NAEVR COMMENDS SENATE FOR PASSAGE OF FY2019 DEFENSE/LHHS CONFERENCE AGREEMENT WITH A NEARLY $30 M INCREASE IN VISION RESEARCH FUNDING

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research's (NAEVR) Executive Director James Jorkasky issued a statement after the Senate's September 18 passage of the House-Senate Conference agreement on H.R. 6157, which includes the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) spending bills. The agreement funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $39.08 billion, a $2 billion or 5.4 percent increase over enacted FY2018, and the National Eye Institute (NEI) at $796.5 million, a $24.2 million or 3.1 percent increase over enacted FY2018.

"NAEVR commends the Senate for passage of the FY2019 Defense/LHHS conference agreement. NAEVR especially recognizes Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT), as well as LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), for passage of this legislation that continues a trajectory of robust increases for the NIH.

NAEVR is pleased that the bill would increase vison research funding by nearly $30 million, with a $5 million increase in Department of Defense (DOD) Vision Research Program (VRP) funding to $20 million, and the $24.2 million NEI increase.

NAEVR encourages the House to join the Senate in passing the agreement before the start of FY2019 on October 1. Having final appropriations would prevent the delays in funding for researchers which have been experienced in the past with Continuing Resolutions into the next fiscal year."”

The National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) is a 501(c)4 non-profit advocacy coalition comprised of 55 professional, consumer, and industry organizations involved in eye and vision research. Visit the Web site at www.eyeresearch.org

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