I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5419
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a demonstration project
at the National Cancer Institute to provide funding for research con-
cerning the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure for cancer.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 6, 2000
Ms. PRYCE of Ohio (for herself and Mrs. CAPPS) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a dem-
onstration project at the National Cancer Institute to
provide funding for research concerning the prevention,
diagnosis, treatment, and cure for 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 ‘‘Millennium Cancer
Research Act’’.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE DEMONSTRATION
PROGRAM.
Subpart 1 of part C of title IV of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended—
(1) by redesignating section 417B as section
417C; and
(2) by inserting after section 417A, the fol-
lowing:
‘‘SEC. 417B. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR MORE EFFEC-
TIVE RESEARCH.
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the Insti-
tute shall establish a demonstration project under which
the Institute shall provide for the conduct of research
through an infrastructure that fosters scientific creativity
and increases fundamental biological understanding lead-
ing to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of
cancer.
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Under the dem-
onstration project under subsection (a), the Director of
the Institute shall—
‘‘(1) establish efficient and cost-effective re-
search processes and management practices that
eliminate redundant business practices and provide
for ongoing and rigorous oversight to ensure both
quality management and quality science;
‘‘(2) develop a management plan that outlines,
in a clear and concise manner, the—
‘‘(A) improvements that will be made
under the demonstration project in the research
practices of the Institute;
‘‘(B) benefits to be achieved through such
improvements;
‘‘(C) required modifications to existing
rules and regulations that are necessary to
carry out the management plan; and
‘‘(D) processes that will be used to imple-
ment the required modifications;
‘‘(3) establish formal review, oversight, and
management control procedures to ensure the effec-
tive implementation and execution of the manage-
ment plan; and
‘‘(4) carry out the demonstration project using
amounts provided for the Institute under the annual
appropriations process.
‘‘(c) AUTHORITY OF DIRECTOR.—To carry out the
demonstration project under this section, the Director of
the Institute shall have the following authority:
‘‘(1) HUMAN RESOURCES SYSTEM.—The Direc-
tor of the Institute shall, using the authority pro-
vided to the Director under this Act, as well as au-
thorities under section 207(f), carry out a 5-year
pilot program under which the Director shall estab-
lish a comprehensive competitive human resources
system that complies with existing guidelines under
title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, and applicable
affirmative action requirements. In establishing such
system the Director shall—
‘‘(A) appoint individuals to provide services
in furtherance of the mission of the Institute;
‘‘(B) obtain the services of experts or con-
sultants as determined necessary by the Direc-
tor notwithstanding section 413(b)(5);
‘‘(C) have the authority, notwithstanding
limitations on full time equivalent personnel, to
hire appropriate personnel, subject to the avail-
ability of funds; and
‘‘(D) have the authority, notwithstanding
limitations on cost-sharing or duration, to exe-
cute Intergovernmental Personnel Act Agree-
ments under terms that are mutually agreeable
to the Director of the Institute and the loaning
or receiving employer.
‘‘(2) TRANSACTIONS.—The Director of the In-
stitute may enter into transactions (other than con-
tracts, cooperative agreements, and grants) to carry
out basic, applied, and advanced research projects.
The authority provided under this paragraph shall
be in addition to the authority provided under sec-
tions 405 and 413 to use contracts, cooperative
agreements, and grants in carrying out such
projects.
‘‘(3) HIGH IMPACT, INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN
CANCER.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the
Institute shall establish a program to encourage
high impact, cutting edge research that will
lead to future progress against cancer. Such
program shall be designed to enable the Direc-
tor to undertake research projects with max-
imum flexibility and speed. The requirements of
section 303 of the Federal Property and Ad-
ministrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C.
253), section 8 of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 637e), section 18 of the Office of Fed-
eral Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 416),
and sections 405 and 492 of this Act, and any
regulations promulgated under such provisions
of law, shall be waived with respect to critical
research projects undertaken under the pro-
gram authorized by this paragraph. Such pro-
gram shall be designed to enable the Director,
as rapidly as practicable to—
‘‘(i) select new initiatives, after an ex-
peditious peer review with requisite exper-
tise, for further development and research;
‘‘(ii) identify partners and collabo-
rators for such initiatives;
‘‘(iii) select the appropriate funding
mechanism for such initiatives;
‘‘(iv) reprogram up to 2 percent of the
amounts appropriated to the National Can-
cer Institute to support such initiatives
and research; and
‘‘(v) make awards with respect to new
initiatives and research.
‘‘(B) REPORT.—The Director shall annu-
ally submit a report to Congress that identifies
those initiatives that were funded in the year
for which the report is being submitted under
subparagraph (A).
‘‘(C) USE OF EXPERTS.—In carrying out
this paragraph, the Director of the Institute
may, notwithstanding the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), convene
groups, that may be composed of both Federal
‘‘(7) OTHER
AGREEMENTS.—Notwithstanding
the limitations contained in section 413(b)(6) and
the Public Buildings Act of 1959 (40 U.S.C. 601 et
seq.), the Director of the Institute may enter into
agreements that maximize the operations and effi-
ciency of the National Cancer Institute in fulfilling
its mission.
‘‘(d) REPORT.—The Director of the Institute shall
annually prepare and submit to the Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health a report concerning those ac-
tivities carried out under this section that the Director of
the Institute determines may have a potential benefit for
other research activities carried out by the National Insti-
tutes of Health.
‘‘(e) TERMINATION.—The authority provided under
this section shall terminate on the date that is 5 years
after the date of enactment of the Millennium Cancer Re-
search Act.’’.
SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.
Section 406(h)(2)(A) of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 284a(h)(2)(A)) is amended—
(1) in clause (iii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end;
(2) by striking clause (iv); and
(3) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (iv).
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