Texas voters to decide on new state agency dedicated to dementia research

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texans are voting on 17 constitutional amendments Tuesday, one of which involves creating a new state agency dedicated to researching dementia.  

During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers passed what would establish the new Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT). If approved by voters, the institute will award $3 billion in grants for the development of dementia treatment and prevention methods over 10 years. The amendment is listed as Proposition 14 on your ballot. 

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, dementia is a condition “where memory, language and problem-solving difficulties are severe enough to interfere in everyday life.” The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s, which is typically found in adults over 65. 

Texas ranks third in the nation for adults living with Alzheimer’s and second in deaths caused by Alzheimer’s. In 2020, 450,000 Texans had Alzheimer’s — and the number is growing. 

Advocates of Proposition 14, like the national Alzheimer’s Association, said the investment would not only put Texas at the forefront of medical innovation, but would also “dramatically increase” the likelihood of new cures and preventions for the disease. 

The Dementia Prevention and Research Fund, created for the institution, would be supplied by state tax revenue, grants and donations. 

In 2008, Texans approved the establishment of the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). In the same spirit, CPRIT awards grants to academic researchers, prevention programs and the development of new drugs, therapies and technologies to treat cancer. 

CPRIT has brought 340 researchers and their labs to Texas since its creation, according to its website.