Bill in Alabama Legislature would bring spinal cord research money to UAB

Posted: March 29, 2012 at 12:28 am

Speeders and others nabbed for moving violations would have to hand over an extra $1, $5 or $10 for spinal cord injury research at UAB under a bill bill in the Alabama Legislature.

The bill -- named for University of South Alabama student T.J. Atchison, who was paralyzed in a 2010 car accident -- is expected to raise up to $500,000 a year to help find a cure for spinal cord injuries. It has passed the Alabama Senate and a version has been sponsored in the state House. On Wednesday its supporters toured the Spain Rehabilitation Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which would administer the money.

"I've told T.J. and his mom and dad all this time that if we get this passed it would be a miracle," said state Sen. Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill, who sponsored the bill. "Now I think the miracle's going to happen."

The T.J. Atchison Spinal Cord Injury Act was developed with help from Roman Reed, who persuaded California lawmakers to set aside millions for spinal cord injury. Since its passage in 1999, the bill named for Reed has raised more than $125 million for research.

If it becomes law, the Atchison act would charge an extra $1 for basic moving violations, $5 for aggravated violations such as reckless driving or following too closely and $10 for DUIs. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries, Reed said.

The money would be administered by Candace Lloyd, a UAB researcher. She said the funded research would have two main aspects: on finding a cure and seeking to alleviate the side effects that paralysis patients experience.

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Bill in Alabama Legislature would bring spinal cord research money to UAB

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