I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2472
To promote the dissemination of biomedical information through modern
methods of science and technology and to prevent the duplication of
experiments on live animals, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 18, 1993
Mr. TORRICELLI (for himself, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. JACOBS, Mr. LIPINSKI,
Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. TOWNS, and Mr. GILMAN) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
A BILL
To promote the dissemination of biomedical information
through modern methods of science and technology and
to prevent the duplication of experiments on live animals,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SHORT TITLE
SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Informa-
tion Dissemination and Research Accountability Act’’.
FINDINGS AND PURPOSE
SEC. 2. (a) The Congress finds that—
(1) the Federal Government must, for the pub-
lic good, bear the responsibility for making the re-
sults of biomedical research readily and economically
accessible in a form that maximizes its usefulness to
the research community, reviewers of research pro-
posals, and other individuals involved in the Federal
funding of research proposals;
(2) with the present inefficient system of stor-
age and dissemination of biomedical information,
most biomedical researchers and Federal agencies
cannot readily and economically obtain the full-text
results, current and archival, of research that has
been or is being performed;
(3) the inability of the research community to
obtain full-text results of such research promotes du-
plicative research;
(4) overwhelming numbers of laboratory ani-
mals are used in duplicative research because of the
research community’s inability to determine what re-
search has been performed;
(5) because of a lack of funding, the National
Library of Medicine of the Department of Health
and Human Services has not met the needs of the
biomedical research community;
(6) the failure of the Federal Government to
fund adequately the National Library of Medicine
has resulted in the Library’s inability to support ef-
fectively the creation of new information for use in
teaching and demonstrations, including audiovisual
aids and computer graphics;
(7) the failure of the Federal Government to
support adequately the storage and dissemination of
full-text biomedical information has been devastating
to the Nation’s medical libraries, forcing them to
terminate the acquisition of costly printed material;
(8) the amount of biomedical information is so
vast and is increasing at such a rate that traditional
methods of information storage and dissemination
are no longer efficient or effective;
(9) modern technology, including optical video-
discs, can be used for storage of whole libraries of
full-text biomedical information in a relatively small
space;
(10) these modern technologies are easily and
economically reproducible for distribution to all of
the Nation’s medical libraries for the immediate use
of the scientific community; and
(11) the benefits of developing a modern, effi-
cient, and economical full-text biomedical informa-
tion storage and dissemination system are—
(A) the advancement of scientific knowl-
edge;
(B) the savings to the taxpayers by pre-
venting duplicative research; and
(C) the sparing of millions of laboratory
animals from suffering, fear, and death in du-
plicative research.
(b) The purposes of this Act are to—
(1) establish a National Center for Research
Accountability;
(2) provide for a comprehensive, full-text lit-
erature search before the approval of Federal fund-
ing for any research proposal involving the use of
live animals;
(3) prevent duplicative experimentation or test-
ing on live animals;
(4) promote the advancement and use of mod-
ern technologies with respect to the storage and dis-
semination of biomedical information;
(5) provide, through grants, awards, and sti-
pends, for training of additional biomedical informa-
tion specialists in such modern technologies;
(6) make available at a reasonable cost the full-
text results of biomedical research, current and ar-
chival, to the Nation’s medical libraries for use by
the scientific community; and
(7) promote the creation and use of modern
technologies, including audiovisual aids and com-
puter graphics, for teaching and demonstrations.
THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH ACCOUNTABILITY
SEC. 3. (a)(1) In order to create an independent cen-
ter to assist in eliminating duplication of effort in Federal
research proposals involving live animals, there is hereby
established a National Center for Research Accountability.
(2) Such Center shall be located at the National Li-
brary of Medicine and utilize the facilities of the Library
in accordance with subsection (d).
(b)(1) The President shall appoint twenty persons to
serve as members of the Center and carry out the respon-
sibilities of the Center as described in subsection (f). The
terms of such appointments shall be for a period of time
which the President determines is necessary to assure that
the members will serve long enough to provide adequate
continuity of effort within the Center but also provide for
periodic appointment of new persons as members.
(2) Such appointments shall be made without regard
to political affiliation and solely on the basis of dem-
onstrated ability to carry out the responsibilities of the
Center.
(3) A person appointed to the Center may be removed
only by the President.
(4) Such persons shall be experts in the biomedical
information sciences and, at the time of such appointment,
be employed by a Federal agency in a capacity which
qualifies them to make determinations with respect to
whether research proposals involving live animals are du-
plicative of other research efforts. In making such appoint-
ments, the President shall, to the extent practicable, ap-
point representatives from each Federal agency which
funds research on live animals.
(5) Such persons shall perform their duties at the
Center on a full-time basis and, while performing such du-
ties, shall be considered to be employees of the Federal
agencies which employed them at the time of their ap-
pointment to the Center.
(c)(1) The President shall appoint as the Director of
the Center a qualified biomedical information science ex-
pert who, at the time of such appointment, serves in an
administrative position as a Federal employee.
(2) Such person shall perform his or her duties on
a full-time basis, and while performing such duties, shall
be considered to be an employee of the Federal agency
which employed him or her at the time of the appointment
to the Center.
(3) Such appointment shall be made for a term estab-
lished by the President and shall be made without regard
to political affiliation and solely on the basis of dem-
onstrated ability to serve as a chief administrative officer.
(4) The Director may be removed only by the Presi-
dent.
(5) The Director may, to the extent approved by the
President and in appropriation Acts, appoint a clerical
staff, or to the extent approved by the President after con-
sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices, the Director may utilize the clerical staff of the Na-
tional Library of Medicine.
(d) The President shall, after consultation with the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, provide for ade-
quate office space for the Center within the facilities of
the National Library of Medicine and, to the extent ap-
proved in appropriation Acts, provide for such equipment,
office supplies, and communications facilities and services
as may be necessary for the operation of the Center.
(e)(1) No Federal agency may carry out or fund any
research proposal involving live animals unless the pro-
posal is submitted to the Center in accordance with para-
graph (2).
(2) Following approval by a Federal agency of a re-
search proposal involving live animals, but prior to the
agency’s carrying out or making a commitment to award
funding for such proposal, such proposal shall be submit-
ted by the agency to the Center to ascertain whether such
proposal is essentially duplicative of other research com-
pleted or in process.
(f) If the members of the Center determine, in ac-
cordance with guidelines prescribed by the President, that
such proposal is essentially duplicative of other research
completed or in process, no Federal funding may be uti-
lized with respect to such project.
(g) To assist in carrying out its responsibilities for
conducting comprehensive full-text literature searches, as
it makes determinations under subsection (f), the Center
may, to the extent approved in appropriation Acts, award
contracts to private entities. The President shall establish
rules for the purpose of precluding any conflict of interest
with respect to the awarding of such contracts.
(h) The President may appoint persons to serve,
without compensation, as advisors to the members of the
Center.
(i) The Center shall transmit an annual report to the
President and to both Houses of the Congress summariz-
ing action it has taken in fulfilling its responsibilities
under this Act.
MODERNIZATION OF BIOMEDICAL INFORMATION STORAGE
AND DISSEMINATION BY THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF
MEDICINE
SEC. 4. (a) The National Library of Medicine shall,
to the extent of funds appropriated for such purposes—
(1) acquire, in full-text form, all biomedical in-
formation owned by each Federal agency or available
for use by Federal agencies, except information
which is already in the Library or which is classified
for reasons of national security;
(2) transcribe and store, in full-text form, all
such biomedical information acquired by the Library
after January 1, 1960;
(3) using modern technologies, make available,
upon request and at cost, to medical libraries all
full-text biomedical information in its collection;
(4) support, by grants and contracts, the cre-
ation of new information for teaching and dem-
onstrations, including audiovisual aids and computer
graphics technologies;
(5) make available, upon request and at cost,
such new teaching and demonstration information to
research and teaching institutions for the use of the
scientific community; and
(6) increase the number of persons trained in
modern methods of biomedical information storage
and dissemination technologies by making available
stipends, awards, and grants to persons engaged in
such training.
(b) For purposes of paragraphs (3) and (5) of sub-
section (a), the term ‘‘cost’’ shall mean an amount which
is established by the Secretary of Health and Human
Services in order to assure that the Federal Government
is reimbursed for expenses incurred in acquiring and mak-
ing available the information supplied pursuant to those
paragraphs.
(c) To assist in fulfilling its responsibilities, the Li-
brary may, to the extent approved in appropriation Acts,
award contracts to the private-sector data recording in-
dustry to improve—
(1) the development of modern information
technologies used for storage and dissemination of
full-text biomedical information; and
(2) the dissemination of full-text biomedical in-
formation to medical libraries for the use of the re-
search community.
(d) The Secretary of Health and Human Services
may appoint persons to serve, without compensation, as
advisers to the Library in carrying out this section.
(e) The Library shall transmit an annual report to
the Congress summarizing the progress it has made in
carrying out the provisions of this Act and providing a
statement and analysis of action to be taken by the Li-
brary during the year following such report.
DEFINITIONS
SEC. 5. For the purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘animal’’ means any nonhuman,
vertebrate animal, whether warm-blooded, or cold-
blooded;
(2) the term ‘‘agency’’ has the same meaning
given such term in section 551 of title 5, United
States Code;
(3) the term ‘‘Center’’ means the National Cen-
ter for Research Accountability established by sec-
tion 3(a);
(4) the term ‘‘Library’’ means the National Li-
brary of Medicine; and
(5) the term ‘‘research proposal’’ means any
proposal utilizing a scientific method of inquiry or
examination in seeking or establishing facts and
principles.
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
SEC. 6. There are authorized to be appropriated for
fiscal years beginning after September 30, 1993, such
sums as may be necessary for the purpose of carrying out
this Act.
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