I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2959 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the establishment 
of Parkinson’s Disease Research Education and Clinical Centers in the 
Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 17, 2005 
Mr. EVANS (for himself, Mr. BAKER, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, 
Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. PICKERING, Ms. HOOLEY, Mr. KING of New York, 
and Mr. BLUMENAUER) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the 
establishment of Parkinson’s Disease Research Edu-
cation and Clinical Centers in the Veterans Health Ad-
ministration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 
1. 
PARKINSON’S 
DISEASE 
RESEARCH, 
EDU-
CATION, AND CLINICAL CENTERS. 
(a) REQUIREMENT FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF CEN-
TERS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 7329. Parkinson’s disease research, education, and 
clinical centers 
‘‘(a) The Secretary, upon the recommendation of the 
Under Secretary for Health and pursuant to the provi-
sions of this section, shall designate six Department 
health-care facilities as the locations for centers of Parkin-
son’s Disease research, education, and clinical activities 
and (subject to the appropriation of sufficient funds for 
such purpose) shall establish and operate such centers at 
such locations in accordance with this section. 
‘‘(b) In designating locations for centers under sub-
section (a), the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the 
Under Secretary for Health, shall— 
‘‘(1) designate each Department health-care fa-
cility that as of January 1, 2005, was operating a 
Parkinson’s Disease research, education, and clinical 
center unless (on the recommendation of the Under 
Secretary for Health) the Secretary determines that 
such facility does not meet the requirements of sub-
section (c) or has not demonstrated effectiveness in 
carrying out the established purposes of such center
or the potential to carry out such purposes effec-
tively in the reasonably foreseeable future; and 
‘‘(2) assure appropriate geographic distribution 
of such facilities. 
‘‘(c) The Secretary may not designate a health-care 
facility as a location for a center under subsection (a) un-
less the peer review panel established under subsection (d) 
has determined under that subsection that the proposal 
submitted by such facility as a location for a new center 
under subsection (a) is among those proposals which have 
met the highest competitive standards of scientific and 
clinical merit, and the Secretary (upon the recommenda-
tion of the Under Secretary for Health) determines that 
the facility has (or may reasonably be anticipated to de-
velop) each of the following: 
‘‘(1) An arrangement with an accredited med-
ical school which provides education and training in 
neurology and with which such facility is affiliated 
under which residents receive education and training 
in innovative diagnosis and treatment of chronic 
neurodegenerative diseases and movement disorders, 
including Parkinson’s disease. 
‘‘(2) The ability to attract the participation of 
scientists who are capable of ingenuity and creativity 
in health-care research efforts.
‘‘(3) A policymaking advisory committee com-
posed of appropriate health-care and research rep-
resentatives of the facility and of the affiliated 
school or schools to advise the directors of such fa-
cility and such center on policy matters pertaining to 
the activities of such center during the period of the 
operation of such center. 
‘‘(4) The capability to conduct effectively eval-
uations of the activities of such center. 
‘‘(5) The capability to coordinate, as part of an 
integrated national system, education, clinical, and 
research activities within all facilities with such cen-
ters. 
‘‘(6) The capability to jointly develop a consor-
tium 
of 
providers 
with 
interest 
in 
treating 
neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s 
Disease, and other movement disorders, at facilities 
without such centers in order to ensure better access 
to state-of-the-art diagnosis, care, and education for 
neurodegenerative disorders throughout the health 
care system. 
‘‘(7) The capability to develop a national reposi-
tory for the collection of data on health services de-
livered 
to 
veterans 
seeking 
care 
for 
neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s
Disease, and other movement disorders in the health 
care system. 
‘‘(d)(1) The Under Secretary for Health shall estab-
lish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of 
proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the es-
tablishment of new centers under this section. 
‘‘(2)(A) The membership of the panel shall consist 
of experts in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkin-
son’s Disease, and other movement disorders. 
‘‘(B) Members of the panel shall serve as consultants 
to the Department for a period of no longer than two years 
except in the case of panelists asked to serve on the initial 
panel as specified in subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(C) In order to ensure panel continuity, half of the 
members of the first panel shall be appointed for a period 
of three years and half for a period of two years. 
‘‘(3) The panel shall review each proposal submitted 
to the panel by the Under Secretary and shall submit its 
views on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each 
such proposal to the Under Secretary. 
‘‘(4) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act. 
‘‘(e) Before providing funds for the operation of any 
such center at a health-care facility other than a health- 
care facility designated under subsection (b)(1), the Sec-
retary shall assure that the center at each facility des-
ignated under such subsection is receiving adequate fund-
ing to enable such center to function effectively in the 
areas of Parkinson’s Disease research, education, and clin-
ical activities. 
‘‘(f) There are authorized to be appropriated such 
sums as may be necessary for the support of the research 
and education activities of the centers established pursu-
ant to subsection (a). The Under Secretary for Health 
shall allocate to such centers from other funds appro-
priated generally for the Department medical services ac-
count and medical and prosthetics research account, as 
appropriate, such amounts as the Under Secretary for 
Health determines appropriate. 
‘‘(g) Activities of clinical and scientific investigation 
at each center established under subsection (a) shall be 
eligible to compete for the award of funding from funds 
appropriated for the Department medical and prosthetics 
research account and shall receive priority in the award 
of funding from such account insofar as funds are award-
ed to projects for research in Parkinson’s disease and 
other movement disorders.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended