I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1746
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2003
Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Mrs. MYRICK, Ms. NORTON, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. KIL-
DEE, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. MCNULTY, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. 
BROWN of Ohio, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. 
FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. FROST, 
Mr. WOLF, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. HOLT, Mr. MCDERMOTT, 
Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. BAKER, Mr. 
SENSENBRENNER, Mr. GORDON, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. 
DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. NADLER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. HINCHEY, 
Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. SCHIFF, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. BOS-
WELL, Mr. OSE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SIMMONS, Ms. CARSON of Indi-
ana, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. REYES, Mr. STARK, 
Mr. ACKERMAN, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. MEEHAN, 
Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. DOYLE, Ms. 
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. BASS, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. 
LEACH, Mr. EVANS, and Ms. DELAURO) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
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 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Breast cancer is the second leading cause of 
cancer deaths among American women. 
(2) More women in the United States are living 
with breast cancer than any other cancer (excluding 
skin cancer). Approximately 3 million women in the 
United States are living with breast cancer: 2 million 
who have been diagnosed and an estimated 1 million 
who do not yet know they have the disease. 
(3) Breast cancer is the most commonly diag-
nosed cancer among women in the United States 
and worldwide (excluding skin cancer). In 2001, it 
is estimated that 233,000 new cases of breast cancer 
will be diagnosed among women in the United 
States: 192,000 invasive breast cancer and 40,800 
cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). 
(4) Breast cancer is the second leading cause of 
breast cancer death for women in the United States;
(9) In order to take full advantage of the tre-
mendous potential for avenues of prevention, the 
Federal investment in the role of the environment
and the development of breast cancer should be ex-
panded. 
(10) In order to understand the effect of chemi-
cals and radiation on the development of cancer, 
multi-generational, prospective studies are probably 
required. 
SEC. 
3. 
NATIONAL 
INSTITUTE 
OF 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
HEALTH SCIENCES; AWARDS FOR DEVELOP-
MENT AND OPERATION OF RESEARCH CEN-
TERS 
REGARDING 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
FAC-
TORS RELATED TO BREAST CANCER. 
Subpart 12 of part C of title IV of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285l et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following section: 
‘‘SEC. 463B. RESEARCH CENTERS REGARDING ENVIRON-
MENTAL FACTORS RELATED TO BREAST CAN-
CER. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Institute, 
based on recommendations from the Breast Cancer and 
Environmental Research Advisory Panel (hereafter in this 
section referred to as the ‘Panel’), shall make grants, after 
a process of peer review and programmatic review, to pub-
lic or nonprofit private entities for the development and 
operation of not more than 8 centers for the purpose of 
conducting multidisciplinary and multi-institutional re-
search on environmental factors that may be related to 
the etiology of breast cancer. Each such center shall be 
known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research 
Center of Excellence. The Panel shall oversee the peer re-
view process and shall conduct a programmatic review. 
The Panel will recommend the funding criteria and mech-
anisms by which the grant funds shall be allocated. The 
Panel shall make final programmatic recommendations on 
allocation of grant funds. 
‘‘(b) BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL RE-
SEARCH ADVISORY PANEL.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish in the Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences the Breast Cancer and Environmental Re-
search Panel (hereafter in this section individually 
referred to as the ‘Panel’). 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Panel shall be com-
posed of nine appointed members and nonvoting ex 
officio members. The Secretary shall appoint—
‘‘(A) six members from physicians, and 
other health professionals, who are not officers 
or employees of the United States, and who
represent multiple disciplines, including clinical, 
basic and public health sciences, and also dif-
ferent geographical regions of the country, indi-
viduals shall come from practice settings as well 
as academia and other research settings. Panel 
members should be experienced in biomedical 
review; and 
‘‘(B) three members from the general pub-
lic who are consumer representatives who have 
had breast cancer and who represent a constitu-
ency. 
‘‘(3) CHAIR.—The members of the Panel shall 
select a chairman from among the appointed mem-
bers. 
‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The Panel shall meet at the 
call of the chairman or upon the request of the Di-
rector of the Institute, but not less often than once 
a year. 
‘‘(c) COLLABORATION
WITH
COMMUNITY.—Each 
center under subsection (a) shall establish and maintain 
ongoing collaborations with community organizations in 
the geographic area served by the center, including those 
that represent women with breast cancer. 
‘‘(d) COORDINATION OF CENTERS; REPORTS.—The 
Director of the Institute shall, as appropriate, provide for
the coordination of information among centers under sub-
section (a) and ensure regular communication between 
such centers, and may require the periodic preparation of 
reports on the activities of the centers and the submission 
of the reports to the Director. 
‘‘(e) REQUIRED CONSORTIUM.—Each center under 
subsection (a) shall be formed from a consortium of co-
operating institutions, meeting such requirements as may 
be prescribed by the Director of the Institute. Each center 
must require collaboration among highly accomplished sci-
entists, other health professionals and advocates of diverse 
backgrounds from various areas of expertise. 
‘‘(f) DURATION OF SUPPORT.—Support of a center 
under subsection (a) may be for a period not exceeding 
5 years. Such period may be extended for one or more 
additional periods not exceeding 5 years if the operations 
of such center have been reviewed by an appropriate tech-
nical and scientific peer review group established by the 
Director of the Institute and if such group has rec-
ommended to the Director that such period should be ex-
tended. 
‘‘(g) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
OF CENTERS.—
The Director of the Institute shall, to the extent prac-
ticable, provide for an equitable geographical distribution 
of centers under this section.
‘‘(h) INNOVATIVE APPROACHES.—Centers shall use 
innovative approaches to study unexplored or under ex-
plored areas of the environment and breast cancer. 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 
purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized 
to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2004 through 2009. Such authorization is in addition to 
any other authorization of appropriations that is available 
for such purpose.’’.
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