To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of research centers regarding environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Breast Cancer and Environmental 
Research Act of 2008''.
SEC. 2. EXPANDING COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH ON BREAST CANCER AND THE 
ENVIRONMENT.
    (a) In General.--Subpart 1 of part C of title IV of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
``SEC. 417F. INTERAGENCY BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 
COORDINATING COMMITTEE.
    ``(a) Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research 
Coordinating Committee.--
        ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
    the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a 
    committee, to be known as the Interagency Breast Cancer and 
    Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (in this section 
    referred to as the `Committee').
        ``(2) Duties.--The Committee shall--
            ``(A) share and coordinate information on existing research 
        activities, and make recommendations to the National Institutes 
        of Health and other Federal agencies regarding how to improve 
        existing research programs, that are related to breast cancer 
        research;
            ``(B) develop a comprehensive strategy and advise the 
        National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies in the 
        solicitation of proposals for collaborative, multidisciplinary 
        research, including proposals to evaluate environmental and 
        genomic factors that may be related to the etiology of breast 
        cancer that would--
                ``(i) result in innovative approaches to study emerging 
            scientific opportunities or eliminate knowledge gaps in 
            research to improve the research portfolio;
                ``(ii) outline key research questions, methodologies, 
            and knowledge gaps;
                ``(iii) expand the number of research proposals that 
            involve collaboration between 2 or more national research 
            institutes or national centers, including proposals for 
            Common Fund research described in section 402(b)(7) to 
            improve the research portfolio; and
                ``(iv) expand the number of collaborative, 
            multidisciplinary, and multi-institutional research grants;
            ``(C) develop a summary of advances in breast cancer 
        research supported or conducted by Federal agencies relevant to 
        the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer and other 
        diseases and disorders; and
            ``(D) not later than 2 years after the date of the 
        establishment of the Committee, make recommendations to the 
        Secretary--
                ``(i) regarding any appropriate changes to research 
            activities, including recommendations to improve the 
            research portfolio of the National Institutes of Health to 
            ensure that scientifically-based strategic planning is 
            implemented in support of research priorities that impact 
            breast cancer research activities;
                ``(ii) to ensure that the activities of the National 
            Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies, including 
            the Department of Defense, are free of unnecessary 
            duplication of effort;
                ``(iii) regarding public participation in decisions 
            relating to breast cancer research to increase the 
            involvement of patient advocacy and community organizations 
            representing a broad geographical area;
                ``(iv) on how best to disseminate information on breast 
            cancer research progress; and
                ``(v) on how to expand partnerships between public 
            entities, including Federal agencies, and private entities 
            to expand collaborative, cross-cutting research.
        ``(3) Rule of construction.--For the purposes of the Committee, 
    when focusing on research to evaluate environmental and genomic 
    factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer, 
    nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict the 
    Secretary from including other forms of cancer, as appropriate, 
    when doing so may advance research in breast cancer or advance 
    research in other forms of cancer.
        ``(4) Membership.--
            ``(A) In general.--The Committee shall be composed of the 
        following voting members:
                ``(i) Not more than 7 voting Federal representatives as 
            follows:

                    ``(I) The Director of the Centers for Disease 
                Control and Prevention.
                    ``(II) The Director of the National Institutes of 
                Health and the directors of such national research 
                institutes and national centers (which may include the 
                National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) as 
                the Secretary determines appropriate.
                    ``(III) One representative from the National Cancer 
                Institute Board of Scientific Advisors, appointed by 
                the Director of the National Cancer Institute.
                    ``(IV) The heads of such other agencies of the 
                Department of Health and Human Services as the 
                Secretary determines appropriate.
                    ``(V) Representatives of other Federal agencies 
                that conduct or support cancer research, including the 
                Department of Defense.

                ``(ii) 12 additional voting members appointed under 
            subparagraph (B).
            ``(B) Additional members.--The Committee shall include 
        additional voting members appointed by the Secretary as 
        follows:
                ``(i) 6 members shall be appointed from among 
            scientists, physicians, and other health professionals, 
            who--

                    ``(I) are not officers or employees of the United 
                States;
                    ``(II) represent multiple disciplines, including 
                clinical, basic, and public health sciences;
                    ``(III) represent different geographical regions of 
                the United States;
                    ``(IV) are from practice settings, academia, or 
                other research settings; and
                    ``(V) are experienced in scientific peer review 
                process.

                ``(ii) 6 members shall be appointed from members of the 
            general public, who represent individuals with breast 
            cancer.
            ``(C) Nonvoting members.--The Committee shall include such 
        nonvoting members as the Secretary determines to be 
        appropriate.
        ``(5) Chairperson.--The voting members of the Committee shall 
    select a chairperson from among such members. The selection of a 
    chairperson shall be subject to the approval of the Director of 
    NIH.
        ``(6) Meetings.--The Committee shall meet at the call of the 
    chairperson of the Committee or upon the request of the Director of 
    NIH, but in no case less often than once each year.
    ``(b) Review.--The Secretary shall review the necessity of the 
Committee in calendar year 2011 and, thereafter, at least once every 2 
years.''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out research activities under title IV of the Public Health Service 
Act, including section 417F of such Act as added by subsection (a), 
there are authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2009 through 2012. Amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
the preceding sentence shall be in addition to amounts otherwise 
authorized to be appropriated for such purpose under section 402A of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282a).

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.

Summary: Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee to: (1) share and coordinate information on existing breast cancer research activities and make recommendations for improvement of research programs. (2) develop a comprehensive strategy and advise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies in the solicitation of proposals for collaborative, multidisciplinary research, including proposals to evaluate environmental and genomic factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. (3) develop a summary of advances in federal breast cancer research relevant to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer and other diseases and disorders. And (4) make recommendations to the Secretary regarding changes to research activities, avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort among federal agencies, public participation in decisions relating to breast cancer research, how best to disseminate information on breast cancer research progress, and how to expand partnerships between public and private entities to expand collaborative, crosscutting research. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2012.