110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1157 
AN ACT 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the 
Director of the National Institute of Environmental 
Health Sciences to make grants for the development 
and operation of research centers regarding environ-
mental factors that may be related to the etiology of 
breast cancer.
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 ‘‘Breast Cancer and 
Environmental Research Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 
2. 
EXPANDING 
COLLABORATIVE 
RESEARCH 
ON 
BREAST CANCER AND THE ENVIRONMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 1 of part C of title IV 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 417F. INTERAGENCY BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRON-
MENTAL RESEARCH COORDINATING COM-
MITTEE. 
‘‘(a) INTERAGENCY BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRON-
MENTAL RESEARCH COORDINATING COMMITTEE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 6 
months after the date of the enactment of this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall establish a committee, to be 
known as the Interagency Breast Cancer and Envi-
ronmental Research Coordinating Committee (in this 
section referred to as the ‘Committee’). 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Committee shall— 
‘‘(A) share and coordinate information on 
existing research activities, and make rec-
ommendations to the National Institutes of
Health and other Federal agencies regarding 
how to improve existing research programs, 
that are related to breast cancer research; 
‘‘(B) develop a comprehensive strategy and 
advise the National Institutes of Health and 
other Federal agencies in the solicitation of pro-
posals for collaborative, multidisciplinary re-
search, including proposals to evaluate environ-
mental and genomic factors that may be related 
to the etiology of breast cancer that would— 
‘‘(i) result in innovative approaches to 
study emerging scientific opportunities or 
eliminate knowledge gaps in research to 
improve the research portfolio; 
‘‘(ii) outline key research questions, 
methodologies, and knowledge gaps; 
‘‘(iii) expand the number of research 
proposals that involve collaboration be-
tween 2 or more national research insti-
tutes or national centers, including pro-
posals for Common Fund research de-
scribed in section 402(b)(7) to improve the 
research portfolio; and
‘‘(iv) expand the number of collabo-
rative, multidisciplinary, and multi-institu-
tional research grants; 
‘‘(C) develop a summary of advances in 
breast cancer research supported or conducted 
by Federal agencies relevant to the diagnosis, 
prevention, and treatment of cancer and other 
diseases and disorders; and 
‘‘(D) not later than 2 years after the date 
of the establishment of the Committee, make 
recommendations to the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) 
regarding 
any 
appropriate 
changes to research activities, including 
recommendations to improve the research 
portfolio of the National Institutes of 
Health to ensure that scientifically-based 
strategic planning is implemented in sup-
port of research priorities that impact 
breast cancer research activities; 
‘‘(ii) to ensure that the activities of 
the National Institutes of Health and other 
Federal agencies, including the Depart-
ment of Defense, are free of unnecessary 
duplication of effort;
‘‘(iii) regarding public participation in 
decisions relating to breast cancer research 
to increase the involvement of patient ad-
vocacy and community organizations rep-
resenting a broad geographical area; 
‘‘(iv) on how best to disseminate in-
formation 
on 
breast 
cancer 
research 
progress; and 
‘‘(v) on how to expand partnerships 
between public entities, including Federal 
agencies, and private entities to expand 
collaborative, cross-cutting research. 
‘‘(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—For the pur-
poses of the Committee, when focusing on research 
to evaluate environmental and genomic factors that 
may be related to the etiology of breast cancer, noth-
ing in this section shall be construed to restrict the 
Secretary from including other forms of cancer, as 
appropriate, when doing so may advance research in 
breast cancer or advance research in other forms of 
cancer. 
‘‘(4) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall 
be composed of the following voting members:
‘‘(i) Not more than 7 voting Federal 
representatives as follows: 
‘‘(I) The Director of the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention. 
‘‘(II) The Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health and the di-
rectors of such national research insti-
tutes and national centers (which may 
include the National Institute of Envi-
ronmental Health Sciences) as the 
Secretary determines appropriate. 
‘‘(III) One representative from 
the National Cancer Institute Board 
of Scientific Advisors, appointed by 
the Director of the National Cancer 
Institute. 
‘‘(IV) The heads of such other 
agencies of the Department of Health 
and Human Services as the Secretary 
determines appropriate. 
‘‘(V) Representatives of other 
Federal agencies that conduct or sup-
port cancer research, including the 
Department of Defense.
‘‘(ii) 12 additional voting members ap-
pointed under subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.—The Com-
mittee shall include additional voting members 
appointed by the Secretary as follows: 
‘‘(i) 6 members shall be appointed 
from among scientists, physicians, and 
other health professionals, who— 
‘‘(I) are not officers or employees 
of the United States; 
‘‘(II) 
represent 
multiple 
dis-
ciplines, including clinical, basic, and 
public health sciences; 
‘‘(III) represent different geo-
graphical 
regions 
of 
the 
United 
States; 
‘‘(IV) are from practice settings, 
academia, or other research settings; 
and 
‘‘(V) are experienced in scientific 
peer review process. 
‘‘(ii) 6 members shall be appointed 
from members of the general public, who 
represent individuals with breast cancer.
‘‘(C) NONVOTING
MEMBERS.—The Com-
mittee shall include such nonvoting members as 
the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(5) CHAIRPERSON.—The voting members of 
the Committee shall select a chairperson from 
among such members. The selection of a chairperson 
shall be subject to the approval of the Director of 
NIH. 
‘‘(6) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall meet at 
the call of the chairperson of the Committee or upon 
the request of the Director of NIH, but in no case 
less often than once each year. 
‘‘(b) REVIEW.—The Secretary shall review the neces-
sity of the Committee in calendar year 2011 and, there-
after, at least once every 2 years.’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 
purpose of carrying out research activities under title IV 
of the Public Health Service Act, including section 417F 
of such Act as added by subsection (a), there are author-
ized to be appropriated $40,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2009 through 2012. Amounts authorized to be ap-
propriated under the preceding sentence shall be in addi-
tion to amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated
for such purpose under section 402A of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282a). 
Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 
2008. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1157 
AN ACT 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to author-
ize the Director of the National Institute of En-
vironmental Health Sciences to make grants for 
the development and operation of research cen-
ters regarding environmental factors that may be 
related to the etiology of breast cancer.