Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Weapons Countermeasures Research Act

Bill: 108-s-666
Sponsor: Sen. Lieberman, Joseph I. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2003-03-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Animal diseases
Animals
Antibiotics
Antitrust law
Armed Forces and National Security
Arsenic
Biochemistry
Biological warfare
Biotechnology
Blood diseases
Business records
Capital investments
Cardiovascular diseases
Chemical warfare
Cholera
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Clinical trials
Colleges
Commerce
Communicable diseases
Conferences
Confidential communications
Congress
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Corporation taxes
Department of Health and Human Services
Diseases
Drug approvals
Drug industry
Drugs
EBB Terrorism
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency Management
Environmentally induced diseases
Epidemics
Equipment and supplies
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to health facilities
Federal aid to research
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Genetics
Government Operations and Politics
Government procurement
Government trust funds
Governmental investigations
Grants-in-aid
Heavy metals
Higher education
Hospitals
Immunology and vaccination
Income tax
Indemnity
Industrial buildings
Industrial management
Intellectual property
International Affairs
International cooperation
Investment tax credit
Laboratories
Laboratory animals
Law
Lead
Liability (Law)
License agreements
Malaria
Medical innovations
Medical screening
Medical statistics
Medical supplies
Medical technology
Medical tests
Mercury
Microbiology
Nervous system diseases
Nonprofit organizations
Nosocomial infections
Nuclear terrorism
Orphan drugs
Partnerships
Patents
Pharmaceutical research
Plague
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Quality control
Radiation
Radiation safety
Radioactive pollution
Research and development
Research and development tax credit
Respiratory diseases
Right of privacy
Salmonella
Science, Technology, Communications
Security measures
Skin diseases
Social Welfare
Tax credits
Tax exclusion
Tax incentives
Taxation
Technological innovations
Technology transfer
Terrorism
Typhoid fever
Vaccination
Vaccines
Victims of terrorism
Virus diseases
Weapons of mass destruction
Yellow fever
Zoning and zoning law

Summary:
action_date: 2003-03-19
text: Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Weapons Countermeasures Research Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to add a new title, Title 18: Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Countermeasures Research, which may be cited as the Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Weapons Countermeasures Research Act of 2003.
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make available to manufacturers of terror weapons countermeasures, and to publish, a list of materials that may be used as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Directs the Secretary to revise the list on at least an annual basis. Requires the Secretary to determine countermeasures that diagnose, treat, or prevent infection from biological agents or toxins (countermeasures) for each item on the list.
Requires private sector entities that are engaged in certain research to register with the Department of Homeland Security if they wish to benefit from various tax, patent, procurement, liability limitations, and other incentives established under this Act. Classifies such research as: (1) countermeasures; (2) equipment to detect a terrorist attack carried out with a terror weapon (detection equipment); (3) diagnostics to detect, identify, or analyze biological agents or toxins (diagnostics); and (4) research tools used in the laboratory (research tools) that enable the rapid and effective development of countermeasures.
Establishes in the Treasury of the United States a "Terror Weapon Countermeasure Purchase Fund (TWCPF)" to purchase, and provide adequate payment for, countermeasures, detection equipment, diagnostics, and research tools.
Extends market exclusivity for new drugs that are countermeasures.
Authorizes the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award partnership challenge grants to promote joint ventures between NIH, its grantees, and for-profit biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries for the development of countermeasures and research tools.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-10-06
text: Committees on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; the Judiciary. Hearings held.
action_date: 2003-03-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2003-03-19
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4009-4017)
action_date: 2003-03-19
text: Introduced in Senate