{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://degette.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-degettes-bill-boosting-down-syndrome-research", "House Passes DeGette\u2019s Bill Boosting Down Syndrome Research", "2026-07-20", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Diana DeGette", "D000197", "degette.house.gov", "degette", "https://degette.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3491, the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act, which would advance innovative research into Down syndrome. Representative Diana DeGette (CO-01), who led the bill, along with Representatives Richard Hudson (NC-09), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Tom Cole (OK-04), and Pete Stauber (MN-08) released the following statement:\n\n\"Today\u2019s passage of the INCLUDE Project Act shows what we can achieve when we make Down syndrome research a true bipartisan priority,\" said DeGette. \"By advancing this critical legislation, we are showing our commitment to improving health outcomes for individuals with Down syndrome. Colorado is already leading the way as home to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation and their affiliate, the Linda Crnic Institute\u2014the largest institute for Down syndrome research in the world. When this bill becomes law, we will be doubling down on our commitment to groundbreaking science and to the Down syndrome community.\"\n\n\u201cPeople with Down syndrome enrich our families and communities in so many ways,\u201d said Hudson. \u201cI\u2019m proud the House passed my bill to support research that can help them live longer, healthier lives and reach their full potential without barriers standing in their way.\u201d\n\n\u201cBiomedical research is essential,\u201d said DeLauro. \u201cWe must do all we can to strengthen the resources that lead to lifesaving medical breakthroughs and help folks with Down syndrome live long, fulfilling lives. Since 2018, as the Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, I am proud to have worked on a bipartisan basis to provide more than $400 million in funding for the more than 200 INCLUDE Project research grant awards at the National Institutes of Health. We must fight to protect that funding, and this legislation is a needed step to ensure there are no barriers to this important research.\u201d\n\n\u201cAdvanced medical research has the potential to change lives \u2013 and the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act will do just that. Specifically, this legislation will strengthen the collaboration among institutes at the NIH, advance medical breakthroughs, and support Americans with down syndrome,\u201d said Cole. \u201cI\u2019d like to thank Representative DeGette for taking the lead on this legislation, as we must do all we can to improve the lives of those with down syndrome.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a father of a son with Down syndrome, I understand the important role research plays in improving the lives of those with disabilities,\u201d said Stauber. \u201cI\u2019m proud to help lead this effort to ensure continued investment in these life-changing discoveries. Every individual deserves a chance to thrive, and this legislation brings us one step closer to that goal.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have known Diana for 30 years, and throughout that time I have witnessed her extraordinary tenacity, bipartisan leadership, and ability to turn ambitious ideas into consequential legislation, and today\u2019s unanimous House passage of the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act adds to her legacy,\u201d said Michelle Sie Whitten, CEO & Co-founder of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. \u201cGLOBAL\u2019s advocacy, along with our allies in Congress, helped catalyze the NIH INCLUDE Project into existence as the first NIH-wide Down syndrome research program, and it is already transforming the field\u2014driving important breakthroughs in inflammation and immune system dysregulation, Alzheimer\u2019s disease, sleep apnea, hearing loss, cancer, and more. We are enormously grateful to Diana and her Republican lead partner, Congressman Richard Hudson, for bringing both sides of the aisle together and moving the bill one step closer to becoming law. Diana\u2019s leadership sends a powerful message: people with Down syndrome matter, their health matters, and their futures are worth fighting for.\u201d\n\n\u201cNDSC strongly supports the INCLUDE Act and applauds the bipartisan leadership behind this important legislation,\u201d said Jim Hudson, National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) Executive Director. \u201cContinued investment in Down syndrome research is essential to improving health outcomes, expanding our understanding of co-occurring conditions, and enhancing quality of life for people with Down syndrome across the lifespan.\u201d\n\nThe DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act formally authorizes the INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) Project, which was launched in June 2018 at the direction of Congress to conduct research on critical health and quality-of-life needs for individuals with Down syndrome. The project investigates conditions that affect individuals with Down syndrome and the general population, such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease and dementia, autism, cataracts, celiac disease, congenital heart disease, and diabetes.\n\nThe bill would expand clinical trials, investigate biomedical mechanisms of trisomy 21, and address the high prevalence of co-occurring conditions like Alzheimer\u2019s and autoimmune diseases in this population.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-21T07:32:02Z", "2026-07-21T07:33:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://degette.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-degettes-bill-boosting-down-syndrome-research"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9504637457430363, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}