I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1315
To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the establishment of
a comprehensive plan regarding the diabetes-related activities of the
National Institutes of Health, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 14, 1997
Mr. NETHERCUTT (for himself and Ms. FURSE) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the
establishment of a comprehensive plan regarding the dia-
betes-related activities of the National Institutes of
Health, 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 ‘‘Diabetes Research
Amendments of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) Approximately 16,000,000 Americans suffer
from diabetes, and another 650,000 will be newly di-
agnosed during 1997.
(2) Diabetes and its complications are a leading
cause of death by disease in America, and reduce life
expectancy by up to 30 percent. During 1997 diabe-
tes and its complications will contribute to the
deaths of more than 170,000 Americans.
(3) The total health-care-related costs of diabe-
tes, consisting of hospital stays, nursing home serv-
ices, physician care, laboratory tests, and pharma-
ceutical products, total over $130,000,000,000 per
year.
(4) Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases
of blindness in the United States, with 24,000 new
cases resulting from diabetes each year.
(5) One-third of all kidney dialysis patients
have diabetes-related kidney failure.
(6) Diabetes is a leading risk factor for coro-
nary artery disease overall, and in particular for
women between the ages of 30 and 55. Women with
either Type I or Type II diabetes have almost a two-
fold risk of developing coronary artery disease.
(7) Diabetic neuropathy affects 90 percent of
people with long-term diabetes and is a major con-
tributor to lower extremity amputations. Patients
with diabetes account for more than half of all leg
amputations in the United States.
(8) Sixty to 65 percent of people with diabetes
are affected by hypertension.
(9) African Americans, Hispanic Americans,
and Native Americans are at 11⁄2 to 21⁄2 times
greater risk of developing diabetes.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PLAN FOR DIABETES-RELATED
ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF
HEALTH.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 3 of part C of title IV
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c et seq.)
is amended by inserting after section 432 the following
section:
‘‘PLAN REGARDING DIABETES
‘‘SEC. 432A. (a) With respect to activities of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health that relate to diabetes, the Di-
rector of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases, and the Diabetes Mellitus Inter-
agency Coordinating Committee established under section
429, shall—
‘‘(1) establish a comprehensive plan for the con-
duct and support of such activities of the Institute,
and of each other agency of the National Institutes
of Health that has responsibilities regarding diabe-
tes, which plan shall have the goal of developing fu-
ture diabetes research initiatives and direction;
‘‘(2) ensure that such plan establishes priorities
among such activities; and
‘‘(3) review the plan not less than annually, and
revise the plan as appropriate.
‘‘(b) Not later than 12 months after the date of the
enactment of the Diabetes Research Amendments of 1997,
the Director of the Institute and the Diabetes Mellitus
Interagency Coordinating Committee shall establish the
initial plan under subsection (a) and shall submit the plan
to the Congress.’’.
(b) DIABETES RESEARCH-PLAN WORKING GROUP.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health shall establish a Diabetes
Research-Plan Working Group (in this subsection
referred to as the ‘‘Working Group’’).
(2) DUTIES.—The Working Group shall consult
with the Director of the National Institute of Diabe-
tes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the Dia-
betes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee,
for the purpose of providing advice to the Director
and the Coordinating Committee on the development
of the initial plan referred to in section 432A(b) of
the Public Health Service Act (as added by sub-
section (a) of this section).
(3) COMPOSITION.—
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Working Group
shall in accordance with this paragraph be com-
posed of not more than 30 members appointed
by the Director of the National Institutes of
Health or selected by such Director as ex officio
members.
(B) PARTICIPATION
OF
CERTAIN
AGEN-
CIES.—The members of the Working Group
shall include one or more representatives from
each of the following agencies:
(i) The National Institute of Diabetes
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
(ii) The National Eye Institute.
(iii) The National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute.
(iv) The National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases.
(v) The National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development.
(vi) The National Institute of Dental
Research.