It was a nail biter last night! All day the JDRF Government Relations staff paced up and down the hall, from one office to the next, making sure that JDRF advocacy efforts were at the ready!

Why, you ask…well that’s because our team wanted to make sure that we were set to call you into action if we faced obstacles in working towards a multi-year renewal of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), a federal funding stream specific to type 1 research.

Thanks to your determined support of type 1 research, members of the Senate understood the importance of continuing to fund type 1 research and included a two-year extension of the SDP at the current funding level of $150 million annually in the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010! Our team is thrilled. The bill passed by unanimous consent, meaning that all Senators supported the bill.

Now you’re asking, what’s next? Only half the battle is won. The bill will now make its way to the House of Representatives for a vote this afternoon, so stay tuned… I’ll be sure to share any news that comes our way!

Hasan