II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 626 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for arthritis research 

and public health, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 15, 2007 

Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. BOND, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. CRAIG, and Mr. SHELBY) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 

arthritis research and public health, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Arthritis Prevention, 

5 Control, and Cure Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are 

9 among the most common conditions in the United 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
2 

•S 626 IS

1 States. There are more than 100 different forms of 

2 arthritis, which affects joints, the tissues which sur3 round the joint, and other connective tissue. Two of 

4 the most common forms are osteoarthritis, which af5 fects approximately 21,000,000 Americans, and 

6 rheumatoid arthritis. 

7 (2) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases 

8 cause severe and chronic pain, swollen tissue, liga9 ment and joint destruction, deformities, permanent 

10 disability, and death. Arthritis and other rheumatic 

11 diseases erode patients’ quality of life and can di12 minish their mental health, impose significant limi13 tations on their daily activities, and disrupt the lives 

14 of their family members and caregivers. 

15 (3) One out of every 5, or nearly 46,000,000, 

16 adults in the United States suffers from arthritis. 

17 The number of individuals in the United States with 

18 arthritis will grow as the number of older Americans 

19 continues to increase dramatically in the next few 

20 decades. 

21 (4) By 2030, nearly 67,000,000, or 25 percent, 

22 of the projected United States adult population will 

23 have arthritis, and arthritis will limit the daily ac24 tivities of nearly 25,000,000 individuals. These esti25 mates may be conservative as they do not account 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
3 

•S 626 IS

1 for the current trends in obesity, which may con2 tribute to future cases of osteoarthritis. 

3 (5) According to the Centers for Disease Con4 trol and Prevention, the total costs attributable to 

5 arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the 

6 United States in 2003 was approximately 

7 $128,000,000,000. This equaled 1.2 percent of the 

8 2003 United States gross domestic product. 

9 $80,800,000,000 were direct costs for medical care 

10 and $47,000,000,000 were indirect costs for lost 

11 earnings. National medical costs attributable to ar12 thritis grew by 24 percent between 1997 and 2003. 

13 This rise in medical costs resulted from an increase 

14 in the number of people with arthritis and other 

15 rheumatic conditions. 

16 (6) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases af17 fect all types of people of the United States, not just 

18 older individuals. Arthritis and other rheumatic dis19 eases disproportionately affect women in the United 

20 States. 8,700,000 young adults ages 18 through 44 

21 have arthritis and millions of others are at risk for 

22 developing the disease. 

23 (7) Nearly 300,000 children in the United 

24 States, or 3 children out of every 1,000, have some 

25 form of arthritis or other rheumatic disease. It is the 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
4 

•S 626 IS

1 sense of Congress that the substantial morbidity as2 sociated with pediatric arthritis warrants a greater 

3 Federal investment in research to identify new and 

4 more effective treatments for these diseases. 

5 (8) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are 

6 the leading cause of disability among adults in the 

7 United States. Over 40 percent, or nearly 

8 19,000,000, adults with arthritis are limited in their 

9 activities because of their arthritis. 

10 (9) Obese adults are up to 4 times more likely 

11 to develop knee osteoarthritis than normal weight 

12 adults. Excess body weight is also associated with 

13 worse progression of arthritis, contributing to func14 tional limitations, mobility problems and disability. 

15 About 35 percent of adults with arthritis are obese 

16 compared to only 21 percent of those without arthri17 tis. 

18 (10) Arthritis results in 744,000 hospitaliza19 tions and 36,500,000 outpatient care visits every 

20 year. 

21 (11) In 1975, the National Arthritis Act of 

22 1974 (Public Law 93–640) was enacted to promote 

23 basic and clinical arthritis research, establish Multi24 purpose Arthritis Centers, and expand clinical 

25 knowledge in the field of arthritis. The Act was sucVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
5 

•S 626 IS

1 cessfully implemented, and continued funding of ar2 thritis-related research has lead to important ad3 vances in arthritis control, treatment, and preven4 tion. 

5 (12) Early diagnosis, treatment, and appro6 priate management of arthritis can control symp7 toms and improve quality of life. Weight control and 

8 exercise can demonstrably lower health risks from 

9 arthritis, as can other forms of patient education, 

10 training, and self-management. The genetics of ar11 thritis are being actively investigated. New, innova12 tive, and increasingly effective drug therapies, joint 

13 replacements, and other therapeutic options are 

14 being developed. 

15 (13) While research has identified many effec16 tive interventions against arthritis, such interven17 tions are broadly underutilized. That underutiliza18 tion leads to unnecessary loss of life, health, and 

19 quality of life, as well as avoidable or unnecessarily 

20 high health care costs. Increasing physical activity, 

21 losing excess weight, and participating in self-man22 agement education classes have been shown to re23 duce pain, improve functional limitations and mental 

24 health, and reduce disability among persons with ar25 thritis. Some self-management programs have been 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
6 

•S 626 IS

1 proven to reduce arthritis pain by 20 percent and 

2 physician visits by 40 percent. Despite this fact, less 

3 than 1 percent of the people in the United States 

4 with arthritis participate in such programs, and self5 management courses are not offered in all areas of 

6 the United States. 

7 (14) Rheumatologists are internists or pediatric 

8 sub-specialists that are uniquely qualified by an ad9 ditional 2 to 4 years of training and experience in 

10 the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic conditions. 

11 Typically, rheumatologists act as consultants, but 

12 also often act as managers, relying on the help of 

13 many skilled professionals, including nurses, physical 

14 and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social 

15 workers. Many rheumatologists conduct research to 

16 determine the cause and effective treatment of dis17 abling and sometimes fatal rheumatic diseases. 

18 (15) Recognizing that the Nation requires a 

19 public health approach to arthritis, the Department 

20 of Health and Human Services established impor21 tant national goals related to arthritis in its Healthy 

22 People 2010 initiative. Moreover, various Federal 

23 and non-Federal stakeholders have worked coopera24 tively to develop a comprehensive National Arthritis 

25 Action Plan: A Public Health Strategy. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
7 

•S 626 IS

1 (16) Greater efforts and commitments are need2 ed from Congress, the States, providers, and pa3 tients to achieve the goals of Healthy People 2010, 

4 implement a national public health strategy con5 sistent with the National Arthritis Action Plan, and 

6 lessen the burden of arthritis on citizens of the 

7 United States. 

8 SEC. 3. ENHANCING THE PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVITIES RE9 LATED TO ARTHRITIS OF THE CENTERS FOR 

10 DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION 

11 THROUGH THE NATIONAL ARTHRITIS ACTION 

12 PLAN. 

13 Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 243 et seq.) is amended by inserting after sec15 tion 314 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 315. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL ARTHRITIS 

17 ACTION PLAN. 

18 ‘‘The Secretary shall develop and implement a Na19 tional Arthritis Action Plan that consists of— 

20 ‘‘(1) the Federal arthritis prevention and con21 trol activities, as described in section 315A; 

22 ‘‘(2) the State arthritis control and prevention 

23 programs, as described in section 315B; 

24 ‘‘(3) the comprehensive arthritis action grant 

25 program, as described in section 315C; and 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
8 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(4) a national arthritis education and outreach 

2 program, as described in section 315D. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 315A. FEDERAL ARTHRITIS PREVENTION AND CON4 TROL ACTIVITIES. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

6 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre7 vention, shall, directly, or through a grant to an eligible 

8 entity, conduct, support, and promote the coordination of 

9 research, investigations, demonstrations, training, and 

10 studies relating to the control, prevention, and surveillance 

11 of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. 

12 ‘‘(b) DUTIES OF SECRETARY.—The activities of the 

13 Secretary under subsection (a) shall include— 

14 ‘‘(1) the collection, publication, and analysis of 

15 data on the prevalence and incidence of arthritis and 

16 other rheumatic diseases; 

17 ‘‘(2) the development of uniform data sets for 

18 public health surveillance and clinical quality im19 provement activities; 

20 ‘‘(3) the identification of evidence-based and 

21 cost-effective best practices for the prevention, diag22 nosis, management, and care of arthritis and other 

23 rheumatic diseases; 

24 ‘‘(4) research, including research on behavioral 

25 interventions to prevent arthritis and on other eviVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
9 

•S 626 IS

1 dence-based best practices relating to arthritis pre2 vention, diagnosis, management, and care; and 

3 ‘‘(5) demonstration projects, including commu4 nity-based and patient self-management programs of 

5 arthritis control, prevention, and care, and similar 

6 collaborations with academic institutions, hospitals, 

7 health insurers, researchers, health professionals, 

8 and nonprofit organizations. 

9 ‘‘(c) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—With 

10 respect to the planning, development, and operation of any 

11 activity carried out under subsection (a), the Secretary 

12 may provide training, technical assistance, supplies, equip13 ment, or services, and may assign any officer or employee 

14 of the Department of Health and Human Services to a 

15 State or local health agency, or to any public or nonprofit 

16 entity designated by a State health agency, in lieu of pro17 viding grant funds under this section. 

18 ‘‘(d) ARTHRITIS PREVENTION RESEARCH AT THE

19 CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

20 CENTERS.—The Secretary shall provide additional grant 

21 support for research projects at the Centers for Prevention 

22 Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Preven23 tion to encourage the expansion of research portfolios at 

24 the Centers for Prevention Research to include arthritisVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
10 

•S 626 IS

1 specific research activities related to the prevention and 

2 management of arthritis. 

3 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

5 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

6 2008 through 2012. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 315B. STATE ARTHRITIS CONTROL AND PREVENTION 

8 PROGRAMS. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

10 grants to eligible entities to provide support for com11 prehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and 

12 to enable such entities to provide public health surveil13 lance, prevention, and control activities related to arthritis 

14 and other rheumatic diseases. 

15 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

16 under this section, an entity shall be a State or Indian 

17 tribe. 

18 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

19 under this section, an entity shall submit to the Secretary 

20 an application at such time, in such manner, and con21 taining such agreements, assurances, and information as 

22 the Secretary may require, including a comprehensive ar23 thritis control and prevention plan that— 

24 ‘‘(1) is developed with the advice of stake25 holders from the public, private, and nonprofit secVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
11 

•S 626 IS

1 tors that have expertise relating to arthritis control, 

2 prevention, and treatment that increase the quality 

3 of life and decrease the level of disability; 

4 ‘‘(2) is intended to reduce the morbidity of ar5 thritis, with priority on preventing and controlling 

6 arthritis in at-risk populations and reducing dispari7 ties in arthritis prevention, diagnosis, management, 

8 and quality of care in underserved populations; 

9 ‘‘(3) describes the arthritis-related services and 

10 activities to be undertaken or supported by the enti11 ty; and 

12 ‘‘(4) is developed in a manner that is consistent 

13 with the National Arthritis Action Plan or a subse14 quent strategic plan designated by the Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall use 

16 amounts received under a grant awarded under subsection 

17 (a) to conduct, in a manner consistent with the com18 prehensive arthritis control and prevention plan submitted 

19 by the entity in the application under subsection (c)— 

20 ‘‘(1) public health surveillance and epidemiolog21 ical activities relating to the prevalence of arthritis 

22 and assessment of disparities in arthritis prevention, 

23 diagnosis, management, and care; 

24 ‘‘(2) public information and education pro25 grams; and 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
12 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(3) education, training, and clinical skills im2 provement activities for health professionals, includ3 ing allied health personnel. 

4 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

6 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

7 2008 through 2012. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 315C. COMPREHENSIVE ARTHRITIS ACTION GRANTS. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

10 grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to enable 

11 such eligible entities to assist in the implementation of a 

12 national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. 

13 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

14 under this section, an entity shall be a national public or 

15 private nonprofit entity. 

16 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

17 under this section, an entity shall submit to the Secretary 

18 an application at such time, in such manner, and con19 taining such agreements, assurances, and information as 

20 the Secretary may require, including a description of how 

21 funds received under a grant awarded under this section 

22 will— 

23 ‘‘(1) supplement or fulfill unmet needs identi24 fied in the comprehensive arthritis control and pre25 vention plan of a State or Indian tribe; 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
13 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(2) otherwise help achieve the goals of the Na2 tional Arthritis Action Plan or a subsequent stra3 tegic plan designated by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec5 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities 

6 submitting applications proposing to carry out programs 

7 for controlling and preventing arthritis in at-risk popu8 lations or reducing disparities in underserved populations. 

9 ‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall use 

10 amounts received under a grant awarded under subsection 

11 (a) for 1 or more of the following purposes: 

12 ‘‘(1) To expand the availability of physical ac13 tivity programs designed specifically for people with 

14 arthritis. 

15 ‘‘(2) To provide awareness education to pa16 tients, family members, and health care providers, to 

17 help such individuals recognize the signs and symp18 toms of arthritis, and to address the control and 

19 prevention of arthritis. 

20 ‘‘(3) To decrease long-term consequences of ar21 thritis by making information available to individ22 uals with regard to the self-management of arthritis. 

23 ‘‘(4) To provide information on nutrition edu24 cation programs with regard to preventing or miti25 gating the impact of arthritis. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
14 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.—An eligible entity that receives a 

2 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 

3 evaluation of the operations and activities carried out 

4 under such grant that includes an analysis of increased 

5 utilization and benefit of public health programs relevant 

6 to the activities described in the appropriate provisions of 

7 subsection (e). 

8 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

10 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

11 2008 through 2012. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 315D. NATIONAL ARTHRITIS EDUCATION AND OUT13 REACH. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall coordinate 

15 a national education and outreach program to support, de16 velop, and implement education initiatives and outreach 

17 strategies appropriate for arthritis and other rheumatic 

18 diseases. 

19 ‘‘(b) INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIES.—Initiatives and 

20 strategies implemented under the program described in 

21 paragraph (1) may include public awareness campaigns, 

22 public service announcements, and community partnership 

23 workshops, as well as programs targeted at businesses and 

24 employers, managed care organizations, and health care 

25 providers. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
15 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 

2 Secretary— 

3 ‘‘(1) may emphasize prevention, early diagnosis, 

4 and appropriate management of arthritis, and op5 portunities for effective patient self-management; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(2) shall give priority to reaching high-risk or 

8 underserved populations. 

9 ‘‘(d) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out this section, 

10 the Secretary shall consult and collaborate with stake11 holders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors 

12 with expertise relating to arthritis control, prevention, and 

13 treatment. 

14 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

16 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

17 2008 through 2012.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. EXPANSION AND COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES OF 

19 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH WITH 

20 RESPECT TO RESEARCH ON ARTHRITIS. 

21 Title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 281 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 439 the 

23 following: 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
16 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘SEC. 439A. ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATIC DISEASES INTER2 AGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

4 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es5 tablish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Inter6 agency Coordinating Committee (referred to in this 

7 section as the ‘Coordinating Committee’). 

8 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The coordinating committee es9 tablished under paragraph (1) shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) provide for the improved coordination 

11 of the research activities of all the national re12 search institutes relating to arthritis and rheu13 matic diseases; and 

14 ‘‘(B) provide for full and regular commu15 nication and exchange of information necessary 

16 to maintain adequate coordination across all 

17 Federal health programs and activities related 

18 to arthritis and rheumatic diseases. 

19 ‘‘(b) ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATIC DISEASES INTER20 AGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE.— 

21 ‘‘(1) COMPOSITION.—The Coordinating Com22 mittee shall consist of members, appointed by the 

23 Secretary, of which— 

‘‘(A) 2 24 ⁄3 of such members shall represent 

25 governmental agencies, including— 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
17 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(i) the directors of each of the na2 tional research institutes and divisions in3 volved in research regarding arthritis and 

4 rheumatic diseases (or the directors’ re5 spective designees); and 

6 ‘‘(ii) representatives of other Federal 

7 departments and agencies (as determined 

8 appropriate by the Secretary) whose pro9 grams involve health functions or respon10 sibilities relevant to arthritis and rheu11 matic diseases, including the Centers for 

12 Disease Control and Prevention, the 

13 Health Resources and Services Administra14 tion, and the Food and Drug Administra15 tion; and 

‘‘(B) 1 16 ⁄3 of such members shall be public 

17 members, including a broad cross section of 

18 persons affected by arthritis, researchers, clini19 cians, and representatives of voluntary health 

20 agencies, who— 

21 ‘‘(i) shall serve for a term of 3 years; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(ii) may serve for an unlimited num24 ber of terms if reappointed. 

25 ‘‘(2) CHAIRPERSON.— 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
18 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT.—The Chairperson of 

2 the Coordinating Committee (referred to in this 

3 subsection as the ‘Chairperson’) shall be ap4 pointed by and be directly responsible to the 

5 Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Chairperson shall— 

7 ‘‘(i) serve as the principal advisor to 

8 the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for 

9 Health, and the Director of NIH on mat10 ters relating to arthritis and rheumatic dis11 eases; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) provide advice to the Director of 

13 the Centers for Disease Control and Pre14 vention, the Commissioner of Food and 

15 Drugs, and the heads of other relevant 

16 Federal agencies, on matters relating to 

17 arthritis and rheumatic diseases. 

18 ‘‘(3) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT; MEETINGS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The 

20 Secretary shall provide necessary and appro21 priate administrative support to the Coordi22 nating Committee. 

23 ‘‘(B) MEETINGS.—The Coordinating Com24 mittee shall meet on a regular basis as deterVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
19 

•S 626 IS

1 mined by the Secretary, in consultation with the 

2 Chairperson. 

3 ‘‘(c) ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATIC DISEASES SUM4 MIT.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

6 the date of enactment of the Arthritis Prevention, 

7 Control, and Cure Act of 2007, the Coordinating 

8 Committee shall convene a summit of researchers, 

9 public health professionals, representatives of vol10 untary health agencies, representatives of academic 

11 institutions, and Federal and State policymakers, to 

12 provide a detailed overview of current research ac13 tivities at the National Institutes of Health, as well 

14 as to discuss and solicit input related to potential 

15 areas of collaboration between the National Insti16 tutes of Health and other Federal health agencies, 

17 including the Centers for Disease Control and Pre18 vention, the Agency for Healthcare Research and 

19 Quality, and the Health Resources and Services Ad20 ministration, related to research, prevention, and 

21 treatment of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. 

22 ‘‘(2) SUMMIT DETAILS.—The summit developed 

23 under paragraph (1) shall focus on— 

24 ‘‘(A) a broad range of research activities 

25 relating to biomedical, epidemiological, psychoVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
20 

•S 626 IS

1 social, and rehabilitative issues, including stud2 ies of the impact of the diseases described in 

3 paragraph (1) in rural and underserved commu4 nities; 

5 ‘‘(B) clinical research for the development 

6 and evaluation of new treatments, including 

7 new biological agents; 

8 ‘‘(C) translational research on evidence9 based and cost-effective best practices in the 

10 treatment, prevention, and management of the 

11 disease; 

12 ‘‘(D) information and education programs 

13 for health care professionals and the public; 

14 ‘‘(E) priorities among the programs and 

15 activities of the various Federal agencies re16 garding such diseases; and 

17 ‘‘(F) challenges and opportunities for sci18 entists, clinicians, patients, and voluntary orga19 nizations. 

20 ‘‘(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 

21 days after the convening of the Arthritis and Rheumatic 

22 Diseases Summit under subsection (c)(1), the Director of 

23 NIH shall prepare and submit a report to Congress that 

24 includes proceedings from the summit and a description 

25 of arthritis research, education, and other activities that 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
21 

•S 626 IS

1 are conducted or supported through the national research 

2 institutes. 

3 ‘‘(e) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—The Coordinating 

4 Committee shall make readily available to the public infor5 mation about the research, education, and other activities 

6 relating to arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, con7 ducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health. 

8 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

10 necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to 

11 carry out this section.’’. 

12 SEC. 5. EXPANSION, INTENSIFICATION, AND INNOVATION 

13 OF RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVI14 TIES RELATED TO JUVENILE ARTHRITIS. 

15 (a) JUVENILE ARTHRITIS INITIATIVE THROUGH THE

16 DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.— 

17 Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 

18 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 404H. JUVENILE ARTHRITIS INITIATIVE THROUGH 

21 THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTI22 TUTES OF HEALTH. 

23 ‘‘(a) EXPANSION AND INTENSIFICATION OF ACTIVI24 TIES.— 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
22 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH, in 

2 coordination with the Director of the National Insti3 tute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Dis4 eases, and the directors of the other national re5 search institutes, as appropriate, shall expand and 

6 intensify programs of the National Institutes of 

7 Health with respect to research and related activities 

8 concerning various forms of juvenile arthritis. 

9 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—The directors referred to 

10 in paragraph (1) shall jointly coordinate the pro11 grams referred to in such paragraph and consult 

12 with additional Federal officials, voluntary health as13 sociations, medical professional societies, and private 

14 entities as appropriate. 

15 ‘‘(b) PLANNING GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR INNO16 VATIVE RESEARCH IN JUVENILE ARTHRITIS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection 

18 (a)(1) the Director of NIH shall award planning 

19 grants or contracts for the establishment of new re20 search programs, or enhancement of existing re21 search programs, that focus on juvenile arthritis. 

22 ‘‘(2) RESEARCH.— 

23 ‘‘(A) TYPES OF RESEARCH.—In carrying 

24 out this subsection, the Secretary shall encour25 age research that focus on genetics, on the deVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
23 

•S 626 IS

1 velopment of biomarkers, and on pharma2 cological and other therapies. 

3 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In awarding planning 

4 grants or contracts under paragraph (1), the 

5 Director of NIH may give priority to collabo6 rative partnerships, which may include aca7 demic health centers, private sector entities, 

8 and nonprofit organizations. 

9 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

11 necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to 

12 carry out this section. Such authorization shall be in addi13 tion to any authorization of appropriations under any 

14 other provision of law to carry out juvenile arthritis activi15 ties or other arthritis-related research.’’. 

16 (b) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SURVEILLANCE ACTIVI17 TIES RELATED TO JUVENILE ARTHRITIS AT THE CEN18 TERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.—Part 

19 B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 243 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 320A 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 320B. SURVEILLANCE AND RESEARCH REGARDING 

23 JUVENILE ARTHRITIS. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

25 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and PreVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:52 Feb 18, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S626.IS S626

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
24 

•S 626 IS

1 vention, may award grants to and enter into cooperative 

2 agreements with public or nonprofit private entities for the 

3 collection, analysis, and reporting of data on juvenile ar4 thritis. 

5 ‘‘(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—In awarding grants 

6 and entering into agreements under subsection (a), the 

7 Secretary may provide direct technical assistance in lieu 

8 of cash. 

9 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION WITH NIH.—The Secretary 

10 shall ensure that epidemiological and other types of infor11 mation obtained under subsection (a) is made available to 

12 the National Institutes of Health. 

13 ‘‘(d) CREATION OF A NATIONAL JUVENILE ARTHRI14 TIS PATIENT REGISTRY.—The Secretary, acting through 

15 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre16 vention and in collaboration with a national voluntary 

17 health organization with experience serving the juvenile 

18 arthritis population as well as the full spectrum of arthri19 tis-related conditions, shall support the development of a 

20 National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry to collect spe21 cific data for follow-up studies regarding the prevalence 

22 and incidence of juvenile arthritis, as well as capturing 

23 information on evidence-based health outcomes related to 

24 specific therapies and interventions. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
25 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

3 necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

4 SEC. 6. INVESTMENT IN TOMORROW’S PEDIATRIC 

5 RHEUMATOLOGISTS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part Q of title III of the Public 

7 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280h et seq.) is amended 

8 by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 399Z–1. INVESTMENT IN TOMORROW’S PEDIATRIC 

10 RHEUMATOLOGISTS. 

11 ‘‘(a) ENHANCED SUPPORT.—In order to ensure an 

12 adequate future supply of pediatric rheumatologists, the 

13 Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the 

14 Health Resources and Services Administration, shall sup15 port activities that provide for— 

16 ‘‘(1) an increase in the number and size of in17 stitutional training grants awarded to institutions to 

18 support pediatric rheumatology training; and 

19 ‘‘(2) an expansion of public-private partnerships 

20 to encourage academic institutions, private sector 

21 entities, and health agencies to promote educational 

22 training and fellowship opportunities for pediatric 

23 rheumatologists. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
26 

•S 626 IS

1 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be 

2 appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of 

3 fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to carry out this section.’’. 

4 (b) PEDIATRIC LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.—Part 

5 Q of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

6 280h et seq.), as amended by subsection (a), is further 

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 399Z–2. PEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY LOAN REPAY9 MENT PROGRAM. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

11 with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Serv12 ices Administration, may establish a pediatric 

13 rheumatology loan repayment program. 

14 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—Through the pro15 gram established under subsection (a), the Secretary 

16 shall— 

17 ‘‘(1) enter into contracts with qualified health 

18 professionals who are pediatric rheumatologists 

19 under which— 

20 ‘‘(A) such professionals agree to provide 

21 health care in an area with a shortage of pedi22 atric rheumatologists; and 

23 ‘‘(B) the Federal Government agrees to 

24 repay, for each year of such service, not more 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
27 

•S 626 IS

1 than $25,000 of the principal and interest of 

2 the educational loans of such professionals; and 

3 ‘‘(2) in addition to making payments under 

4 paragraph (1) on behalf of an individual, make pay5 ments to the individual for the purpose of providing 

6 reimbursement for tax liability resulting from the 

7 payments made under paragraph (1), in an amount 

8 equal to 39 percent of the total amount of the pay9 ments made for the taxable year involved. 

10 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of car12 rying out this section, the Secretary may reserve, 

13 from amounts appropriated for the Health Re14 sources and Services Administration for the fiscal 

15 year involved, such amounts as the Secretary deter16 mines to be appropriate. 

17 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Amounts made 

18 available to carry out this section shall remain avail19 able until the expiration of the second fiscal year be20 ginning after the fiscal year for which such amounts 

21 were made available.’’. 

22 SEC. 7. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS IN PEDIATRIC 

23 RHEUMATOLOGY. 

24 Part G of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 

25 (42 U.S.C. 288 et seq.) is amended— 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
28 

•S 626 IS

1 (1) by redesignating section 487F (as added by 

2 Public Law 106–310) as section 487G; 

3 (2) by inserting after section 487G (as so re4 designated) the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 487H. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS IN PEDI6 ATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

8 with the Director of NIH, may establish a program to in9 crease the number of career development awards for 

10 health professionals who intend to build careers in clinical 

11 and translational research relating to pediatric 

12 rheumatology. 

13 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

14 are appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry 

15 out this section.’’. 

16 SEC. 8. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE STUDY OF ARTHRI17 TIS AND THE WORKPLACE. 

18 (a) STUDY AND REPORT.—Not later than 3 years 

19 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

20 General of the United States shall conduct a study on the 

21 economic impact of arthritis in the workplace, and submit 

22 a report to the appropriate committees of Congress con23 taining the results of the study. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
29 

•S 626 IS

1 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

3 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS