Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-911
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2007-03-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer
Child health
Clinical trials
Communication in medicine
Data banks
Economics and Public Finance
Families
Federal aid to research
Government Operations and Politics
Grants-in-aid
Health education
Health information systems
Medical research
Preventive medicine
Research grants
Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2007-03-19
text: 
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. 
 
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators.
 
Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network.
 
Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.

action_date: 2007-12-12
text: 
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to enhance, expand, and intensify pediatric cancer research, including therapeutically applicable research to generate effective treatments, pediatric preclinical testing, and pediatric clinical trials through National Cancer Institute-supported pediatric cancer clinical trials groups and their member institutions.

Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of NIH, to award grants to enhance and expand cancer research fellowships to train and develop clinical investigators focused on pediatric cancer research.

Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to childhood cancer professional and direct service organizations for the expansion and widespread implementation of: (1) activities that provide information on treatment protocols to ensure early access to the best available therapies and clinical trials for pediatric cancers; (2) activities that provide available information on the late effects of pediatric cancer treatment to ensure access to necessary long-term medical and psychological care; and (3) direct resource services such as educational outreach for parents, information on school reentry and postsecondary education, and resource directories or referral services for financial assistance, psychological counseling, and other support services. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement metrics-based performance measures to assess the effectiveness of activities funded under such grants.

Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 to carry out activities related to the National Childhood Cancer Registry. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award a grant to enhance and expand infrastructure to track the epidemiology of pediatric cancer into a comprehensive nationwide registry of actual occurrences of pediatric cancer. Requires such registry to be updated to include an actual occurrence within weeks of the date of such occurrence. Subjects such registry to federal laws regarding records maintained on individuals, health information privacy regulations, informed consent regulations, and any other federal laws relating to the privacy of patient information.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-12-12
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 535.
action_date: 2007-12-12
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Kennedy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2007-12-12
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Kennedy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2007-11-14
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2007-03-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3275)
action_date: 2007-03-19
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3274-3275)
action_date: 2007-03-19
text: Introduced in Senate