National Center for Pain Research Act of 1996

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Center for Pain Research 
Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL CENTER FOR PAIN RESEARCH.

    (a) Establishment.--Section 401(b)(2) of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 281(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end thereof the 
following new subparagraph:
            ``(F) The National Center for Pain Research.''.
    (b) Operation.--Part E of title IV (42 U.S.C. 287 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subpart:

             ``Subpart 5--National Center for Pain Research

``SEC. 485E. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE OF THE CENTER.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
National Institutes of Health, a center to be known as the National 
Center for Pain Research (hereafter referred to in this subpart as the 
`Center'). The Center shall be headed by a Director (hereafter referred 
to in this subpart as the `Director') who shall be appointed by the 
Director of NIH, after consultation with experts in the fields of pain 
research and treatment representing the disciplines designated in 
subsection (b)(3), and have the powers described in section 405.
    ``(b) General Purpose.--The general purpose of the National Center 
for Pain Research is--
            ``(1) to improve the quality of life of individuals 
        suffering from pain by fostering of clinical and basic science 
        research into the causes of and effective treatments for pain;
            ``(2) to establish a national agenda for conducting and 
        supporting pain research in the specific categories described 
        in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of paragraph (3);
            ``(3) to identify, coordinate and support research, 
        training, health information dissemination and related 
        activities with respect to--
                    ``(A) acute pain;
                    ``(B) cancer and HIV-related pain;
                    ``(C) back pain, headache pain, and facial pain; 
                and
                    ``(D) other painful conditions;
        including the biology of pain, the development of new and the 
        refinement of existing pain treatments, the delivery of pain 
        treatment through the health care system and the coordination 
        of interdisciplinary pain management, that should be conducted 
        or supported by the National Institutes of Health;
            ``(4) to conduct and support pain research, training, 
        education and related activities that have been identified as 
        requiring additional, special priority as determined 
        appropriate by the Director of the Center and the advisory 
        council established under subsection (c);
            ``(5) to coordinate all pain research, training, and 
        related activities being carried out among and within the 
        National Institutes of Health;
            ``(6) to initiate a comprehensive program of collaborative 
        interdisciplinary research among schools, colleges and 
        universities, including colleges of medicine and osteopathy, 
        colleges of nursing, colleges of chiropractic who are members 
        of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, schools of 
        dentistry, schools of physical therapy, schools of occupational 
        therapy, and schools of clinical psychology, comprehensive 
        health care centers, and specialized centers of pain research 
        and treatment; and
            ``(7) to promote the sufficient allocation of the resources 
        of the National Institutes of Health for conducting and 
        supporting pain research in the specific categories described 
        in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of paragraph (3).
    ``(c) Advisory Council.--
            ``(1) In general.--The National Pain Research Center 
        Advisory Board shall be the advisory council for the Center. 
        Section 406 applies to the advisory council established under 
        this paragraph, except that--
                    ``(A) the members of the advisory council shall 
                include representatives of the broad range of health 
                and scientific disciplines involved in research and 
                treatment related to those categories of pain described 
                in subsection (b)(2), and shall include an equal number 
                of representatives of physicians who practice pain 
                management, clinical psychologists, individuals who 
                provide physical medicine and rehabilitative services 
                (including physical therapy and occupational therapy), 
                nurses, dentists, and chiropractic health care 
                professionals;
                    ``(B) the nonvoting ex officio members shall 
                include--
                            ``(i) the Director of the National Cancer 
                        Institute;
                            ``(ii) the Director of the National 
                        Institute of Dental Research;
                            ``(iii) the Director of the National 
                        Institute of Child Health and Human 
                        Development;
                            ``(iv) the Director of the National 
                        Institute of Nursing Research;
                            ``(v) the Director of the National 
                        Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases;
                            ``(vi) the Director of the National 
                        Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and 
                        Skin Diseases;
                            ``(vii) the Director of the National 
                        Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke;
                            ``(viii) the Director of the National 
                        Institute on Drug Abuse; and
                            ``(ix) the Director of the National 
                        Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 
                        Research of the Department of Education; and
                    ``(3) the council shall meet at least two times 
                each fiscal year.
            ``(2) Duties.--The advisory council shall advise, assist, 
        consult with and make recommendations to the Director of the 
        Center concerning matters relating to the coordination, 
        research, training, education, and related general purposes set 
        forth in sub section (b), including policy recommendations with 
        regard to grants, contracts, and the operations of the Center.
    ``(d) Establishment of Regional Pain Research Centers.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--To facilitate and enhance the 
        research, training, education, and related activities to be 
        carried out by the Center, the Director of the Center, in 
        consultation with the advisory council established under 
        subsection (c), shall establish not less than six regional pain 
        research centers.
            ``(2) Focus and distribution.--
                    ``(A) Focus.--The regional centers established 
                under paragraph (1) shall have as their primary focus 
                one of the categories of pain described in 
                subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of subsection 
                (b)(3).
                    ``(B) Distribution.--One regional pain research 
                center shall be established in each of the following 
                six regions of the United States as defined by the 
                Secretary:
                    ``(A) The northeast region.
                    ``(B) The southeast region.
                    ``(C) The midwest region.
                    ``(D) The southwest region.
                    ``(E) The west region, including Hawaii.
                    ``(F) The Pacific Northwest region, including 
                Alaska.
            ``(2) Use of technology.--The regional centers established 
        under paragraph (1) shall be a part of the Center and shall be 
        interconnected to the Center headquarters through the 
        utilization of distance learning technologies, satellites, 
        fiber optic links, or other telecommunications and computer 
        systems, to allow for the interactive exchange of information, 
        research data, findings, training programs, educational 
        programs, and other Center research and related initiatives.
            ``(3) Initial regional centers.--The initial regional 
        centers shall be selected through a competitive process from 
        among institutions and centers of the type described in 
        subsection (b)(6).
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--For the purposes of carrying out this 
        section, there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 1997, 1998, and 1999, and such sums as 
        may be necessary for fiscal year 2000.
            ``(2) Regional centers.--Of the amount appropriated under 
        paragraph (1) for fiscal year 1998 and each subsequent fiscal 
        year, not less than $1,000,000 shall be made available to each 
        of the regional centers established under subsection (d).
            ``(3) Report to congress.--Not later than January 1, 1998, 
        and each January 1, thereafter, the Director of the Center 
        shall prepare and submit to the committees of Congress a report 
        concerning the total amount of funds expended to support for 
        pain-related research in for the year for which the report was 
        prepared.''.

Summary: National Center for Pain Research Act of 1996 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish, in the National Institutes of Health, the National Center for Pain Research. Makes the National Pain Research Center Advisory Board the advisory council for the Center. Mandates establishment of not less than six regional pain research centers. Authorizes appropriations.