FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Includes Increases for Programs Advocated by the LFA

The United States Senate today passed appropriations legislation which funds much of the federal government through the end of September. The bill provides $4 million to support the National Lupus Patient Registry, as part of a broader national epidemiological study on lupus, and $1 million for a national health provider education program to improve early diagnosis and treatment of lupus and reduce health disparities. The legislation also includes nearly $1 billion more for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest single source for funding for biomedical research on lupus.