I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1883
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment
of a pediatric research initiative.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 12, 1997
Mr. GREENWOOD (for himself and Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
the establishment of a pediatric research initiative.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) innovations in health care, deriving from
scientific investigation of the highest quality, offer
substantial benefits to the well-being of children and
savings in health care costs;
(2) findings in pediatric research not only pro-
mote and maintain health throughout a child’s life-
span, but also contribute significantly to new in-
sights and discoveries that will benefit the preven-
tion and treatment of illnesses and conditions among
adults;
(3) the knowledge base in biology and medicine
is expanding beyond even recent predictions offering
the opportunity for basic scientists and pediatricians
trained in research to harness this knowledge to the
benefit of children and society;
(4) children are our most valuable resource and
yet research funding for this population is the most
limited; and
(5) the search for prevention, cures, and better
treatment of children’s illnesses calls for a new com-
mitment to invest in children’s research today to
make a real difference for children tomorrow.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF A PEDIATRIC RESEARCH INI-
TIATIVE.
Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
‘‘SEC. 404F. PEDIATRIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish within the Office of the Director of NIH a Pediatric
Research Initiative (hereafter in this section referred to
as the ‘Initiative’). The Initiative shall be headed by the
Director of NIH.
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Initiative is to
provide funds to enable the Director of NIH to encour-
age—
‘‘(1) increased support for pediatric biomedical
research within the National Institutes of Health to
ensure that the expanding opportunities for advance-
ment in scientific investigations and care for chil-
dren are realized;
‘‘(2) enhanced collaborative efforts among the
Institutes to support multidisciplinary research in
the areas that the Director deems most promising;
‘‘(3) increased support for pediatric outcomes
and medical effectiveness research to demonstrate
how to improve the quality of children’s health care
while reducing cost;
‘‘(4) the development of adequate pediatric clin-
ical trials and pediatric use information to promote
the safer and more effective use of prescription
drugs in the pediatric population; and
‘‘(5) recognition of the special attention pedi-
atric research deserves.
‘‘(c) DUTIES.—In carrying out subsection (b), the Di-
rector of NIH shall—
‘‘(1) consult with the Institutes and other advi-
sors as the Director determines appropriate in the
allocation of Initiative funds, including the Institute
for Child Health and Human Development;
‘‘(2) have broad discretion in the allocation of
any Initiative assistance among the Institutes,
among types of grants, and between basic and clini-
cal research so long as the—
‘‘(A) assistance is directly related to the ill-
nesses and diseases of children; and
‘‘(B) assistance is extramural in nature;
and
‘‘(3) be responsible for the oversight of any
newly appropriated Initiative funds and be account-
able with respect to such funds to Congress and to
the public.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION.—To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated in the aggregate,
$75,000,000 for fiscal years 1998 through 2000.
‘‘(e) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—The Director of NIH
may transfer amounts appropriated under this section to
any of the Institutes for a fiscal year to carry out the pur-
poses of the Initiative under this section.’’.
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