Missed Opportunities in Public Health and Biomedical Research Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-4353
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Lewis, John [D-GA-5]
Introduced: 2017-11-09
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Department of Health and Human Services

Executive agency funding and structure

Health programs administration and funding

Medical research

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Research administration and funding
Latest action: action_date: 2017-11-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-11-09
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Missed Opportunities in Public Health and Biomedical Research Act of 2017</strong></p> <p>This bill requires the National Institutes of Health to report annually on specified information relating to grant applications, specifically grant applications with potentially positive public health effects that were denied.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4353 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 9, 2017 Mr. Lewis of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to require reporting by the National Institutes of Health on requests for funding research that were not granted and had the greatest potential for improving public health, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Missed Opportunities in Public Health and Biomedical Research Act of 2017 . 2. Annual reporting by NIH on missed opportunities The Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 403D of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 283a–3 ) the following: 403E. Annual reporting on missed opportunities (a) In general Not later than the last day of the first fiscal quarter following the end of each fiscal year, the Director of NIH shall submit a report to Congress identifying, with respect to each national research institute, each national center, and the Office of the Director of NIH— (1) the success rate of grant applications reviewed during such fiscal year; (2) the top two grant applications reviewed during such fiscal year that were not funded; and (3) if the success rate described in paragraph (1) is lower than 32 percent, the top grant applications that were reviewed and could have been funded to achieve a success rate of at least 32 percent. (b) Trade secrets and confidential information This section does not authorize the Secretary to disclose any information that is a trade secret or confidential information subject to section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code, or section 1905 of title 18, United States Code. (c) Definitions In this section: (1) The term success rate means the percentage of grant applications reviewed during the respective fiscal year that received funding. (2) The term top means having the greatest potential for— (A) improving public health; (B) advancing biomedical and behavioral research; and (C) increasing fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems, and the application of that knowledge towards enhancing health, lengthening life, and reducing illness and disability. .