Sen. Baldwin introduces bill to support research

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin was at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa Tuesday to announce legislation she authored that she said will strengthen the nation's commitment to research, science and innovation.

The Next Generation Research Act will create an initiative within the National Institutes of Health to improve opportunities for the next generation of researchers, Baldwin said. The legislation also will promote current and new policies aimed at improving opportunities for young scientists and conduct a study on the best ways the United States can establish the next generation of research, she said.

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health adds more than $800 million to Wisconsin’s economy every year, Baldwin said, but budget cuts and sequestration have threatened investments in research, science and innovation.

“Indiscriminate cutting of research support will have long-term effects on health care discovery; it impacts medical progress across all disciplines of research, investigating the full spectrum of diseases and conditions,” said Dr. John Raymond, president and chief executive officer of the Medical College. “It directly affects our ability to train the next generation of medical researchers.”

Rich Kirchen is The Business Journal's senior reporter. He covers health care, insurance, politics, media and marketing/advertising.