PHARA Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4007 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4007

 To unfreeze and release funding for grant agreements of the National 
   Institutes of Health, prohibit termination of such agreements for 
   active and ongoing research, require the inclusion of termination 
clauses in such agreements, and prohibit termination of such agreements 
     for no longer effectuating program goals or agency priorities.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2025

  Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. 
Lynch, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Fields, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Norton, Ms. 
  Schakowsky, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Pettersen, Mrs. 
 Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Scholten, Mr. Bell, Mr. Keating, Ms. Lee of 
 Pennsylvania, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Moulton, Mr. 
 Pocan, Mr. Latimer, Mr. Garcia of California, Mr. Davis of Illinois, 
  Mrs. McIver, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mrs. 
Hayes, Mr. Landsman, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, 
 Mr. Mfume, Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Magaziner, Mr. Stanton, Mr. 
  Mullin, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Kelly of 
 Illinois, and Mr. Swalwell) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

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                                 A BILL


 
 To unfreeze and release funding for grant agreements of the National 
   Institutes of Health, prohibit termination of such agreements for 
   active and ongoing research, require the inclusion of termination 
clauses in such agreements, and prohibit termination of such agreements 
     for no longer effectuating program goals or agency priorities.

    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 ``Prevent Halting of Active Research 
Act of 2025'' or the ``PHARA Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. RELEASING NIH GRANT FUNDING.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the 
Director of the National Institutes of Health (in this section referred 
to as the ``Secretary'')--
            (1) shall, immediately after the date of the enactment of 
        this Act, with respect to a grant agreement or cooperative 
        agreement entered into by the Secretary--
                    (A) release and expend all funding to the extent 
                required by such agreement; and
                    (B) otherwise fully implement such agreement;
            (2) shall, as rapidly as possible after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, pay all pending reimbursement requests 
        owed by the Secretary under the agreements described in 
        paragraph (1); and
            (3) may not cancel any agreement described in paragraph (1) 
        under which an awardee is performing active and ongoing 
        research.

SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF TERMINATION CLAUSES IN NIH GRANT AGREEMENTS AND 
              COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.

    Any grant agreement or cooperative agreement from the National 
Institutes of Health that is entered into after the date of the 
enactment of this Act shall include a termination clause. Such clause 
shall specify that the agreement may only be terminated in cases of 
material breach, change in circumstances, or mutual agreement of all 
parties, provided that--
            (1) the terminating party invoking such clause submits to 
        all non-terminating parties a written notice of the intent to 
        terminate at least 90 days before the date of termination; and
            (2) before the date of termination, the terminating party 
        attempts to amend the terms of the grant agreement or 
        cooperative agreement with each non-terminating party.

SEC. 4. NO TERMINATION OF NIH GRANT AGREEMENTS OR COOPERATIVE 
              AGREEMENTS FOR NO LONGER EFFECTUATING PROGRAM GOALS OR 
              AGENCY PRIORITIES.

    (a) In General.--The National Institutes of Health may not 
terminate, in whole or in part, a grant agreement or cooperative 
agreement that is entered into after the date of the enactment of this 
Act on the basis of such agreement no longer effectuating the program 
goals or agency priorities.
    (b) Regulatory Revision.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of 
Health, shall revise section 200.340(a) of title 2, Code of Federal 
Regulations, in order to comply with subsection (a) of this section.
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