National Institute on Minority Health Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Institute on Minority 
Health Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--
            (1) heart disease and strokes lead to about 2\1/2\ times as 
        many deaths among Black Americans (between the ages of 25 and 
        44) as among White Americans;
            (2) diabetes is twice as prevalent among Mexican- and 
        Puerto Rican-Americans as among White Americans;
            (3) Black and Hispanic women account for 73 percent of the 
        reported cases of AIDS among American women, and the death rate 
        from AIDS is 9 times higher among Black women than among White 
        women;
            (4) between 1983 and 1985, when the infant mortality rate 
        among Whites was 9.0 deaths per 1,000 live births, the infant 
        mortality rate among Blacks was 18.7 and 13.9 among Native 
        Americans, with similar disparities among rates of low-
        birthweight babies;
            (5) in 1988, when the rates of death resulting from 
        homicides was 8 per 100,000 among young (ages 15 to 24) White 
        males, the rate among young Black males was 59 per 100,000, and 
        the rates for young Hispanic and Native American males was 
        roughly 2 to 3 times that of young White males;
            (6) biomedical research, including clinical trials for 
        pharmaceuticals, often has failed to include minorities in the 
        population being studied or tested, even when it is certain 
        that minorities will be among the population subject to the 
        medical condition or receiving the treatment or pharmaceutical 
        that is being studied or tested;
            (7) the percentages of medical professionals, especially 
        physicians, who are minorities are significantly lower than 
        their representation in the general population; and
            (8) the ratio of physicians to inhabitants of neighborhoods 
        that are heavily populated by minorities (or low-income 
        residents) is often much lower than the ratio of physicians to 
        inhabitants of predominantly White neighborhoods.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH.

    Part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 
et seq.), as amended by section 124 of Public Law 102-321 (106 Stat. 
364), is amended by adding at the end the following subpart:

          ``Subpart 17--National Institute on Minority Health

                         ``purpose of institute

    ``Sec. 464V. (a) The general purpose of the National Institute on 
Minority Health is the conduct and support of research, training, the 
dissemination of health information, and other programs with respect to 
minority health conditions, including the advancement of opportunities 
for and recruitment of minorities for training and placement as health 
professionals.
    ``(b) For purposes of this subpart:
            ``(1) The term `health care system' means the system in the 
        United States for the delivery of health care.
            ``(2) The term `minorities' means members of minority 
        groups.
            ``(3) The term `minority health conditions' means all 
        diseases, disorders, and conditions (including conditions 
        regarding mental health)--
                    ``(A) unique to, more serious in, or more prevalent 
                in minorities;
                    ``(B) for which the factors of medical risk or 
                types of medical intervention are different for 
                minorities, or for which it is unknown whether such 
                factors or types are different for minorities; or
                    ``(C) with respect to which there has been 
                insufficient clinical research involving minorities as 
                subjects, or insufficient clinical data on minorities.
            ``(4) The term `research on minority health' means research 
        on minority health conditions.
            ``(5) The term `Institute' means the National Institute on 
        Minority Health.

                         ``certain authorities

    ``Sec. 464W. (a) In carrying out section 464V, the Director of the 
Institute shall--
            ``(1) recommend an agenda for conducting and supporting 
        research on minority health;
            ``(2) identify projects of research on minority health that 
        should be conducted or supported by the national research 
        institutes;
            ``(3) identify multidisciplinary research relating to 
        research on minority health that should be so conducted or 
        supported;
            ``(4) promote coordination and collaboration among entities 
        conducting research identified under paragraph (2) or (3);
            ``(5) encourage the conduct of research identified under 
        paragraph (2) or (3) by entities receiving funds from the 
        national research institutes;
            ``(6) ensure that minorities are appropriately represented 
        as subjects in projects of clinical research conducted or 
        supported by the national research institutes and, as 
        appropriate, encourage similar representation in research 
        conducted under other circumstances; and
            ``(7) promote the sufficient allocation of the resources of 
        the national research institutes for conducting and supporting 
        such research.
    ``(b)(1) The Director of the Institute shall monitor the health 
care system for the purpose of determining the effects of the system on 
the health of minorities, including the extent to which minorities have 
access to health care. In monitoring the system, the Director shall 
determine, with respect to such purpose, the effects of the policies 
and practices of entities that provide health benefits plans.
    ``(2) With respect to Federal proposals for reforming the health 
care system, the Director of the Institute shall, in carrying out 
paragraph (1), monitor such proposals for the purpose of determining 
whether the proposals adequately provide for the health of minorities.
    ``(c)(1) The Director of the Institute shall serve as an advocate 
regarding the health of minorities. The Director may in so serving 
carry out advocacy activities regarding the Federal Government, State 
and local governments, and private entities, including public and 
private educational entities.
    ``(2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director of the Institute 
shall determine the health benefits for minorities that should, at a 
minimum, be provided for in any reform of the health care system.
    ``(d) The Director of the Institute shall encourage the creation of 
opportunities for the training of minorities as health professionals 
and shall facilitate the placement of minorities trained as health 
professionals into appropriate positions.''.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 401(b)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
281(b)(1)), as amended by section 121 of Public Law 102-321 (106 Stat. 
358), is amended by adding at the end the following subparagraph:
            ``(Q) The National Institute on Minority Health.''.

Summary: National Institute on Minority Health Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that the National Institute on Minority Health's purpose is the conduct and support of research, training, information dissemination, and other programs regarding minority health, including the advancement of opportunities for and recruitment of minorities for training and placement as health professionals.  Adds the Institute to the list of research institutes of the National Institutes of Health.