human Genome Project, I think we can 
expect this initiative to truly be a game-changer that stimulates the 
next generation of scientific development.
  There is always more knowledge we need to get. There are always more 
treatments to discover. There are more diseases to cure. That is why it 
is so important that we continue funding and actually increase funding 
to the National Institutes of Health. Earlier this year I introduced, 
with Senator Durbin and others, a bill to boost funding for NIH by 5 
percent a year and also other key Federal research agencies. The 
American Cures Act would reverse the trend of declining Federal 
investment in medical research and fuel the next generation of 
biomedical discoveries.
  I care a lot about this. During the government shutdown I will never 
forget Senator Collins once again led the effort to find our way out of 
that with 14 of us in a bipartisan effort. I gave my entire salary to 
NIH because I wanted to make the point that every day we go without 
developing that cure for Alzheimer's, without supporting our scientists 
who are doing that work, is another day where someone else dies of this 
disease. It is another loved one we lose.
  Another effort I think is very important when we look at this is 
precision medicine. We should be supporting efforts to further the 
field of precision medicine, which holds the promise of revolutionizing 
the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. By better 
understanding genetic variations within diseases such as Alzheimer's, 
we can develop targeted, more effective treatments.
  Of course caregivers are the last thing I wish to talk about. If you 
know someone with Alzheimer's, then you also know their family member 
or their friend who is taking care of them. Many of the caregivers have 
children themselves. That is why they are called the sandwich 
generation. They are literally sandwiched between taking care of their 
own children and taking care of their aging mother or father.
  Just as we addressed the needs of moms and dads in the 1970s, started 
working on things such as childcare benefits, we must now address the 
needs of our working sons and daughters and those who are simply 
devoting their lives to taking care of an aging relative, someone with 
Alzheimer's. This goes on every day. People have decided to quit their 
jobs or they have to decide to take a different job or they have to 
decide to go part time simply to take care of their loved one.
  In 2013 more than 15 million family members and friends cared for 
someone with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, often at 
the expense of their own jobs and their own well-being. That is why I 
am continuing to work on legislation called the Americans Giving Care 
to Elders Act that would give family caregivers a tax credit and other 
assistance to help alleviate the financial burdens that come with 
caring for a loved one.
  So these are some ideas, but we know at its core the best thing to do 
is to stop this terrible disease from the beginning. That means living 
up to the expectations the people of this country have for us; that is, 
to do what is best for them; that is, to put forward the dollars we 
need to do the research.
  I know some great doctors in Minnesota and across the country who 
will put that money to good use.
  Let's go forward, let's cure this disease, and we call on the Senate 
to pass the resolution Senator Collins and I are submitting.

                          ____________________