I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1283 

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

and public health, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 1, 2007 

Ms. ESHOO (for herself, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. DOYLE, 

Mr. FARR, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. GORDON of 

Tennessee, Mr. GRAVES, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 

KUCINICH, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LANTOS, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, 

Mr. MCNULTY, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. 

GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. 

RAMSTAD, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. REYES, Mr. ROSS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

SCHIFF, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. SESSIONS, Mrs. TAUSCHER, 

Mr. TOWNS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. WU, Mrs. BOYDA of 

Kansas, Mr. CARNEY, Ms. CLARKE, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. TOM DAVIS of 

Virginia, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. 

MCGOVERN, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. TIERNEY, Ms. WATSON, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 

MCHUGH, and Mr. WOLF) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Control, and Cure Act of 2007’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are 

7 among the most common chronic conditions in the 

8 United States. There are more than 100 different 

9 forms of arthritis, which affect joints, the tissues 

10 which surround the joint, and other connective tis11 sue. Two of the most common forms are osteo12 arthritis, which affects approximately 21,000,000 

13 Americans, and rheumatoid arthritis. 

14 (2) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases 

15 cause severe and chronic pain, swollen tissue, liga16 ment and joint destruction, deformities, permanent 

17 disability, and death. Arthritis and other rheumatic 

18 diseases erode patients’ quality of life and can di19 minish their mental health, impose significant limi20 tations on their daily activities, and disrupt the lives 

21 of their family members and caregivers. 

22 (3) One out of every 5 or 46 million adults in 

23 the United States suffers from arthritis. The num24 ber of individuals in the United States with arthritis 

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1 tinues to increase dramatically in the next few dec2 ades. 

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

4 of the projected United States adult population will 

5 have arthritis, and arthritis will limit the daily ac6 tivities of nearly 25,000,000 individuals. These esti7 mates may be conservative as they do not account 

8 for the current trends in obesity, which may con9 tribute to future cases of osteoarthritis. 

10 (5) According to the Centers for Disease Con11 trol and Prevention, the total costs attributable to 

12 arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the 

13 United States in 2003 was approximately 

14 $128,000,000,000. This equaled 1.2 percent of the 

15 2003 United States gross domestic product. 

16 $80,800,000,000 of such costs consisted of direct 

17 costs for medical care, and $47,000,000,000 con18 sisted of indirect costs for lost earnings. National 

19 medical costs attributable to arthritis grew by 24 

20 percent between 1997 and 2003. This rise in med21 ical costs resulted from an increase in the number 

22 of people with arthritis and other rheumatic condi23 tions. 

24 (6) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases af25 fect all types of people of the United States, not just 


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1 older individuals. Arthritis and other rheumatic dis2 eases disproportionately affect women in the United 

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

4 have arthritis, and millions of others are at risk for 

5 developing the disease. 

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

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

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

9 sense of the Congress that the substantial morbidity 

10 associated with pediatric arthritis warrants a greater 

11 Federal investment in research to identify new and 

12 more effective treatments for these diseases. 

13 (8) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are 

14 the leading cause of disability among adults in the 

15 United States. Over 40 percent, or nearly 

16 19,000,000, adults with arthritis are limited in their 

17 activities because of their arthritis. In addition to 

18 activity limitations, 31 percent or 8,200,000 of 

19 working age adults with arthritis report being lim20 ited in work activities due to arthritis. 

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

22 to develop knee osteoarthritis than normal weight 

23 adults. Excess body weight is also associated with 

24 worse progression of arthritis, contributing to func25 tional limitation, mobility problems, and disability. 


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1 About 35 percent of adults with arthritis are obese 

2 compared to only 21 percent of those without arthri3 tis. 

4 (10) Arthritis results in 744,000 hospitaliza5 tions and 36,500,000 outpatient care visits every 

6 year. 

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

8 1974 (Public Law 93–640) was enacted to promote 

9 basic and clinical arthritis research, establish multi10 purpose arthritis centers, and expand clinical knowl11 edge in the field of arthritis. The Act was success12 fully implemented, and continued funding of arthri13 tis-related research has led to important advances in 

14 arthritis control, treatment, and prevention. 

15 (12) Early diagnosis, treatment, and appro16 priate management of arthritis can control symp17 toms and improve quality of life. Weight control and 

18 exercise can demonstrably lower health risks from 

19 arthritis, as can other forms of patient education, 

20 training, and self-management. The genetics of ar21 thritis are being actively investigated. New, innova22 tive, and increasingly effective drug therapies, joint 

23 replacements, and other therapeutic options are 

24 being developed. 


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1 (13) While research has identified many effec2 tive interventions against arthritis, such interven3 tions are broadly underutilized. That underutiliza4 tion leads to unnecessary loss of life, health, and 

5 quality of life, as well as avoidable or unnecessarily 

6 high health care costs. Increasing physical activity, 

7 losing excess weight, and participating in self-man8 agement education classes have been shown to re9 duce pain, improve functional limitations and mental 

10 health, and reduce disability among persons with ar11 thritis. Some self-management programs have been 

12 proven to reduce arthritis pain by 20 percent and 

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

14 than 1 percent of the people in the United States 

15 with arthritis participate in such programs, and self16 management courses are not offered in all areas of 

17 the United States. 

18 (14) Rheumatologists are internists or pediatric 

19 sub-specialists who are uniquely qualified by an ad20 ditional 2 to 4 years of training and experience in 

21 the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic conditions. 

22 Typically, rheumatologists act as consultants, but 

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

24 many skilled professionals, including nurses, physical 

25 and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social 


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1 workers. Many rheumatologists conduct research to 

2 determine the cause and effective treatment of dis3 abling and sometimes fatal rheumatic diseases. 

4 (15) Recognizing that the Nation requires a 

5 public health approach to arthritis, the Department 

6 of Health and Human Services established impor7 tant national goals related to arthritis in its Healthy 

8 People 2010 initiative. Moreover, various Federal 

9 and non-Federal stakeholders have worked coopera10 tively to develop a comprehensive National Arthritis 

11 Action Plan: A Public Health Strategy. 

12 (16) Greater efforts and commitments are need13 ed from Congress, the States, providers, and pa14 tients to achieve the goals of Healthy People 2010, 

15 implement a national public health strategy con16 sistent with the National Arthritis Action Plan, and 

17 lessen the burden of arthritis on citizens of the 

18 United States. 


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1 SEC. 3. ENHANCING THE PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVITIES RE2 LATED TO ARTHRITIS OF THE CENTERS FOR 

3 DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION 

4 THROUGH THE NATIONAL ARTHRITIS ACTION 

5 PLAN. 

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

7 (42 U.S.C. 243 et seq.) is amended by inserting after sec8 tion 314 the following: 

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

10 ACTION PLAN. 

11 ‘‘The Secretary shall develop and implement a Na12 tional Arthritis Action Plan that consists of— 

13 ‘‘(1) the Federal arthritis prevention and con14 trol activities, as described in section 315A; 

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

16 programs, as described in section 315B; 

17 ‘‘(3) the comprehensive arthritis action grant 

18 program, as described in section 315C; and 

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

20 program, as described in section 315D. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 315A. FEDERAL ARTHRITIS PREVENTION AND CON22 TROL ACTIVITIES. 

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

24 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre25 vention, shall, directly, or through a grant to an eligible 

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


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1 research, investigations, demonstrations, training, and 

2 studies relating to the control, prevention, and surveillance 

3 of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. 

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

5 Secretary under subsection (a) shall include— 

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

7 data on the prevalence and incidence of arthritis and 

8 other rheumatic diseases; 

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

10 public health surveillance and clinical quality im11 provement activities; 

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

13 cost-effective best practices for the prevention, diag14 nosis, management, and care of arthritis and other 

15 rheumatic diseases; 

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

17 interventions to prevent arthritis and on other evi18 dence-based best practices relating to arthritis pre19 vention, diagnosis, management, and care; and 

20 ‘‘(5) demonstration projects, including commu21 nity-based and patient self-management programs of 

22 arthritis control, prevention, and care, and similar 

23 collaborations with academic institutions, hospitals, 

24 health insurers, researchers, health professionals, 

25 and nonprofit organizations. 


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

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

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

4 may provide training, technical assistance, supplies, equip5 ment, or services, and may assign any officer or employee 

6 of the Department of Health and Human Services to a 

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

8 entity designated by a State health agency, in lieu of pro9 viding grant funds under this section. 

10 ‘‘(d) ARTHRITIS PREVENTION RESEARCH AT THE

11 CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

12 CENTERS.—The Secretary shall provide additional grant 

13 support for research projects at the Centers for Prevention 

14 Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Preven15 tion to encourage the expansion of research portfolios at 

16 the Centers for Prevention Research to include arthritis17 specific research activities related to the prevention and 

18 management of arthritis. 

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

20 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

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

22 2008 through 2012. 


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

2 PROGRAMS. 

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

4 grants to eligible entities to provide support for com5 prehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and 

6 to enable such entities to provide public health surveil7 lance, prevention, and control activities related to arthritis 

8 and other rheumatic diseases. 

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

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

11 tribe. 

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

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

14 an application at such time, in such manner, and con15 taining such agreements, assurances, and information as 

16 the Secretary may require, including a comprehensive ar17 thritis control and prevention plan that— 

18 ‘‘(1) is developed with the advice of stake19 holders from the public, private, and nonprofit sec20 tors that have expertise relating to arthritis control, 

21 prevention, and treatment that increase the quality 

22 of life and decrease the level of disability; 

23 ‘‘(2) is intended to reduce the morbidity of ar24 thritis, with priority on preventing and controlling 

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1 ties in arthritis prevention, diagnosis, management, 

2 and quality of care in underserved populations; 

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

4 activities to be undertaken or supported by the enti5 ty; and 

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

7 with the National Arthritis Action Plan or a subse8 quent strategic plan designated by the Secretary. 

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

10 amounts received under a grant awarded under subsection 

11 (a) to conduct, in a manner consistent with the com12 prehensive arthritis control and prevention plan submitted 

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

14 ‘‘(1) public health surveillance and epidemiolog15 ical activities relating to the prevalence of arthritis 

16 and assessment of disparities in arthritis prevention, 

17 diagnosis, management, and care; 

18 ‘‘(2) public information and education pro19 grams; and 

20 ‘‘(3) education, training, and clinical skills im21 provement activities for health professionals, includ22 ing allied health personnel. 

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

24 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 


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

2 2008 through 2012. 

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

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

5 grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to enable 

6 such eligible entities to assist in the implementation of a 

7 national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. 

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

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

10 private nonprofit entity. 

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

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

13 an application at such time, in such manner, and con14 taining such agreements, assurances, and information as 

15 the Secretary may require, including a description of how 

16 funds received under a grant awarded under this section 

17 will— 

18 ‘‘(1) supplement or fulfill unmet needs identi19 fied in the comprehensive arthritis control and pre20 vention plan of a State or Indian tribe; and 

21 ‘‘(2) otherwise help achieve the goals of the Na22 tional Arthritis Action Plan or a subsequent stra23 tegic plan designated by the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec25 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities 


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1 submitting applications proposing to carry out programs 

2 for controlling and preventing arthritis in at-risk popu3 lations or reducing disparities in underserved populations. 

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

5 amounts received under a grant awarded under subsection 

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

7 ‘‘(1) To expand the availability of physical ac8 tivity programs designed specifically for people with 

9 arthritis. 

10 ‘‘(2) To provide awareness education to pa11 tients, family members, and health care providers, to 

12 help such individuals recognize the signs and symp13 toms of arthritis, and to address the control and 

14 prevention of arthritis. 

15 ‘‘(3) To decrease long-term consequences of ar16 thritis by making information available to individ17 uals with regard to the self-management of arthritis. 

18 ‘‘(4) To provide information on nutrition edu19 cation programs with regard to preventing or miti20 gating the impact of arthritis. 

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

22 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 

23 evaluation of the operations and activities carried out 

24 under such grant that includes an analysis of increased 

25 utilization and benefit of public health programs relevant 


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1 to the activities described in the appropriate provisions of 

2 subsection (e). 

3 ‘‘(g) 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. 315D. NATIONAL ARTHRITIS EDUCATION AND OUT8 REACH. 

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

10 a national education and outreach program to support, de11 velop, and implement education initiatives and outreach 

12 strategies appropriate for arthritis and other rheumatic 

13 diseases. 

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

15 strategies implemented under the program described in 

16 subsection (a) may include public awareness campaigns, 

17 public service announcements, and community partnership 

18 workshops, as well as programs targeted at businesses and 

19 employers, managed care organizations, and health care 

20 providers. 

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

22 Secretary— 

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

24 and appropriate management of arthritis, and opVerDate Aug 31 2005 17:35 Mar 03, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1283.IH H1283

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1 portunities for effective patient self-management; 

2 and 

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

4 underserved populations. 

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

6 the Secretary shall consult and collaborate with stake7 holders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors 

8 with expertise relating to arthritis control, prevention, and 

9 treatment. 

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

11 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

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

13 2008 through 2012.’’. 

14 SEC. 4. EXPANSION AND COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES OF 

15 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH WITH 

16 RESPECT TO RESEARCH ON ARTHRITIS. 

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

18 281 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 439 the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 439A. ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATIC DISEASES INTER21 AGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

23 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es24 tablish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases InterVerDate Aug 31 2005 17:35 Mar 03, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1283.IH H1283

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1 agency Coordinating Committee (referred to in this 

2 section as the ‘Coordinating Committee’). 

3 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The coordinating committee es4 tablished under paragraph (1) shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) provide for the improved coordination 

6 of the research activities of all the national re7 search institutes relating to arthritis and rheu8 matic diseases; and 

9 ‘‘(B) provide for full and regular commu10 nication and exchange of information necessary 

11 to maintain adequate coordination across all 

12 Federal health programs and activities related 

13 to arthritis and rheumatic diseases. 

14 ‘‘(b) ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATIC DISEASES INTER15 AGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE.— 

16 ‘‘(1) COMPOSITION.—The Coordinating Com17 mittee shall consist of members, appointed by the 

18 Secretary, of which— 

‘‘(A) 2 19 ⁄3 of such members shall represent 

20 governmental agencies, including— 

21 ‘‘(i) the directors of each of the na22 tional research institutes and divisions in23 volved in research regarding arthritis and 

24 rheumatic diseases (or the directors’ re25 spective designees); and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) representatives of other Federal 

2 departments and agencies (as determined 

3 appropriate by the Secretary) whose pro4 grams involve health functions or respon5 sibilities relevant to arthritis and rheu6 matic diseases, including the Centers for 

7 Disease Control and Prevention, the 

8 Health Resources and Services Administra9 tion, and the Food and Drug Administra10 tion; and 

‘‘(B) 1 11 ⁄3 of such members shall be public 

12 members, including a broad cross section of 

13 persons affected by arthritis, researchers, clini14 cians, and representatives of voluntary health 

15 agencies, who— 

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

17 and 

18 ‘‘(ii) may serve for an unlimited num19 ber of terms if reappointed. 

20 ‘‘(2) CHAIRPERSON.— 

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

22 the Coordinating Committee (referred to in this 

23 subsection as the ‘Chairperson’) shall be ap24 pointed by and be directly responsible to the 

25 Secretary. 


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

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

3 the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for 

4 Health, and the Director of NIH on mat5 ters relating to arthritis and rheumatic dis6 eases; and 

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

8 the Centers for Disease Control and Pre9 vention, the Commissioner of Food and 

10 Drugs, and the heads of other relevant 

11 Federal agencies, on matters relating to 

12 arthritis and rheumatic diseases. 

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

14 ‘‘(A) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The 

15 Secretary shall provide necessary and appro16 priate administrative support to the Coordi17 nating Committee. 

18 ‘‘(B) MEETINGS.—The Coordinating Com19 mittee shall meet on a regular basis as deter20 mined by the Secretary, in consultation with the 

21 Chairperson. 

22 ‘‘(c) ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATIC DISEASES SUM23 MIT.— 

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

25 the date of enactment of the Arthritis Prevention, 


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1 Control, and Cure Act of 2007, the Coordinating 

2 Committee shall convene a summit of researchers, 

3 public health professionals, representatives of vol4 untary health agencies, representatives of academic 

5 institutions, and Federal and State policymakers, to 

6 provide a detailed overview of current research ac7 tivities at the National Institutes of Health, as well 

8 as to discuss and solicit input related to potential 

9 areas of collaboration between the National Insti10 tutes of Health and other Federal health agencies, 

11 including the Centers for Disease Control and Pre12 vention, the Agency for Healthcare Research and 

13 Quality, and the Health Resources and Services Ad14 ministration, related to research, prevention, and 

15 treatment of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. 

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

17 under paragraph (1) shall focus on— 

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

19 relating to biomedical, epidemiological, psycho20 social, and rehabilitative issues, including stud21 ies of the impact of the diseases described in 

22 paragraph (1) in rural and underserved commu23 nities; 


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1 ‘‘(B) clinical research for the development 

2 and evaluation of new treatments, including 

3 new biological agents; 

4 ‘‘(C) translational research on evidence5 based and cost-effective best practices in the 

6 treatment, prevention, and management of the 

7 disease; 

8 ‘‘(D) information and education programs 

9 for health care professionals and the public; 

10 ‘‘(E) priorities among the programs and 

11 activities of the various Federal agencies re12 garding such diseases; and 

13 ‘‘(F) challenges and opportunities for sci14 entists, clinicians, patients, and voluntary orga15 nizations. 

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

17 days after the convening of the Arthritis and Rheumatic 

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

19 NIH shall prepare and submit a report to Congress that 

20 includes proceedings from the summit and a description 

21 of arthritis research, education, and other activities that 

22 are conducted or supported through the national research 

23 institutes. 

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

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1 mation about the research, education, and other activities 

2 relating to arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, con3 ducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health. 

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

5 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

6 necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to 

7 carry out this section.’’. 

8 SEC. 5. EXPANSION, INTENSIFICATION, AND INNOVATION 

9 OF RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVI10 TIES RELATED TO JUVENILE ARTHRITIS. 

11 (a) JUVENILE ARTHRITIS INITIATIVE THROUGH THE

12 DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.— 

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

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

15 following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 404I. JUVENILE ARTHRITIS INITIATIVE THROUGH 

17 THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTI18 TUTES OF HEALTH. 

19 ‘‘(a) EXPANSION AND INTENSIFICATION OF ACTIVI20 TIES.— 

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

22 coordination with the Director of the National Insti23 tute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Dis24 eases, and the directors of the other national re25 search institutes, as appropriate, shall expand and 


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1 intensify programs of the National Institutes of 

2 Health with respect to research and related activities 

3 concerning various forms of juvenile arthritis. 

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

5 in paragraph (1) shall jointly coordinate the pro6 grams referred to in such paragraph and consult 

7 with additional Federal officials, voluntary health as8 sociations, medical professional societies, and private 

9 entities as appropriate. 

10 ‘‘(b) PLANNING GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR INNO11 VATIVE RESEARCH IN JUVENILE ARTHRITIS.— 

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

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

14 grants or contracts for the establishment of new re15 search programs, or enhancement of existing re16 search programs, that focus on juvenile arthritis. 

17 ‘‘(2) RESEARCH.— 

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

19 out this subsection, the Secretary shall encour20 age research that focuses on genetics, on the 

21 development of biomarkers, and on pharma22 cological and other therapies. 

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

24 grants or contracts under paragraph (1), the 

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1 rative partnerships, which may include aca2 demic health centers, private sector entities, 

3 and nonprofit organizations. 

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

5 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

6 necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to 

7 carry out this section. Such authorization shall be in addi8 tion to any authorization of appropriations under any 

9 other provision of law to carry out juvenile arthritis activi10 ties or other arthritis-related research.’’. 

11 (b) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SURVEILLANCE ACTIVI12 TIES RELATED TO JUVENILE ARTHRITIS AT THE CEN13 TERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.—Part 

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

15 243 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 320A 

16 the following: 

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

18 JUVENILE ARTHRITIS. 

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

20 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre21 vention, may award grants to and enter into cooperative 

22 agreements with public or nonprofit private entities for the 

23 collection, analysis, and reporting of data on juvenile ar24 thritis. 


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

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

3 Secretary may provide direct technical assistance in lieu 

4 of cash. 

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

6 shall ensure that epidemiological and other types of infor7 mation obtained under subsection (a) is made available to 

8 the National Institutes of Health. 

9 ‘‘(d) CREATION OF A NATIONAL JUVENILE ARTHRI10 TIS PATIENT REGISTRY.—The Secretary, acting through 

11 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre12 vention and in collaboration with a national voluntary 

13 health organization with experience serving the juvenile 

14 arthritis population as well as the full spectrum of arthri15 tis-related conditions, shall support the development of a 

16 National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry to collect spe17 cific data for follow-up studies regarding the prevalence 

18 and incidence of juvenile arthritis, as well as capturing 

19 information on evidence-based health outcomes related to 

20 specific therapies and interventions. 

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

22 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

23 necessary to carry out this section.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. INVESTMENT IN TOMORROW’S PEDIATRIC 

2 RHEUMATOLOGISTS. 

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

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

5 by adding at the end the following: 

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

7 RHEUMATOLOGISTS. 

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

9 adequate future supply of pediatric rheumatologists, the 

10 Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the 

11 Health Resources and Services Administration, shall sup12 port activities that provide for— 

13 ‘‘(1) an increase in the number and size of in14 stitutional training grants awarded to institutions to 

15 support pediatric rheumatology training; and 

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

17 to encourage academic institutions, private sector 

18 entities, and health agencies to promote educational 

19 training and fellowship opportunities for pediatric 

20 rheumatologists. 

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

22 appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of 

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

24 (b) PEDIATRIC LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.—Part 

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


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1 280h et seq.), as amended by subsection (a), is further 

2 amended by adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 399Z–2. PEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY LOAN REPAY4 MENT PROGRAM. 

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

6 with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Serv7 ices Administration, may establish a pediatric 

8 rheumatology loan repayment program. 

9 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—Through the pro10 gram established under subsection (a), the Secretary 

11 shall— 

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

13 professionals who are pediatric rheumatologists 

14 under which— 

15 ‘‘(A) such professionals agree to provide 

16 health care in an area with a shortage of pedi17 atric rheumatologists; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the Federal Government agrees to 

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

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

21 the educational loans of such professionals; and 

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

23 paragraph (1) on behalf of an individual, make pay24 ments to the individual for the purpose of providing 

25 reimbursement for tax liability resulting from the 


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

2 equal to 39 percent of the total amount of the pay3 ments made for the taxable year involved. 

4 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of car6 rying out this section, the Secretary may reserve, 

7 from amounts appropriated for the Health Re8 sources and Services Administration for the fiscal 

9 year involved, such amounts as the Secretary deter10 mines to be appropriate. 

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

12 available to carry out this section shall remain avail13 able until the expiration of the second fiscal year be14 ginning after the fiscal year for which such amounts 

15 were made available.’’. 

16 SEC. 7. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS IN PEDIATRIC 

17 RHEUMATOLOGY. 

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

19 (42 U.S.C. 288 et seq.) is amended— 

20 (1) by redesignating the second section 487F 

21 (relating to a pediatric research loan repayment pro22 gram) as section 487G; 

23 (2) by inserting after section 487G (as so re24 designated) the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 487H. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS IN PEDI2 ATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY. 

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

4 with the Director of NIH, may establish a program to in5 crease the number of career development awards for 

6 health professionals who intend to build careers in clinical 

7 and translational research relating to pediatric 

8 rheumatology. 

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

10 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

11 necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

12 SEC. 8. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE STUDY OF ARTHRI13 TIS AND THE WORKPLACE. 

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

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

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

17 economic impact of arthritis in the workplace, and submit 

18 a report to the appropriate committees of Congress con19 taining the results of the study. 

20 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

22 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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