The bipartisan Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act has received broad support in the House of Representatives, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said on Monday, and a group of legislators will now work to shepherd the bill through the Senate.
The measure would prioritize federal funding for pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health to help children overcome cancer, autism and other diseases.
“Gabriella Miller was an inspiring young girl from Virginia who was only nine years old when diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor the size of a walnut,” Cantor said. “Gabriella’s fight lives on with the bipartisan Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act…”
Reps. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) sponsored the measure in the House. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) will work to advance the bill in the Senate.
“…Prioritizing research funding at the National Institutes of Health to combat life-threatening childhood diseases just makes sense,” Hatch said. “That’s why I’m so proud to back this legislation with my good friends from Virginia and thank my colleagues in the House for their hard work. Once we’ve introduced this legislation in the Senate, I pledge to do everything in my power to make sure this bill becomes law.”
More than 100 patient advocacy groups and 2,600 citizen sponsors have supported the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.