```

[110th Congress Public Law 354]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]

[DOCID: f:publ354.110]

[[Page 3983]]

          BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ACT OF 2008

[[Page 122 STAT. 3984]]

Public Law 110-354
110th Congress

                                 An Act

 
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. <<NOTE: Oct. 8, 2008 -  [H.R. 1157]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Breast Cancer 
and Environmental Research Act of 2008.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 42 USC 201 note.>> 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. <<NOTE: 42 USC 285a-12.>> INTERAGENCY BREAST CANCER 
                          AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH COORDINATING 
                          COMMITTEE.

    ``(a) Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research 
Coordinating Committee.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not <<NOTE: Deadline.>> 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;

[[Page 122 STAT. 3985]]

                          ``(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 <<NOTE: Deadline.>> 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.

[[Page 122 STAT. 3986]]

                                    ``(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

[[Page 122 STAT. 3987]]

to amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated for such purpose 
under section 402A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282a).

    Approved October 8, 2008.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 1157 (S. 579):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 110-889 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 154 (2008):
            Sept. 25, considered and passed House.
            Sept. 27, considered and passed Senate.

                                  <all>
```