Senator Collins Joins Other Committee Leaders in Bipartisan Ceremony Marking the Passage of the 21st Century Cures Act

Legislation Will Help Fight Against Opioid Abuse Through $1 Billion in State Grants; Spur Innovative Treatments and Cures for Alzheimer’s, Cancer, and Many Other Diseases by investing $4.8 billion in the NIH; and Improve Mental Health Programs

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Washington, D.C. — Following her strong advocacy in advancing the 21st Century Cures Act, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) took part in a bipartisan enrollment ceremony in the U.S. Capitol with other Committee leaders and members of House of Senate leadership to mark the passage of this landmark medical innovation bill. As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Collins authored and successfully included five provisions contained within the final legislation.

At the enrollment ceremony, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) and the Senate president pro tempore Orrin Hatch (R-UT) signed the bill before sending it to the White House to be signed into law.

“All of us know someone who has courageously faced a devastating health diagnosis. The 21st Century Cures Act will help us achieve our dream of conquering disease by investing $4.8 billion in biomedical research and development. Moreover, this legislation will provide $1 billion in much-needed funding to address the heroin and opioid epidemic and makes the most significant reforms to our mental health system in more than a decade,” said Senator Collins. “As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I am proud to have pushed for and contributed to this landmark bill, which will make a tremendous difference in the life of every American,”

The 21st Century Cures Act was championed by Senator Collins and will benefit every American family. Among its many major components, this landmark bill provides $1 billion to fight opioid abuse through grants to states, invests $4.8 billion in the National Institutes of Health to spur biomedical research and finally unlock cures to diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes, and improves our mental health system.