II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1537 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the establishment 

of Parkinson’s Disease Research Education and Clinical Centers in the 

Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

and Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 28, 2005 

Mr. AKAKA introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the 

establishment of Parkinson’s Disease Research Education and Clinical Centers in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs and 

Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. PARKINSON’S DISEASE RESEARCH, EDU4 CATION, CLINICAL CENTERS, AND MULTIPLE 

5 SCLEROSIS CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. 

6 (a) REQUIREMENT FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF CEN7 TERS.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 

2 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add3 ing at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘§ 7329. Parkinson’s disease research, education, and 

5 clinical centers and multiple sclerosis 

6 centers of excellence 

7 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary, upon the rec8 ommendation of the Under Secretary for Health and pur9 suant to the provisions of this section, shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) designate— 

11 ‘‘(A) at least 6 Department health care fa12 cilities as the locations for centers of Parkin13 son’s disease research, education, and clinical 

14 activities and (subject to the appropriation of 

15 sufficient funds for such purpose); and 

16 ‘‘(B) at least 2 Department health care fa17 cilities as the locations for Multiple Sclerosis 

18 Centers of Excellence (subject to the appropria19 tion of sufficient funds for such purpose); and 

20 ‘‘(2) establish and operate such centers at such 

21 locations in accordance with this section. 

22 ‘‘(b) EXISTING FACILITIES; GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBU23 TION.—In designating locations for centers under sub24 section (a), the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the 

25 Under Secretary for Health, shall— 
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1 ‘‘(1) designate each Department health care fa2 cility that, as of January 1, 2005, was operating a 

3 Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clin4 ical Center or a Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excel5 lence unless the Secretary, on the recommendation 

6 of the Under Secretary for Health, determines that 

7 such facility— 

8 ‘‘(A) does not meet the requirements of 

9 subsection (c); 

10 ‘‘(B) has not demonstrated effectiveness in 

11 carrying out the established purposes of such 

12 center; or 

13 ‘‘(C) has not demonstrated the potential to 

14 carry out such purposes effectively in the rea15 sonably foreseeable future; and 

16 ‘‘(2) assure appropriate geographic distribution 

17 of such facilities. 

18 ‘‘(c) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary may 

19 not designate a health care facility as a location for a cen20 ter under subsection (a) unless— 

21 ‘‘(1) the peer review panel established under 

22 subsection (d) determines that the proposal sub23 mitted by such facility is among those proposals 

24 which meet the highest competitive standards of sci25 entific and clinical merit; and 
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1 ‘‘(2) the Secretary, upon the recommendation of 

2 the Under Secretary for Health, determines that the 

3 facility has (or may reasonably be anticipated to de4 velop)— 

5 ‘‘(A) an arrangement with an accredited 

6 medical school which provides education and 

7 training in neurology and with which such facil8 ity is affiliated under which residents receive 

9 education and training in innovative diagnosis 

10 and treatment of chronic neurodegenerative dis11 eases and movement disorders, including Par12 kinson’s disease, or in the case of Multiple Scle13 rosis Centers, multiple sclerosis disease; 

14 ‘‘(B) the ability to attract the participation 

15 of scientists who are capable of ingenuity and 

16 creativity in health-care research efforts; 

17 ‘‘(C) a policymaking advisory committee 

18 composed of consumers and appropriate health 

19 care and research representatives of the facility 

20 and of the affiliated school or schools to advise 

21 the directors of such facility and such center on 

22 policy matters pertaining to the activities of 

23 such center during the period of the operation 

24 of such center; 
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1 ‘‘(D) the capability to conduct effectively 

2 evaluations of the activities of such center; 

3 ‘‘(E) the capability to coordinate, as part 

4 of an integrated national system, education, 

5 clinical, and research activities within all facili6 ties with such centers; 

7 ‘‘(F) the capability to jointly develop a 

8 consortium of providers with interest in treating 

9 neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkin10 son’s disease, and other movement disorders, or 

11 multiple sclerosis in the case of Multiple Scle12 rosis Centers, at facilities without such centers 

13 in order to ensure better access to state of the 

14 art diagnosis, care, and education for 

15 neurodegenerative disorders, or in the case of 

16 Multiple Sclerosis Centers, autoimmune disease 

17 affecting the central nervous system throughout 

18 the health care system; and 

19 ‘‘(G) the capability to develop a national 

20 repository in the health care system for the col21 lection of data on health services delivered to 

22 veterans seeking care for neurodegenerative dis23 eases, including Parkinson’s disease, and other 

24 movement disorders, or in the case of Multiple 
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1 Sclerosis Centers, autoimmune disease affecting 

2 the central nervous system. 

3 ‘‘(d) PANEL.—(1) The Under Secretary for Health 

4 shall establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical 

5 merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for 

6 the establishment of new centers under this section. 

7 ‘‘(2)(A) The membership of the panel shall consist 

8 of experts in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkin9 son’s disease and other movement disorders, and, in the 

10 case of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, experts in autoimmune 

11 disease affecting the central nervous system. 

12 ‘‘(B) Members of the panel shall serve as consultants 

13 to the Department for a period of no longer than 2 years 

14 except in the case of panelists asked to serve on the initial 

15 panel as specified in subparagraph (C). 

16 ‘‘(C) In order to ensure panel continuity, half of the 

17 members of the first panel shall be appointed for a period 

18 of 3 years and half for a period of 2 years. 

19 ‘‘(3) The panel shall review each proposal submitted 

20 to the panel by the Under Secretary and shall submit its 

21 views on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each 

22 such proposal to the Under Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(4) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal 

24 Advisory Committee Act. 
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1 ‘‘(e) ADEQUATE FUNDING.—Before providing funds 

2 for the operation of any such center at a health care facil3 ity other than a health care facility designated under sub4 section (b)(1), the Secretary shall ensure that— 

5 ‘‘(1) the Parkinson’s disease center at each fa6 cility designated under subsection (b)(1) is receiving 

7 adequate funding to enable such center to function 

8 effectively in the areas of Parkinson’s disease re9 search, education, and clinical activities; and 

10 ‘‘(2) in the case of a new Multiple Sclerosis 

11 Center, that existing centers are receiving adequate 

12 funding to enable such centers to function effectively 

13 in the areas of multiple sclerosis research, education, 

14 and clinical activities. 

15 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—(1) 

16 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may 

17 be necessary for the support of the research and education 

18 activities of the centers established under subsection (a). 

19 ‘‘(2) The Under Secretary for Health shall allocate 

20 to such centers from other funds appropriated generally 

21 for the Department medical services account and medical 

22 and prosthetics research account, as appropriate, such 

23 amounts as the Under Secretary for Health determines 

24 appropriate. 
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1 ‘‘(g) FUNDING ELIGIBILITY AND PRIORITY FOR PAR2 KINSON’S DISEASE RESEARCH.—Activities of clinical and 

3 scientific investigation at each center established under 

4 subsection (a) for Parkinson’s disease shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) be eligible to compete for the award of 

6 funding from funds appropriated for the Depart7 ment medical and prosthetics research account; and 

8 ‘‘(2) receive priority in the award of funding 

9 from such account to the extent funds are awarded 

10 to projects for research in Parkinson’s disease and 

11 other movement disorders. 

12 ‘‘(h) FUNDING ELIGIBILITY AND PRIORITY FOR

13 MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS RESEARCH.—Activities of clinical 

14 and scientific investigation at each center established 

15 under subsection (a) for multiple sclerosis shall— 

16 ‘‘(1) be eligible to compete for the award of 

17 funding from funds appropriated for the Depart18 ment medical and prosthetics research account; and 

19 ‘‘(2) receive priority in the award of funding 

20 from such account to the extent funds are awarded 

21 to projects for research in multiple sclerosis and 

22 other movement disorders.’’. 

23 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec24 tions at the beginning of chapter 73 of title 38, 
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1 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

2 the item relating to section 7328 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 7329. Parkinson’s disease research, education, and clinical centers and 

multiple sclerosis centers of excellence.’’. 

3 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 7329 of title 38, 

4 United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take 

5 effect on October 1, 2005. 

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