HAPPY REAUTHORIZATION DAY1
Does anyone have a 'mentor' in one of the senators'offices? We need to f=
ind=20
out the inner mechanism of the process. Perhaps calling Sen. Kassebaum's=20
office would yield the amendment # and other pertinent info. There is wor=
k=20
to be done -- there are 21 Reps. on the House Commerce commmittee who are=
=20
not cosponsors yet. (List to follow separately)
Margaret Tuchman
Senate Committee Unanimously Approves NIH Reauthorization Bi=
ll
WASHINGTON, DC Jul 18 (Reuters) - Yesterday, the Senate Labor and Hum=
an=20
Resources Committee made short
work of what has traditionally been one of the most controversial hea=
lth=20
bills to face Congress. It unanimously
approved a three-year reauthorization of the National Institutes of=20
Health. The bill's sponsor, Committee Chair
Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kansas), does not expect the warm feelings her=20
committee felt for the bill to last.=20
Kassebaum predicted after the end of Wednesday's meeting that emotion=
al=20
issues that have in the past delayed
action on NIH bills would likely be raised again when the bill reache=
s=20
the full Senate, which will probably occur
sometime in September.=20
In the meantime, after warnings from Kassebaum and other senators tha=
t=20
Congress ought to let scientists
determine research priorities, committee members proceeded to offer, =
and=20
approve, amendments aimed at
"earmarking" resources for specific diseases. One amendment, offered =
by=20
Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn) would
authorize $80 million over the next three years to establish ten=20
research centers for the study of Parkinson's
disease. Another amendment, offered by Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill) would=20
authorize a 25% boost in funding for
diabetes research. And an amendment, offered jointly by Sens. Edward=20
Kennedy (D-Mass) and Mike DeWine
(R-Ohio) would require the NIH director to better coordinate pediatri=
c=20
research across all branches of the NIH.=20
As approved by the committee, the bill would renew funding authority =
for=20
the National Cancer Institute and the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH's two largest=20
subdivisions and the only two requiring periodic
renewal. Specific funding levels are determined by appropriations bil=
ls.=20
Last week, the House passed a spending
bill for the Department of Health and Human Services that would provi=
de=20
$12.75 billion for NIH for the fiscal year
that begins October 1, a figure which is up from the current funding =
of=20
$11.93 billion.=20
The bill approved by the Labor Committee would also elevate the Natio=
nal=20
Human Genome Project to NIH status, it
would expand programs aimed at training the next generation of clinic=
al=20
researchers and it would increase from
$50,000 to $100,000 the amount the NIH may award to researchers on th=
e=20
basis of technical and peer review alone.
Larger grants would still have to be approved by an advisory committe=
e.=20
-Westport Newsroom 203 221 7648=20
=20
Copyright =A9 1996 Reuters Limited.=20
