I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3756
To establish a National Commission on Digestive Diseases. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 3, 2004
Mr. BLUNT (for himself and Mr. RUSH) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish a National Commission on Digestive Diseases.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON DIGESTIVE DIS-
EASES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’), after consultation with the Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health, shall, within sixty days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, establish a National 
Commission on Digestive Diseases (in this section referred 
to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
(b) DUTIES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall—
(A) conduct a comprehensive study of the 
present state of knowledge of the incidence, du-
ration, and morbidity of, and mortality rates re-
sulting from, digestive diseases and of the social 
and economic impact of such diseases; 
(B) evaluate the public and private facili-
ties and resources (including trained personnel 
and research activities) for the diagnosis, pre-
vention, and treatment of, and research in, such 
diseases; and 
(C) identify programs (including biological, 
behavioral, nutritional, environmental, and so-
cial programs) in which, and the means by 
which, improvement in the management of di-
gestive diseases can be accomplished. 
(2) LONG-RANGE PLAN.—Based on the study, 
evaluation, and identification made pursuant to 
paragraph (1), the Commission shall develop and 
recommend a long-range plan for the use and orga-
nization of national resources to effectively deal with 
digestive diseases. The plan shall provide for—
(A) research studies into the basic biologi-
cal processes and mechanisms related to diges-
tive diseases;
(B) investigations into the epidemiology, 
etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and 
control of digestive diseases; 
(C) development of preventive measures 
(including education programs, programs for 
the elimination of environmental hazards re-
lated to digestive diseases, and clinical pro-
grams) to be taken against digestive diseases; 
(D) detection of digestive diseases in the 
presymptomatic stages and development and 
evaluation of new, and improved methods of 
screening for digestive diseases, taking into ac-
count recent technological changes in diagnostic 
imaging modalities; 
(E) development of criteria for the diag-
nosis and the clinical management and control 
of digestive diseases; 
(F) development of approaches to advance 
digestive diseases research by incorporating in-
sights obtained from genomic and proteomic re-
search; 
(G) development of coordinated health care 
systems for dealing with digestive diseases; 
(H) education and training (including con-
tinuing education programs) of scientists, clini-
cians, educators, and allied health professionals 
in the fields and specialties requisite to the con-
duct of programs related to digestive diseases 
with special emphasis on training for careers in 
research, teaching, and all aspects of patient 
care; 
(I) the conduct and subject matter of trials 
in clinical and translational research in diges-
tive diseases; and 
(J) establishment of a system of periodic 
surveillance of the research potential and re-
search needs in digestive diseases. 
The long-range plan formulated under this para-
graph shall also include within its scope related nu-
tritional disorders and basic biological processes and 
mechanisms in nutrition which are related to diges-
tive diseases. 
(3) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL NA-
TIONAL
RESEARCH
INSTITUTES.—The Commission 
shall recommend for each of the Institutes of the 
National Institutes of Health whose activities are to 
be affected by the long-range plan estimates of the 
expenditures needed to carry out each Institute’s 
part of the overall program. Such estimates shall be 
prepared for the fiscal year beginning immediately
after completion of the Commission’s plan and for 
each of the next five fiscal years. 
(c) COMPOSITION.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission shall be 
composed of 16 members appointed in accordance 
with paragraph (2) and the ex officio members des-
ignated under paragraph (3). The appointed mem-
bers shall be voting members, and the ex officio 
members shall be nonvoting members, except that 
the ex officio member designated under paragraph 
(3)(A) shall be a voting member. 
(2) APPOINTED MEMBERS.—The voting mem-
bers of the Commission shall be appointed by the 
Secretary, and shall be appointed from among indi-
viduals who are not officers or employees of the Fed-
eral Government. Of such members—
(A) 10 shall be appointed from among sci-
entists, physicians, and other health profes-
sionals, of whom—
(i) two shall be practicing clinical gas-
troenterologists; 
(ii) two shall be gastroenterologists in-
volved primarily in research on digestive 
diseases; 
(iii) one shall be a surgeon;
(iv) one shall be an expert in liver dis-
ease; 
(v) one shall be an epidemiologist; 
(vi) one shall be an allied health pro-
fessional; and 
(vii) two shall be basic biomedical sci-
entists (such as biochemists, physiologists, 
microbiologists, 
nutritionists, 
pharma-
cologists, or immunologists); and 
(B) six shall be appointed from among the 
general public, of whom at least three shall 
have personal or close family experience with di-
gestive diseases. 
(3) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—
(A) NATIONAL
INSTITUTE
OF
DIABETES 
AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES.—From 
among officers or employees of the National In-
stitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney 
Diseases whose primary interest is in the field 
of digestive diseases, the Secretary shall des-
ignate an individual to serve as an ex officio 
member of the Commission. 
(B) ADDITIONAL
MEMBERS.—The fol-
lowing officials (or the designees of the offi-
cials) shall serve as ex officio members of the
Commission: The Director of the National In-
stitutes of Health; the Director of the National 
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney 
Diseases; the Director of the National Institute 
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the Director 
of the National Cancer Institute; the Director 
of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging 
and Bioengineering; the Director of the Na-
tional Institute of Drug Abuse; the Director of 
the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Al-
coholism; the Director of the National Human 
Genome Research Institute; the Director for the 
Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition 
within the National Institute of Diabetes and 
Digestive Kidney Diseases; the Director of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the 
Chief Medical Director of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and the Secretary of Defense. 
(d) CHAIR.—From among the appointed members of 
the Commission, the members of the Commission shall se-
lect an individual to serve as the Chair of the Commission. 
(e) TERMS.—The term of a member of the Commis-
sion is the life of the Commission. 
(f) VACANCIES.—
(1) AUTHORITY OF COMMISSION.—A vacancy in 
the membership of the Commission does not affect 
the power of the remaining members to carry out 
the duties of the Commission. 
(2) APPOINTMENT OF SUCCESSOR.—A vacancy 
in the membership of the Commission shall be filled 
in the manner in which the original appointment was 
made. 
(3) INCOMPLETE TERM.—If a member of the 
Commission does not serve the full term of the mem-
ber, the individual appointed to fill the resulting va-
cancy shall be appointed for the remainder of the 
term of the predecessor of the individual. 
(g) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall first meet as 
directed by the Secretary, not later than sixty days after 
the Commission is established, and thereafter shall meet 
at the call of the Chair of the Commission, but not less 
often than three times during the life of the Commission. 
(h) COMPENSATION; REIMBURSEMENT
OF
EX-
PENSES.—
(1) APPOINTED
MEMBERS.—Members of the 
Commission appointed from among individuals who 
are not officers or employees of the Federal Govern-
ment shall receive compensation for each day (in-
cluding travel time) engaged in carrying out the du-
ties of the Commission. Such compensation may not 
be in an amount in excess of the daily equivalent of 
the annual maximum rate of basic pay payable 
under section 5108 of title 5, United States Code, 
for positions above GS–15. 
(2) EX
OFFICIO
MEMBERS.—Members of the 
Commission appointed from among individuals who 
are officers or employees of the Federal Government 
may not receive compensation for service on the 
Commission in addition to the compensation other-
wise received for duties carried out as Federal offi-
cers or employees. 
(3) REIMBURSEMENT.—Members of the Com-
mission, while serving away from their homes or reg-
ular places of business in the performance of serv-
ices for the Commission, shall be allowed travel ex-
penses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in 
the same manner as such expenses are authorized by 
section 5703 of title 5, United States Code, for per-
sons in Government service employed intermittently. 
(i) STAFF.—
(1) EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR.—The Commission 
may appoint and fix the pay of an executive director 
to effectively carry out its functions. The executive 
director shall be appointed subject to the provisions
of title 5, United States Code, governing appoint-
ments in the competitive service, and shall be paid 
in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and 
sub-chapter III of chapter 53 of such title related to 
classification and General Schedule pay rates. 
(2) ADDITIONAL STAFF.—The Secretary shall 
provide the Commission with such additional profes-
sional and clerical staff, such information, and the 
services of such consultants as the Secretary deter-
mines to be necessary for the Commission to carry 
out effectively its functions. 
(j) POWERS.—The Commission may hold such hear-
ings, take such testimony, and sit and act at such time 
and places as the Commission deems advisable. 
(k) REPORT.—Within 18 months following its initial 
meetings (as prescribed by subsection (g)), the Commis-
sion shall publish and transmit directly to the Congress 
a final report respecting its activities under this section. 
The report shall contain—
(1) the long-range plan required by subsection 
(b)(2); 
(2) the expenditure estimates required by sub-
section (b)(3); and
(3) any recommendations of the Commission for 
legislation that would facilitate the implementation 
of the long-range plan. 
In developing recommendations under paragraph (3), the 
Commission shall evaluate the effectiveness of the Inter-
agency Coordinating Committee for Digestive Diseases 
and assess its ability to monitor and promote adherence 
to the long-range plan. The Commission may also make 
recommendations regarding organizational changes within 
the National Institutes of Health or the establishment of 
new entities that would facilitate implementation of the 
long-range plan and otherwise coordinate the Federal di-
gestive diseases research effort. 
(l) TERMINATION.—The Commission terminates 30 
days after the date on which the final report under sub-
section (k) is submitted to the Congress. 
(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 
purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized 
to be appropriated $4,000,000 in the aggregate for fiscal 
years 2005 and 2006.
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