Amy Klobuchar - Senior Senator for Minnesota, 2007-2024
Senator Klobuchar earns our A+ grade through astonishingly high support of pro-neuroscience legislation this term. She has co-sponsored nearly every piece of legislation which we have determined is beneficial for neuroscience research, earning the highest marks for this measure alone. Additionally she is a member of the NIH caucus and has signed the BRAIN initiative Dear Colleague letter. She specifically also called on the HELP committee to include mandatory and consistent NIH funding increases in the FY2020 budget, which would prevent unnecessary uncertainty and funding delays while congress decides on final yearly budgets. It’s hard to imagine how the senator could improve her score, and we highly commend her efforts.
“If we are going to continue unlocking the cures and treatments of tomorrow, we need to boost our investment in biomedical research today through increased, sustainable NIH funding.”
Co-sponsored: S. 1250: American Cures Act
Co-sponsored: S.1249 - American Innovation Act
Co-sponsored: S.2032 - Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act
Co-sponsored: S.1744 - Keep STEM Talent Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.1067 - Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.1299 - 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act
Co-sponsored: S.2579 - STEM Opportunities Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.2578 - Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.427 - Autism CARES Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.901 - Younger Onset Alzheimer's Disease Act
Co-sponsored: S.1126 - Concentrating on High-value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.153 - Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act
Co-sponsored: S.1338 - Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.Res. 29: A resolution expressing support for the designation of a “Women’s Health Research Day”.
Tina Smith - Junior Senator for Minnesota, 2018-2020
Senator Smith receives our grade of a B+ for decent support of neuroscience funding, although her support is dwarfed by her colleague Senator Klobuchar. She has signed the NIH funding Dear Colleague letter but not the Brain Initiative version. Given her important role on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, we hoped she would have publically supported NIH and NSF funding more strongly, as we could not easily find her comments on the matter. She could improve her grade most by joining the NIH caucus and signing on to stronger support of specific neuroscience funding.
Co-sponsored: S.775 - Scientific Integrity Act
Co-sponsored: S.1067 - Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019
Co-sponsored: S.427 - Autism CARES Act of 2019