Capito, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Support Alzheimer’s Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Recently, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), joined U.S. Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in introducing legislation to reauthorize the United States Postal Service (USPS) Alzheimer's research stamp for an additional six years, allowing more funds to be raised for Alzheimer's research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Semipostal stamps are sold by the USPS and are priced above the cost of postage to raise funds for causes of public interest, as directed by Congress. The U.S. Postal Service first issued the Alzheimer's semipostal stamp in 2017 and has since sold over 13 million stamps, raising $1.7 million dollars in support of Alzheimer's research.

"Reauthorizing the Alzheimer's semipostal stamp will both maintain a source of funding for critically important Alzheimer's research and will also help honor the memory and courage of those who have faced this heartbreaking disease directly. I have long been dedicated to pursuing a cure for Alzheimer's disease, and I'm proud to join my colleagues to continue this initiative through the USPS," Senator Capito said.

U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) co-sponsored the legislation.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

BACKGROUND:

Senator Capito has been a leader in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, supporting efforts to increase early diagnosis and research to pursue a cure. In November 2024, Senator Capito's BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act was signed into law. This law has reauthorized funding for public health initiatives across the country to combat Alzheimer's disease and preserve brain health.

In May of 2025, Senator Capito reintroduced the Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act, bipartisan legislation to encourage early assessment and diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

Last December, Senator Capito introduced the bipartisan Alzheimer's Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act. The legislation would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to create a pathway to cover blood biomarker tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

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