Signature Collecting Going Well for I-181
the Montana Biomedical Research, Veterans Care and Cure Act
Montanans – wherever you live – read this and go to: www.montanacures.org
As of May 31, 2016, 20,994 out of a required 24,175 signatures have been collected in an effort to place citizen’s initiative I-181, otherwise known as the Montana Biomedical Research, Veterans Care and Cure Act, on the November ballot. Signed petition sheets are due by 5:00 p.m. on June 17, 2016. If you are a registered voter in Montana and haven’t had the opportunity to sign the petition, please do so.
If the initiative is passed, the state will be authorized to issue $20 million in general obligation bonds every year for 10 years to fund Montana-based biomedical research on brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, brain cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, concussive injuries, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), depression, addictive disorders, and schizophrenia.The initiative will create the Montana Biomedical Research Authority, governed by a panel of doctors, scientists, nurses, and patient advocates. This independent panel of leading scientists from out-of-state will review the applications and recommend the best for funding. MRI and other Montana based research facilities, including the University of Montana, Montana State University, Shodair, Benefis, and others, may apply. Based on the quality of our research projects here at MRI, we believe that our applications will be among the best. Annual financial audits from an independent, certified public accounting firm will be made publicly available to ensure financial accountability.McLaughlin Research Institute is part of a broad, state-wide, bi-partisan coalition supporting this initiative. Creating a new funding stream will help alleviate the 25 percent reduction in funding at the National Institutes of Health that has disproportionately impacted Montana’s scientists, and will enable Montana’s researchers to compete at the highest level.In 2016 it will cost the nation $236 billion to treat patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias alone. If no breakthrough discoveries are made by 2050, it will cost the nation $1 trillion. The Montana Biomedical Research, Veterans Care and Cure Act will ensure that research by Montanans will contribute to preventing or curing Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders.Regardless of the result of this initiative, McLaughlin Research Institute is committed to continuing innovative research toward helping Montana seniors, veterans, and kids live healthier and longer lives. For more information, please click on the link to Montanans for Research and Cures, the nonprofit organization behind I-181. http://montanacures.orgClick here for the Signature Gathering article