Bill to authorize the first NIH-wide Down syndrome research program heads back to the House for final approval before advancing to the President's desk<div style="float:right;padding:0 0 15px 20px;margin:15px 0 20px 20px;width:300px">
 Senator John Hickenlooper &amp; GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon
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 <img src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/a3c3e549-429e-4b74-8927-3bdc30784817" title="Senator John Hickenlooper &amp; GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon" alt="Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) with beloved GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon, whose extraordinary advocacy and legacy inspired the bipartisan DeOndra Dixon NIH INCLUDE Project Act. Photo courtesy of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation" />
 <figcaption>Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) with beloved GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon, whose extraordinary advocacy and legacy inspired the bipartisan DeOndra Dixon NIH INCLUDE Project Act. Photo courtesy of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation</figcaption>
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</div><div style="float:right;padding:0 0 15px 20px;margin:15px 0 20px 20px;width:300px">
 Celebrating a Historic Milestone in Down Syndrome Research
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 <img src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/58553562-85d3-4cdc-90b5-307c9b91d2c3" title="Celebrating a Historic Milestone in Down Syndrome Research" alt="Dr. Joaquin Espinosa, Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Dr. Diana Bianchi, Michelle Sie Whitten, Frank Stephens, and Funmi Agbebi celebrate bipartisan leadership and collaboration to advance Down syndrome research, clinical trials, and better health outcomes through the NIH INCLUDE Project. Photo courtesy of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation." />
 <figcaption>Dr. Joaquin Espinosa, Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Dr. Diana Bianchi, Michelle Sie Whitten, Frank Stephens, and Funmi Agbebi celebrate bipartisan leadership and collaboration to advance Down syndrome research, clinical trials, and better health outcomes through the NIH INCLUDE Project. Photo courtesy of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.</figcaption>
 </figure>
</div>Washington, DC, Aug. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan DeOndra Dixon NIH INCLUDE Project Act (S. 1838), to authorize the National Institutes of Health's INCLUDE Project—the first NIH-wide research initiative dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for people with Down syndrome. Led by Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), yesterday's Senate passage follows the July 20th House of Representatives' unanimous approval of companion legislation (H.R. 3491), led by Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Richard Hudson (R-NC). Now the bill heads back to the House for one final vote in September before it is sent to the President for his signature. Established in 2018 after years of advocacy by the <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=xF6hwA3UhzLvW9kvCb4NeKYp_USWba909MMkXD70BMatT3nDW_E-D1R93UlWeNTW1s-TXFf1wshXYxgsy6wM6UVQqKrIHwCwinUyrHCAsw-0YNncxUoyZD1A0amMz6lQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Global Down Syndrome Foundation">Global Down Syndrome Foundation</a> (GLOBAL) and bipartisan leaders in Congress, the NIH INCLUDE Project has advanced groundbreaking research into Alzheimer's disease, immune dysregulation and autoimmune conditions, sleep apnea, cancer, heart disease, liver dysfunction, metabolism, growth, and other serious health conditions while expanding clinical trial opportunities for people with Down syndrome from just two studies to fifteen. The bill honors the memory and legacy of beloved GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon – the inspiration for GLOBAL’s highest honor, the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award, and a beloved presence at GLOBAL events alongside her big brother, Jamie Foxx, and their family. “DeOndra brought so much joy, love and light into our lives, and she was incredibly proud to be a GLOBAL Ambassador and advocate,” says Academy Award-winning actor and Grammy Award-winning musician Jamie Foxx. “My family and I are deeply grateful to Michelle and the GLOBAL team, and to Senators John Hickenlooper and Jerry Moran for their leadership and commitment to passing the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act. Knowing that DeOndra’s name and advocacy will help people with Down syndrome live longer, healthier lives means more to us than words can express.” “Today’s Senate passage is an extraordinary bipartisan victory and brings us one major step closer to permanently protecting the first NIH-wide Down syndrome research program,” says Michelle Sie Whitten, President and CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. “We are profoundly grateful to Senators John Hickenlooper and Jerry Moran for their friendship, tenacity, and years of leadership, and to their colleagues on both sides of the aisle who recognized that people with Down syndrome deserve the same investment in research and opportunities to participate in clinical trials as everyone else. The DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act will honor our beloved GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon and help ensure that the transformative progress made through INCLUDE continues. We look forward to working with our congressional champions to complete the final steps and see this landmark legislation signed into law.” “Today is a historic day for the hundreds of thousands of Americans with Down syndrome and their families,” says Senator John Hickenlooper. “DeOndra Dixon was an extraordinary person and advocate whose legacy will help improve lives for generations. We're proud the bill that bears her name will finally give Down syndrome research the investment it deserves, and we look forward to the breakthroughs it will deliver. We’re especially grateful to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation team and all of the tireless advocates who helped get this important bill across the finish line.” “For years, I have asked Congress and the NIH to make people with Down syndrome a research priority because our lives are worth living—and worth investing in,” says Frank Stephens, GLOBAL board member, Ambassador, and Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipient. “The Senate’s passage of the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act shows that our voices are being heard. I am grateful to GLOBAL, our congressional champions, and the NIH for helping us live longer, healthier lives, and I’m grateful for our Down syndrome community helping us to make this important bill become law.” About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation The Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) is the largest nonprofit in the U.S. working to save lives and dramatically improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome. GLOBAL established the first Down syndrome research institute and supports over 400 scientists and over 2,700 patients with Down syndrome from 40 states and 11 countries. Working closely with Congress and the National Institutes of Health, GLOBAL is the lead advocacy organization in the U.S. for Down syndrome research and care. GLOBAL has a membership of over 120 Down syndrome organizations worldwide and is part of a network of Affiliates – the <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=EvgEQZk_YtcV-hw5kFfTtYkiNLZmutRwAU3l36iP4tTzCX23BMXW8fRZfc4iNLYcWi04yC7YoM8qgtwhxnb8aqd-W5yINpW03TMIVvZhXdVFXbelfN6xmrdrhWmhCsCKz40ukFzUiFpqAUp5qZVOy_6Pliku3arrc1RMmZ6qvCw=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome">Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome</a>, the <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=PbQ2EjZuCvg7XphjbkL08tjGIrEvlwqDbTDqs9E4BhaefUnaIT8CeK_xfv_YxmuzMNLsffAVGzegaobrhc2XOI7oo7JUwNWT9z5IOCJYH6gPpJ9rJn3Ko-f5RaJbH8ZX6Txwl6LJEZh6UfLQ3N1EW8tHOcUmmODTIQG9_PTW29zt_8wUkW4-Fvigj6s_XD3nYVp6RxIZt6FBYPMfwYt86g==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Sie Center for Down Syndrome">Sie Center for Down Syndrome</a>, the <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=kM-jiRzKTdR9iZmCDSrpd0nK0_PWYWvVO-vyHjlPv0joJTATNZPCBP-Yfkjb2-s6Ca4QSxM-0FPLWMTc8-lRGMmYojbhXd3B_MP8s8opGgw25fC4i1-vuL2BFDBj8I0o5GobRWvzuGWZ1SZGOg0pGBzVPI0HcYEKKBK7--RbSg8=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="University of Colorado Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center">University of Colorado Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center</a> – all on the Anschutz Medical Campus, and the <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=1DA2Jd9HR90uqsjpmt045HXmTQdCEYPmkG0fKpkYnFFHMU5CJVUQVcz9-lFZ0t0hY2zl7KIahCHafD62Ku9u1gZcrGAJdirnNeFEJsmt5eOeTcIp7rSIBb9qCyu25oB0b7FcNQ92cWOgtLUyn7xe2E2grwGrZO3ZAAnYeamF5meE6ECswjId95G6I-yre9wlz1wQGKg_a8j4cDs-3a2DbA==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="GLOBAL Adult Down Syndrome Clinic">GLOBAL Adult Down Syndrome Clinic</a> at Denver Health. GLOBAL’s widely circulated medical publications include <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=xF6hwA3UhzLvW9kvCb4NeCNWNpZS2dNGl4uvGT_XI7Nc4k9jTFPDEf7E1yyOV5wWMgBpbfSqSIcYABYDaLW1ZoAViyLKLqjsdLTxRmjYsjCM1gX5DcPQ76OdYFAVgCV7HPOyIiFgzji8VAsle_Z_JGAjoAQS4s6X4FA8oRpmZvqsKYw3fg7BOmF-fnvMGqcTH6K5uC5I1-RPb-mNjgEg0g==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Global Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome">Global Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome</a>, <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=IWCUebHU9F_q_dBMBwDaDkBNrtcxZmk4g7gpcGx5SeAbuJXxf6Y0xlPdlgnEVi3Udwb6yv8VT7bVx2czfAXsoVBtAmBnvN1c1GfluiPUDRbXOSWIh3hB5P1_IoT3leWtYMaQQB62higOTDt9MVk40p15UaWdR-Janx8KLs0UUg5y1zYmnTCgwhIgcacK6ocJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Prenatal &amp; Newborn Down Syndrome Information">Prenatal &amp; Newborn Down Syndrome Information</a>, and the award-winning magazine, <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=wLKMDgzuCwshWL2xTdPHJdPREl9Jx_JM4UliyS1lSkoD-TU40e9T2Qhjc9PCte0L7LHGo3B-WcE2FOZSJ9UJsyWi7pxNPmVj9pybq-z7j2KW-yCvX0Wscrk8RhULwxB3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Down Syndrome World TM">Down Syndrome World TM</a>. 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 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=f5TdPimIAB-LNTXwJgp7BXfeKi66-Mt_AweVQu_SVjwYCUIpBgggZRzE3T2Se9QBRyoYVEBSSdMd_7hWoURFFHXUlbeeDpJjFeGVpRnCzQQFkpLEiQhc4BBETd_53ONDy9320SLKtZ4z4jLL9f8QnehnXE_wtkV5T3mNBrUfWWrOyqa-BkadKimwxj1yvHMcUnx9j280FLIk3XfoVvKoawa2irqQOXxab8HDNu67Yfo=" title="Senator John Hickenlooper &amp; GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon" rel="nofollow">Senator John Hickenlooper &amp; GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon</a>
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 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=v3aqTbE7i2Z4622cNYLONHucVi0cmJzeg1HhIUKeEVqiS9ee_213PyfvvvFroQsaprtJj4BPNKQrENUpxajBc1IpavRl91nuVaf_LEswmQKp4lqbuLtiasWJXyJHhUHxNlelKppvBVYciB_U8r5FaQqahisioowoIhrT_OjBmMBhJhFVt-hp0A7q1jsE8-sbQyvSUJekPuU6P4eblyQpwAuNYE5Hl1H6HzkJsUgu5as=" title="Celebrating a Historic Milestone in Down Syndrome Research" rel="nofollow">Celebrating a Historic Milestone in Down Syndrome Research</a>
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<pre>CONTACT: Alex Lee
Global Down Syndrome Foundation
(720) 548-5631
alee@globaldownsyndrome.org
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U.S. Senate Passes DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act

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