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Research Facilities Construction FY 2001

			Related Resources NSF Facilities Report H. Rpt. 106-1033 S. 1268 H.R. 2498 AAMC Documents Harkin "Dear Colleague" Letter AAMC Endorsement Letter to Sen. Harkin (4/26/99)

Final Status

The conference report (H.Rept. 106-1033) accompanying the FY 2001 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 4577, P.L. 106-554) includes $75 million for extramural research facilities construction within the National Center for Research Resources. This represents a $2.5 million (3.4 percent) increase over FY 2000. President Clinton signed the act into law on December 21, 2000.

On November 13, 2000, the president signed the "Twenty-first Century Research Laboratories Act" (S. 1268), as part of the Public Health Improvement Act (H.R. 2498), also known as the public health "minibus." The "Twenty-first Centuries Research Laboratories Act" reauthorizes NIH's extramural research facilities construction program, and authorizes $250 million in FY 2001, and "such sums as may be necessary" in FYs 2002-2003.

AAMC Action

In its 1998 report "Maximizing the Investment: Principles To Guide The Federal-Academic Partnership In Biomedical And Health Sciences Research," the AAMC recommended the federal government should reestablish and fund an NIH construction authority, consistent with the general recommendations of the Wyngaarden Committee report of 1988, which projected at that time the need for a 10-year spending plan of $5 billion for new facilities and renovation.

In an April 26, 1999, letter to Senator Harkin, AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., endorsed the "Twenty-first Centuries Research Laboratories Act" (S. 1268) to reauthorize the NIH's extramural research facilities construction program.

Dr. Cohen sent a letter to House leadership October 24, 2000, urging that the Public Health Improvement Act, an amalgamation of legislation that passed the House or the Senate during the 106th Congress - including the "Twenty-first Centuries Research Laboratories Act" - be placed on the House Suspension Calendar and passed by unanimous consent.

Background

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, federal support of academic research included funding for facilities, major equipment, and renovation, primarily for ramping up the relatively small research infrastructure of the United States at that time. Since then, federal funding for facilities and renovation has been scarce, and programs for funding expensive equipment have been very limited. For example, in FY 1999 Congress appropriated only $30 million for extramural research facilities construction through the NIH's National center for Research Resources (NCRR).

The funding of facilities construction and renovation through a merit-evaluation process is an attractive mechanism for helping to support the considerable expansion of biomedical research plant capacity that will be essential if a markedly increased NIH budget is to be expended effectively. The reactivation of the NIH construction authority would also help to redistribute the burden of facilities costs away from the indirect costs pools, while at the same time providing increased stability and predictability of NIH investment in facilities costs.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act of 1993 [Public Law 103-43] provided a general construction authority through the NIH's National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) for "grants to public and nonprofit private entities to expand, remodel, renovate, or alter existing research facilities or construct new research facilities,..." [42 U.S.C. 287a-2] 

The legislation set aside 25 percent of the funds appropriated for this account for grants to institutions that "have demonstrated emerging excellence in biomedical or behavioral research,..." This set-aside was designated for minority institutions (including historically black colleges and universities and other health professions schools with significant minority enrollments), institutions in areas with significant populations with a health status-deficit served by the institution, or institutions located in areas "in which a deficit in health care technology, services, or research resources may adversely affect health status of the population of the area in the future, and the applicant is carrying out activities with respect to protecting the health status of such population."

The 1993 Revitalization Act also mandated the Director of NIH to reserve $5 million from the appropriation for construction, renovation, or improvement of regional primate centers. The legislation authorized $150 million for FY 1994, "and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 1995 and 1996." Although the program is not authorized at the present time, the Congress has continued to provide a small amount of funding through the NCRR for extramural construction.

Congressional Activity 

The conference report (H.Rept. 106-1033) accompanying the FY 2001 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill includes $75 million for extramural research facilities construction within the National Center for Research Resources. This represents a $2.5 million (3.4 percent) increase over FY 2000. President Clinton signed the act into law on December 21, 2000.

In addition, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced S. 1268, the "Twenty-first Century Research Laboratories Act," on June 23, 1999, to reauthorize the NIH extramural facilities construction program. The Senate approved S. 1268 by unanimous consent on November 19, 1999. Most of the provisions in the Harkin bill are the same as the 1993 authorization. The bill authorizes $250 million in FY 2001, and "such sums as may be necessary" in FYs 2002-2003. As with the previous legislation, grants under the Harkin proposal can cover no more than 50 percent of the necessary cost of the construction of the proposed facility (40 percent of the research portion in the case of multipurpose facilities). For construction appropriations up to $50 million, the bill requires the NCRR Director to "make available 25 percent" of the funds appropriated for "institutions of emerging excellence." For construction appropriations in excess of $50 million, the Director must make available "up to 25 percent" of the funds for such institutions. The bill would reauthorize the construction program for National Primate Research Centers at $5 million per year for fiscal years 2000-2.  In addition, the bill authorizes $100 million in FY 2000 for the NIH's Shared Instrumentation Grant program, and such sums as necessary for subsequent years. This program was funded at $35 million in FY 1999.

S. 1268 was incorporated into the Public Health Inprovement Act (H.R. 2498), also known as the public health "minibus," which passed the Senate and House on October 26 and 27, 2000, respectfully. President Clinton signed the bill into law on November 13, 2000.

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