Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act: frequently asked questions
What is PPARCCA?
The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act (PPARCCA) is the first proposed authorizing legislation on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
This bipartisan bill directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand psoriasis research efforts in order to understand the causes of psoriatic diseases, improve access to care and find a cure.
Specifically, the bill:
1. Continues and expands psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis research conducted by the NIH;
2. Funds the development of a national psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient registry through the CDC;
3. Establishes a federal summit on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis to discuss current issues and efforts and explore opportunities in psoriasis research and care; and
4. Calls for an Institute of Medicine (IOM) study to evaluate and make recommendations on access to care for people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
In the House of Representatives, the number for PPARCCA is H.R. 930 and for the Senate it is S. 571. It was first introduced in 2007, during the 110th session of Congress.
What is "authorizing legislation"?
Authorizing legislation provides the authority for a federal program or agency to exist. The bill details what the specific program or agency's policy and activities should be for a specified period of time.
An authorizing bill does not become law unless an identical version of it is passed by the House and by the Senate, and signed by the President.
What does it mean to be a bill co-sponsor
Members of Congress show formal support for an authorizing bill by becoming co-sponsors—adding their name to an official list of supporters. The greater the number of co-sponsors on a bill, the greater the likelihood that it will be moved through the legislative process.
How can I support PPARCCA?
Write your senators and representatives, attend their town hall meetings and call their offices and request they co-sponsor the bill. Go to our Legislative Action Center to find out more.
How many co-sponsors does PPARCCA have?
Check here to see how many PPARCCA co-sponsors we have in the House of Representatives and the latest number of co-sponsors in the Senate.
Who introduced PPARCCA in the House and Senate?
The National Psoriasis Foundation worked with Rep. David Wu, D-Ore.-1st, to write and introduce PPARCCA (H.R. 930) in the House and he is considered the bill's author and sponsor. Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa.-6th, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla.-20th, and Rep. Todd Platts, R-Pa.-19th, are original co-sponsors.
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., introduced the bill in the Senate (S. 571) and is the sponsor. Sens. Robert Casey, D-Pa., Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., John Kerry, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are original co-sponsors.
Is there a minimum of co-sponsors needed?
There is no minimum, but the more co-sponsors a bill has, the greater the likelihood that it will pass into law.
Do both political parties support PPARCCA?
The bill has bipartisan support. We want both Democrats and Republicans to become co-sponsors to move the bill through Congress into law.
Do we have enough support to override a presidential veto if necessary?
The bill is not controversial, and we don't anticipate the president will veto it.
With grumblings over spending in Congress, does the bill have a chance of succeeding?
PPARCCA is an example of authorizing legislation and does not call for a specific amount of funding for psoriasis research. Many members of Congress won't endorse a bill that requires a certain amount of funding for disease-specific research at the National Institutes of Health. The bill does call for the federal government to make psoriasis research a priority and specifies $1.5 million for the psoriasis patient registry to be developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
How much will it cost to implement PPARCCA
The bill authorizes "such sums as necessary" to fund activities contained in the legislation. While the bill does not specify individual amounts, we estimate the following:
Legislative component/activity | Estimated cost |
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis data collection and patient registry | $1 million-$3 million a year, over five years |
Institute of Medicine study | $250,000-$500,000 |
Psoriasis Summit | $100,000 |
Biomedical research | Under existing NIH authority and appropriations |
Since the bill doesn't ask for a specific amount of money, how will it get results?
Because the bill does not allocate a specific dollar amount—it must go through an appropriations legislation process each year to receive funding for the programs and initiatives PPARCCA authorizes. When PPARCCA becomes law, the Foundation will work with members of Congress during the appropriations process to get the money to support the implementation of the legislation for that year.
When will PPARCCA be passed into law by Congress?
Some bills pass in a matter of months and others take years; some never pass, but pieces of them are incorporated into other legislation—and sometimes federal agencies pick up a component and implement it without congressional mandate. Often, bills need to be introduced more than once. They typically gain more support with each introduction as more members of Congress become familiar with the issues.
It is our goal to pass PPARCCA as soon as we can. However, how quickly or slowly this process might go is dependent in part, on the community. If tens of thousands of psoriasis advocates are calling their elected officials in the House and Senate to move the PPARCCA bill quickly through Congress, legislators will take notice. We need you to take action!
Is there a precedent for disease-specific bills like this?
Yes, a number of disease-specific bills have been enacted by Congress and signed into law by the president. Most recently, a bill related to autism was signed into law. Each year, hundreds of disease-specific bills are introduced in the House and Senate.
What happens if PPARCCA isn't passed?
As a bill moves through the legislative process, it can be amended or changed. If PPARCCA doesn't pass both the House and Senate during the 111th Congress (the current Congress, 2009-2010), it will need to be re-introduced in the 112th Congress (2011-2012). At that time, we will review the legislation and update it with any new information that might have developed since it was first introduced.
Is the Psoriasis Foundation a lobbying organization now?
As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, we meet the standards that allow us to allocate a certain percentage of our resources to lobbying/advocacy. Our advocacy work is critical to achieving our goal of finding a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.