Health Research Act of 1980

(Measure passed House, amended (inserted text of H.R. 7911 as passed House), roll call #506 (292-48))

Health Research Act of 1980 - Amends title IV of the Public Health Service Act (National Research Institutes) to establish as an agency of the Public Health Service the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (abolished as a statutory entity by Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1966), consisting of the following 11 categorical institutes; the National Cancer Institute; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases; the National Institute on Aging; the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the National Institute of Dental Research; the National Eye Institute; the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish, or abolish, additional research institutes; and (2) expand the functions of existing institutes.

Provides that: (1) the NIH shall be headed by a Director, who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; (2) the Secretary and the Director, pursuant to the Secretary's delegation, shall be responsible for the overall direction of NIH, including specified administrative and supervisory functions; and (3) the Director shall delegate certain program promotion and coordination functions to an Assistant Director.

Directs the Secretary to appoint a National Institutes of Health Advisory Board to: (1) advise and make recommendations to the Secretary and the Director; and (2) prepare an annual report on its activities.

Requires an annual report to be submitted by the Secretary to the President and to Congress consisting of: (1) a description of the NIH's activities, and a five-year plan for future activities and policies; (2) the annual report of the Advisory Board; and (3) the annual reports of the directors of each of the national research institutes, and the annual reports of their advisory councils.

Provides that the Director of the National Cancer Institute shall be appointed by the President, and the Directors of the other national research institutes shall be appointed by the Secretary.

Sets forth the general duties of the Secretary (acting through the Director of each national research institute) with respect to the aspect of human health for which the institutes were established. Authorizes activities and programs to be supported through grants and contracts approved by each Director.

Directs the Secretary to appoint an advisory council for each institute. Sets forth the duties of such advisory councils, including the periodic review of research. Requires the director of each institute to prepare an annual report.

Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1981, 1982, and 1983, for each of the eleven institutes, and for specified programs within the institutes. Provides that the authorization for each such institute and program for fiscal year 1984 shall equal the 1983 authorization plus 15 percent. Prohibits: (1) general funds appropriated under the Public Health Service Act from being used by such institutes; and (2) funds appropriated for the institutes from being used for National Research Service Awards. Authorizes the Director to allocate additional funds ($100,000,000 through fiscal year 1983) to an institute for accelerated research in an area of special promise. Requires the Director to report annually to the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources and the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce regarding such special research projects.

States the general purpose and defines the scope of the National Cancer Institute. Requires that cancer control programs under the Institute include demonstration methods for disseminating cancer prevention information to the public. Directs the Secretary, through the Director of the Institute, to establish an information and education center to collect and disseminate information on cancer. Authorizes such Director to: (1) support production or distribution of therapeutic substances for cancer research, including biological materials, and set safety standards for their use; (2) with the approval of such Institute's advisory council, support certain cancer research by foreign nationals outside the United States, encourage collaborative research involving American and foreign participants, and train Americans abroad or foreign nationals in the United States; (3) support education and training programs; (4) coordinate certain research by industrial concerns; (5) hire up to 150 experts and consultants; (6) acquire, repair, or construct facilities, including facilities in the District of Columbia; (7) appoint advisory committees; (8) enter into contracts, leases, or other transactions; and (9) submit an annual budget estimate to the President. Deletes the existing limitation on aggregate payments respecting cooperative agreements to establish cancer research and demonstration centers, and extends the period of support for a center to five years (with additional extensions of not more than five years).

Eliminates the existing requirement that at least two members of the President's Cancer Panel be scientists or physicians, and requires the filling of vacancies within 90 days of occurrence.

States the general purpose and defines the scope of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Requires the Secretary, through the Director of the Institute, to establish an information and education center to collect and disseminate information on research, treatment, and prevention of such diseases. Requires special emphasis to be placed on cardiovascular diseases and programs designed for children. Deletes the existing limitation on aggregate payments respecting research and demonstration centers for heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases.

States the general purpose of the National Institute on Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases (NIAMDD). Directs the Secretary, through the Director of the Institute, to establish information and education centers for: (1) arthritis and related musculoskeletal diseases; (2) diabetes mellitus and endocrine and metabolic diseases; and (3) digestive diseases; and (4) kidney, urologic, and hemotologic diseases.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) to investigate the safety and efficacy of using demethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an arthritis relief; and (2) report the findings to the Congress within one year.

Consolidates existing provisions regarding the Diabetes Coordinating Committee, the Arthritis Coordinating Committee, and the Digestive Diseases Coordinating Committee, and designates each as an Interagency Coordinating Committee. Designates the membership of such Committees, and requires at least four annual meetings. Requires each Committee to submit an annual report to the Secretary and to the Director of NIH.

Consolidates existing provisions regarding the Associate Directors for Digestive Diseases and for Arthritis and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases. Establishes Associate Directors for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases, and for Kidney, Urology, and Hematologic Diseases.

Consolidates the authorities for the National Diabetes Advisory Board and the National Arthritis Advisory Board. Establishes a National Digestive Diseases Advisory Board. Provides that each Board shall be composed of 18 appointed members and nonvoting ex-officio members, and sets forth membership qualifications, term of office provisions, and compensation provisions. Requires of each Board: (1) at least four meetings annually; and (2) an annual report to the Secretary and to Congress. Provides for the termination of each Board on September 30, 1983. Terminates the existing National Arthritis Advisory Board and the National Diabetes Advisory Board within 90 days of enactment of this Act.

Requires that (arthritis demonstration) grants be made for projects investigating the epidemiology of arthritis. Transfers responsibility for the Arthritis Data System from the Secretary to the Director of NIAMDD.

Transfers responsibility for providing financial support of multipurpose arthritis centers from the Secretary to such Director. Authorizes funds to be used to provide stipends for nurses and allied health professionals enrolled in certain training programs. Extends the initial assistance period for a center to five years, and authorizes additional extensions of up to five years.

Transfers responsibility for providing financial support for diabetes research and training from the Secretary to such Director. Limits the initial assistance period to five years, and authorizes additional extensions of up to five years. Requires such Director to: (1) annually evaluate and report to Congress regarding the activities of such centers; and (2) establish the diabetes data system.

Requires such Director to prepare for inclusion in the annual NIH report a description of NIAMDD's activities under the current: (1) Arthritis Plan; (2) diabetes plan; and (3) digestive diseases plan.

Sets forth the general purpose of the National Institute on Aging. Transfers the responsibility for public information and education programs on aging from the Secretary to the Director of such Institute.

Sets forth the general purposes of the National Institutes of: (1) Allergy and Infectious Diseases; (2) Child Health and Human Development; (3) Dental Research; (4) Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke; (5) General Medical Sciences; (6) Environmental Health Sciences; and (7) Mental Health. Transfers from the Secretary to the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development the responsibility to conduct such research. Sets forth the general purpose of the National Eye Institute.

Directs the Secretary to establish through the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, the Reye's Syndrome Coordinating Committee. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Committee, to make grants for: (1) the establishment of two Reye's syndrome diagnostic and treatment centers; and (2) independent research concerning such disease. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress respecting such activities no later than April 1, 1984. Authorizes appropriations for such centers and independent research for fiscal years 1981-1983.

Requires at least $16,000,000 of the annual appropriations for the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke be used for research in the area of spinal cord regeneration.

Provides with regard to National Research Service Awards: (1) that physicians, dentists, nurses, or other similar persons who are Award recipients may fulfill their service obligation by providing services to a medically underserved population (without regard to whether such services are performed for a health maintenance organization as currently required); (2) that the first 12 months training shall not be counted for purposes of service obligation; and (3) funding authorizations for fiscal years of 1982 ($232,991,000), and 1983 ($262,814,000).

Limits the scope of the Institutional Review Board's authority to federally-financed research. Exempts research which does not involve human risk from such review authority.

Requires the Director of NIH to establish procedures for periodic, technical and scientific peer review of NIH research. States that such procedures shall require that: (1) the reviewing entity be given a written description of the research to be reviewed; and (2) such entity shall provide the advisory council of the institute involved with the results of such review.

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) accept certain conditional gifts for the NIH or a national research institute; (2) establish suitable memorials for donations of $50,000 or more.

Terminates the National Advisory Health Council.

Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate the National Research Service Awards Program to determine its effect on the number of physicians entering the various medical specialties, and to report to Congress not later than January 1, 1983.

Authorizes funds for fiscal years 1981 ($15,000,000), 1982 ($17,000,000), and 1983 ($19,000,000) for tuberculosis programs.

Requires the Comptroller General to study: (1) the performance of review functions by advisory councils to the national research institutes; and (2) the performance of research review at such institutes. Requires such results to be submitted to the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources and to the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce by January 1, 1983.

Makes technical changes in specified provisions of the Public Health Service Act and other Federal law regarding health planning.

Amends such Act to: (1) extend from three to five years the time limit in which health system agencies must complete their review of specified institutional and home health services; (2) revise the method for allocating health service agency planning funds in cases where such appropriations are less than the amounts authorized; (3) authorize $94,000,000 for the National Health Service Corps for fiscal year 1981; (4) exempt expenditures for health research not affecting a facility's services or charges to its patients from the requirement of a capital expenditure certificate of need; and (5) extend the deadline for States to conform their certificate of need laws with Federal requirements.