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| 106TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION | S. 1897 |
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of Autoimmune Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
NOVEMBER 9, 1999
Mr. BIDEN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of Autoimmune Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘NIH Office of Autoimmune Diseases Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES AT NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
Title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 404D the following section:
‘‘AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
‘‘SEC. 404E. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within the Office of the Director of NIH an office to be known as the Office of Autoimmune Diseases (in this section referred to as the ‘Office’), which shall be headed by a Director appointed by the Director of NIH.
‘‘(b) DUTIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office, in consultation with the coordinating committee established under subsection (c), shall carry out the following:
‘‘(A) The Director shall recommend an agenda for conducting and supporting research on autoimmune diseases through the national research institutes. The agenda shall provide for a broad range of research and education activities relating to biomedical, psychosocial, and rehabilitative issues, including studies of the disproportionate impact of such diseases on women.
‘‘(B) The Director shall with respect to autoimmune diseases promote coordination and cooperation among the national research institutes and entities whose research is supported by such institutes.
‘‘(C) The Director shall promote the appropriate allocation of the resources of the National Institutes of Health for conducting and supporting research on autoimmune diseases.
‘‘(D) The Director shall annually prepare a report that describes the research and education activities on autoimmune diseases being conducted or supported through the national research institutes, and that identifies particular projects or types of projects that should in the future be conducted or supported by the national research institutes or other entities in the field of research on autoimmune diseases.
‘‘(2) PRINCIPAL ADVISOR REGARDING AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES.—With respect to autoimmune diseases, the Director of the Office shall serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Director of NIH, and shall provide advice to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and other relevant agencies.
‘‘(c) COORDINATING COMMITTEE.—The Director of NIH shall ensure that there is in operation a committee to assist the Director of the Office in carrying out sub--
section (b), that the committee is designated as the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee, and that, to the extent possible, such Coordinating Committee includes liaison members from other Federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than October 1, 2001, the Comptroller General shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report concerning the effectiveness of the Office in promoting advancements in research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention related to autoimmune diseases.
‘‘(e) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘autoimmune diseases’ includes diseases or disorders in which autoimmunity is thought to play a significant pathogenetic role, as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $950,000 for fiscal year 2000, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002.’’.
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