Title: American Cures Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
American Cures Act
This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require certain adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2017-FY2021 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that perform biomedical research. Adjustments are required for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense health program, and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research program.
The bill also requires annual appropriations for each of the programs and agencies referenced in this bill to be at least the amount appropriated for FY2016.
The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 640 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 640

To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment 
                        in biomedical research.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 15, 2017

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Markey, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Casey, 
and Mr. Van Hollen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
              and referred to the Committee on the Budget

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment 
                        in biomedical research.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Cures Act''.

SEC. 2. CAP ADJUSTMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and 
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E); 
        and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (C), the following:
                    ``(D) Biomedical research.--
                            ``(i) National institutes of health.--If a 
                        bill or joint resolution making appropriations 
                        for a fiscal year is enacted that specifies 
                        amounts for the National Institutes of Health 
                        at the Department of Health and Human Services, 
                        then the adjustments for that fiscal year shall 
                        be the amount of additional new budget 
                        authority provided in that Act for such 
                        programs for that fiscal year, but shall not 
                        exceed--
                                    ``(I) for fiscal year 2017, 
                                $2,966,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(II) for fiscal year 2018, 
                                $4,718,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(III) for fiscal year 2019, 
                                $6,643,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(IV) for fiscal year 2020, 
                                $8,743,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority; and
                                    ``(V) for fiscal year 2021, 
                                $10,981,000,000 in additional new 
                                budget authority.
                            ``(ii) Centers for disease control and 
                        prevention.--If a bill or joint resolution 
                        making appropriations for a fiscal year is 
                        enacted that specifies amounts for the Centers 
                        for Disease Control and Prevention at the 
                        Department of Health and Human Services, then 
                        the adjustments for that fiscal year shall be 
                        the amount of additional new budget authority 
                        provided in that Act for such programs for that 
                        fiscal year, but shall not exceed--
                                    ``(I) for fiscal year 2017, 
                                $1,430,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(II) for fiscal year 2018, 
                                $1,828,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(III) for fiscal year 2019, 
                                $2,264,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(IV) for fiscal year 2020, 
                                $2,740,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority; and
                                    ``(V) for fiscal year 2021, 
                                $3,247,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority.
                            ``(iii) Department of defense health 
                        program.--If a bill or joint resolution making 
                        appropriations for a fiscal year is enacted 
                        that specifies amounts for the Department of 
                        Defense health program, then the adjustments 
                        for that fiscal year shall be the amount of 
                        additional new budget authority provided in 
                        that Act for such programs for that fiscal 
                        year, but shall not exceed--
                                    ``(I) for fiscal year 2017, 
                                $135,100,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(II) for fiscal year 2018, 
                                $241,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(III) for fiscal year 2019, 
                                $356,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(IV) for fiscal year 2020, 
                                $482,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority; and
                                    ``(V) for fiscal year 2021, 
                                $618,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority.
                            ``(iv) Medical and prosthetics research 
                        program of the department of veterans 
                        affairs.--If a bill or joint resolution making 
                        appropriations for a fiscal year is enacted 
                        that specifies amounts for the medical and 
                        prosthetics research program of the Department 
                        of Veterans Affairs, then the adjustments for 
                        that fiscal year shall be the amount of 
                        additional new budget authority provided in 
                        that Act for such programs for that fiscal 
                        year, but shall not exceed--
                                    ``(I) for fiscal year 2017, 
                                $36,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(II) for fiscal year 2018, 
                                $65,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(III) for fiscal year 2019, 
                                $98,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(IV) for fiscal year 2020, 
                                $134,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority; and
                                    ``(V) for fiscal year 2021, 
                                $172,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority.
                            ``(v) Definitions.--As used in this 
                        subparagraph:
                                    ``(I) Additional new budget 
                                authority.--The term `additional new 
                                budget authority' means--
                                            ``(aa) with respect to the 
                                        National Institutes of Health, 
                                        the amount provided for a 
                                        fiscal year, in excess of the 
                                        amount provided in fiscal year 
                                        2016, in an appropriation Act 
                                        and specified to support the 
                                        National Institutes of Health;
                                            ``(bb) with respect to the 
                                        Centers for Disease Control and 
                                        Prevention, the amount provided 
                                        for a fiscal year, in excess of 
                                        the amount provided in fiscal 
                                        year 2016, in an appropriation 
                                        Act and specified to support 
                                        the Centers for Disease Control 
                                        and Prevention;
                                            ``(cc) with respect to the 
                                        Department of Defense health 
                                        program, the amount provided 
                                        for a fiscal year, in excess of 
                                        the amount provided in fiscal 
                                        year 2016, in an appropriation 
                                        Act and specified to support 
                                        the Department of Defense 
                                        health program; and
                                            ``(dd) with respect to the 
                                        medical and prosthetics 
                                        research program of the 
                                        Department of Veterans Affairs, 
                                        the amount provided for a 
                                        fiscal year, in excess of the 
                                        amount provided in fiscal year 
                                        2016, in an appropriation Act 
                                        and specified to support the 
                                        medical and prosthetics 
                                        research program of the 
                                        Department of Veterans Affairs.
                                    ``(II) Centers for disease control 
                                and prevention.--The term `Centers for 
                                Disease Control and Prevention' means 
                                the appropriations accounts that 
                                support the various institutes, 
                                offices, and centers that make up the 
                                Centers for Disease Control and 
                                Prevention.
                                    ``(III) Department of defense 
                                health program.--The term `Department 
                                of Defense health program' means the 
                                appropriations accounts that support 
                                the various institutes, offices, and 
                                centers that make up the Department of 
                                Defense health program.
                                    ``(IV) Medical and prosthetics 
                                research program of the department of 
                                veterans affairs.--The term `medical 
                                and prosthetics research program of the 
                                Department of Veterans Affairs' means 
                                the appropriations accounts that 
                                support the various institutes, 
                                offices, and centers that make up the 
                                medical and prosthetics research 
                                program of the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.
                                    ``(V) National institutes of 
                                health.--The term `National Institutes 
                                of Health' means the appropriations 
                                accounts that support the various 
                                institutes, offices, and centers that 
                                make up the National Institutes of 
                                Health.''.
    (b) Funding.--There are hereby authorized to be appropriated--
            (1) for the National Institutes of Health, the amounts 
        provided for under clause (i) of such section 251(b)(2)(D) in 
        each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, and such sums as may be 
        necessary for each subsequent fiscal year;
            (2) for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
        through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
        amounts provided for under clause (ii) of such section 
        251(b)(2)(D) in each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, and 
        such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year;
            (3) for the Department of Defense health program, the 
        amounts provided for under clause (iii) of such section 
        251(b)(2)(D) in each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, and 
        such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year; 
        and
            (4) for the medical and prosthetics research program of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, the amounts provided for under 
        clause (iv) of such section 251(b)(2)(D) in each of fiscal 
        years 2017 through 2021, and such sums as may be necessary for 
        each subsequent fiscal year.
    (c) Minimum Continued Funding Requirement.--Amounts appropriated 
for each of the programs and agencies described in section 251(b)(2)(D) 
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (as 
added by subsection (a)) for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, 
and each subsequent fiscal year, shall not be less than the amounts 
appropriated for such programs and agencies for fiscal year 2016.
    (d) Exemption of Certain Appropriations From Sequestration.--
            (1) In general.--Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced 
        Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (2 U.S.C. 
        905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``Advances to the 
        Unemployment Trust Fund and Other Funds (16-0327-0-1-600).'' 
        the following:
                            ``Appropriations under the American Cures 
                        Act.''.
            (2) Applicability.--The amendment made by this section 
        shall apply to any sequestration order issued under the 
        Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 
        U.S.C. 900 et seq.) on or after the date of enactment of this 
        Act.
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