December 21, 2001
Congress Clears HHS Spending Bill for President
Nearly three months after the beginning of the fiscal year, Congress finally completed work on the FY 2002 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (H.R. 3061). House and Senate negotiators formally approved the conference report on the bill (H. Rpt. 107-342) on Dec. 18. The House approved the measure Dec. 19 by a vote of 393 to 30; the Senate passed it the following day by a vote of 90-7.
The bill provides $123.1 billion in discretionary funding for FY 2002, a 10 percent increase over the previous year.
National Institutes of Health: The conference agreement provides $23.285 billion, an increase of $2.990 billion (14.7 percent) over FY 2001. The agreement also notes that $100 million will be transferred to the Global AIDS-Malaria-TB Fund and $297 million will be transferred for the "evaluation tap" for other agencies. This leaves a net total for NIH of $22.888 billion, an increase of $2.787 billion (13.9 percent) over the FY 2001 comparable. This essentially splits the difference between the House and Senate net figures.
The conference agreement retains the NIH extramural salary cap at Executive Level I. The House had adopted the Administration proposal to lower the cap to Executive Level II.
For the National Center for Research Resources, the agreement provides $1.012 billion, an increase of $194 million (23.8 percent) over FY 2002. The conference report indicates that $110 million is provided for extramural research facilities, $271.6 million for General Clinical Research Centers, and $160 million for the Institutional Development Awards program.
Health professions: The conference agreement provides $378 million for Title VII and VIII health professions education programs, an increase of $25 million (7.1 percent) over FY 2001. The House bill included $385 million; the Senate, $353 million (which equaled the FY 2001 level).
Children's hospitals GME: The final bill includes $285 million, the same as the House bill and $50 million (21 percent) over FY 2001. The Senate bill provided $243 million.
National Health Service Corps: The bill provides $154 million, $24 million (18.6 percent) above FY 2001.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: The conference agreement includes $299 million, $29 million (10.7 percent) more than FY 2001. However, only $3 million is directly appropriated to AHRQ; the rest is from the evaluation transfer. The House bill included $306 million, with $168 million in direct appropriations. The Senate bill proposed $291 million, all in direct appropriations.
Community Access Program: The bill funds this program at $105 million, which is $20 million less than FY 2001 and the level recommended by the House. The Administration and Senate proposed eliminating program.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The agreement includes $4.293 billion, an increase of $430 million (11.1 percent).
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: The bill provides $3.138 billion, an increase of $175 million (5.9 percent). Mental health programs get $832 million, a $50 million (6.4 percent) increase. Substance abuse treatment gets $2.017 billion, a $96 million (5.0 percent) increase, while substance abuse prevention is increased $23 million (13.3 percent) to $198 million.
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research: The conference agreement provides this program, located in the Department of Education, with $110 million, an increase of $9.6 million (9.6 percent).
Information: Dave Moore (NIH), Jonathan Fishburn (NIH, NHSC, CDC), or Erica Froyd (health professions, AHRQ), AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.
