I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1483 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a 
National Neurotechnology Initiative, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2009 
Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. FILNER, and Mr. WU) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
implement a National Neurotechnology Initiative, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This 
Act 
may 
be 
cited 
as 
the 
‘‘National 
Neurotechnology Initiative Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) While the field of neuroscience is highly ad-
vanced, our understanding of how the brain works 
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still has many gaps and our ability to repair damage 
remains limited. 
(2) Nearly 100,000,000 Americans suffer from 
a brain or nervous system disease, injury, or dis-
order, and the national economic burden of such 
brain-related 
illnesses 
has 
reached 
over 
$1,000,000,000,000 per year and is growing alarm-
ingly due to an aging population. 
(3) Critical unmet medical needs exist in almost 
every area of the brain and nervous system, includ-
ing Alzheimer’s disease, addiction, anxiety, chronic 
pain, depression, epilepsy, hearing loss, multiple 
sclerosis, obesity, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, 
sleep, spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain in-
jury, and more. 
(4) While the science of the brain is moving for-
ward more rapidly than any other science today, we 
must ensure these discoveries quickly become tools 
to improve the human condition. 
(5) Neurotechnology holds the potential to 
transform nearly every aspect of our lives from med-
icine to defense to education to computing, as well 
as our conception of the human mind. 
(6) A global race is underway to determine the 
country that will lead the neurotechnology economy, 
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which will have long-lasting implications on employ-
ment, infrastructure development, and regional com-
petitiveness. 
(7) Federal leadership is needed to accelerate 
and coordinate the development of neurotechnology 
and bring the benefits to those in need across the 
Nation. 
(8) Therefore, it is in the national interest for 
the Federal Government to increase investment and 
interagency coordination of Federal neurotechnology 
research, development, and commercialization pro-
grams. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) INITIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Initiative’’ means 
the National Neurotechnology Initiative implemented 
under section 4. 
(2) NEUROTECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘‘neuro-
technology’’ means the science and technology that 
allows an individual to analyze, understand, treat, 
and heal the brain and nervous system. 
(3) QUALIFIED
STAFF.—The term ‘‘qualified 
staff’’ means a Food and Drug Administration em-
ployee who has academic training or significant ex-
perience in neurotechnology or related fields, or who 
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has satisfactorily completed a Food and Drug Ad-
ministration neuroscience training course. 
(4) RELATED
FIELDS.—The term ‘‘related 
fields’’ means neuroscience, neuromedicine, cognitive 
science, behavioral psychology, neuropharmacology, 
neuropsychiatry, neuroimaging, neuroregeneration, 
neurorehabilitation, neuromodulation, neurostimula-
tion, biomedical engineering, bioengineering, molec-
ular biology, computer science, robotics, and such 
other fields as the Director of the National Neuro-
technology Coordinating Office determines to be re-
lated to neurotechnology. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
(6) TRANSLATIONAL.—The term ‘‘translation-
al’’ means relating to research that is focused on 
converting laboratory findings into patient treat-
ments. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL NEUROTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall implement a 
National Neurotechnology Initiative under which, acting 
through appropriate agencies, councils, and the National 
Neurotechnology Coordination Office established pursuant 
to section 5, the Secretary shall— 
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(1) establish goals, priorities, and metrics for 
evaluation for Federal neurotechnology research, de-
velopment, commercialization, and other activities; 
(2) increase the investment in Federal research, 
development, 
and 
translational 
programs 
in 
neurotechnology, and related fields as appropriate, 
to achieve the goals described in paragraph (1); and 
(3) increase interagency coordination of Federal 
neurotechnology research, development, and other 
activities undertaken pursuant to the Initiative. 
(b) AREAS
OF
CONCENTRATION.—The Initiative 
shall— 
(1) 
coordinate, 
support, 
and 
extend 
the 
neurotechnology-related activities of the National In-
stitutes of Health and the work of the Blueprint for 
Neuroscience Research developed under section 6(a); 
(2) coordinate and promote neuroscience small 
business innovation research programs; 
(3) facilitate testing and evaluation of advances 
in neuromedicine, including drugs, diagnostics, and 
devices; and 
(4) coordinate and promote the study of the so-
cial, ethical, and legal aspects of neurotechnology. 
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SEC. 5. COORDINATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 
National Neurotechnology Coordination Office, to be 
headed by a director to be appointed by the Secretary, 
that shall— 
(1) coordinate Federal neurotechnology activi-
ties among the Department of Health and Human 
Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Food 
and Drug Administration, the Department of De-
fense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 
other Federal agencies; 
(2) serve as the point of contact on Federal 
neurotechnology activities for academia, industry, 
professional societies, State neurotechnology pro-
grams, interested citizen groups, and others to facili-
tate the exchange of technical and programmatic in-
formation; 
(3) conduct public outreach, including dissemi-
nation of findings and recommendations of the Na-
tional Neurotechnology Advisory Council established 
under subsection (c), as appropriate; 
(4) promote access to, and the early application 
of, the technologies, innovations, and expertise de-
rived from activities conducted under the Initiative 
by agencies and systems across the Federal Govern-
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ment, and by United States industry, including 
start-up companies; and 
(5) provide technical and administrative support 
to the National Neurotechnology Advisory Council. 
(b) 
REPORT.—The 
Director 
of 
the 
National 
Neurotechnology Coordination Office shall annually sub-
mit to the Secretary a report on the status of the Initia-
tive. Such reports shall contain the results of an evaluation 
of the effectiveness of the Initiative in the year for which 
the report is being prepared and the goals and bench-
marks for the following year. The Secretary shall transmit 
a copy of each report under this subsection to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 
(c) ADVISORY COUNCIL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish, or designate an existing entity as, a National 
Neurotechnology Advisory Council. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council 
shall consist primarily of members from aca-
demic institutions, not-for-profit organizations, 
and industry. 
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(B) REQUIREMENTS.—Members of the Ad-
visory Council shall be qualified to provide ad-
vice and information on neurotechnology re-
search, development, demonstrations, education, 
technology transfer, commercial application, de-
livery, access, or ethical, legal, and social issues 
related to neurotechnology. 
(C) RECOMMENDATIONS.—In appointing 
members to, or designating an entity as, an Ad-
visory Council, the Secretary may seek and give 
consideration to recommendations from the 
Congress, industry, the scientific and medical 
communities (including the National Academy 
of Sciences, scientific and medical professional 
societies, not-for-profit organizations, and aca-
demia), the defense community, State and local 
governments, regional neurotechnology pro-
grams, and other appropriate organizations. 
(3) DUTIES.—The Advisory Council shall pro-
vide advice to the Director of the National 
Neurotechnology Coordination Office on matters re-
lating to the Initiative, including assessing— 
(A) 
trends 
and 
developments 
in 
neurotechnology and related fields; 
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