House and Senate Split the Difference on Supplemental Bioterrorism Funding
January 11, 2002 - The House and Senate Dec. 20 approved the FY 2002 supplemental appropriations
bill, which includes $2.5 billion for bioterrorism preparedness. President
Bush signed the bill on Jan 10. Many of the numbers in the conference
agreement (H.
Rpt. 107-350) split the difference between the House and Senate
recommendations:
-
$865 million for upgrading state and local health capacity.
The conferees accepted House language that some of this
funding will be used to fund the state grants authorized
in the Public Health Threats and Emergency Act [P.L.106-505];
-
$135 million for grants to hospitals to increase capacity;
-
$100 million for upgrading capacity at CDC;
-
$85 million to NIAID for bioterrorism-related research;
-
$70 million for NIAID to construct a biosafety laboratory
and related infrastructure costs;
-
$71 million for improving lab security at the NIH and
CDC;
-
$593 for the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile;
-
$512 million for the smallpox vaccine;
-
$10 million for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration; and
- $55.8 million to the Office of the Secretary for coordination of
the Department's activities concerning preparedness and response.
The final supplemental appropriations bill does not include the biological
agents and toxins section of the Frist-Kennedy bioterrorism
authorization bill (S. 1765), which was included in the Senate-passed
version. However, on Dec. 20, the Senate passed S. 1765 by
unanimous consent. It will now be conferenced with the Tauzin-Dingell
bill (H.R. 3448), which passed the House Dec. 12 [see Washington
Highlights, Dec. 14].
Information
Erica Froyd, Director, Public Health and Research Legislative Affairs
AAMC Office of Governmental Relations
efroyd@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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