Federal research program for Down syndrome gets new funding and rules.

What it does

The bill tells the National Institutes of Health to run a research program. It is called the INCLUDE Project. The program studies Down syndrome and other health problems that come with it. The NIH must report to Congress every two years. The NIH must work across all its parts to avoid duplication.

Who it affects

People with Down syndrome and their families gain access to new research. Research hospitals and companies that run clinical trials will work on the program.

One thing to notice

The bill requires the NIH to report every two years to Congress. Congress and the public can track what the program learns.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

9 cosponsors: 6 Democrats, 3 Republicans.

• May 21, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• May 21, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”
• Aug 6, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent”
• Aug 6, 2026 — Passed the Senate · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote. (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

13 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 19 reports from Jun 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $8,280,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 2 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 94% of bills with any report.

John Hickenlooper, who sponsored the bill, received $1,002,852 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Alzheimer's Association — $3,590,000 in 2 reports
• Electronic Payments Coalition Inc. — $2,820,000 in 1 report
• Bank Policy Institute — $1,130,000 in 2 reports
• Electronic Payments Coalition — $220,000 in 2 reports
• National Association of Convenience Stores — $160,000 in 2 reports

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• National Institutes of Health — The federal agency that pays for and runs medical research.
• clinical trials — Tests of new treatments on people to see if they work and are safe.
• Down syndrome — A genetic condition that affects how a person's body and brain develop.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.