Washington Highlights: September
29, 2006
Contents
Prior Issues
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AAMC Participates in Health Professions Capitol
Hill Day
More than a dozen leaders from various health professions disciplines
visited over 30 Congressional offices Sept. 27 to urge Congress
to restore funding to the Title VII programs, which were cut by
51 percent in the FY 2006 budget. Ronald D. Franks, M.D., vice president
for health affairs at East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen
College of Medicine, represented the AAMC during the Health Professions
Leadership Capitol Hill Day, which was sponsored by the Health Professions
and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC).
Katherine Flores, M.D., Director of the Latino Center for Medical
Education and Research at University of California, San Francisco-Fresno,
and Gary C. Butts, M.D., Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs
at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, also participated in the Hill Day.
Hill Day participants explained to Members of Congress the devastating
impact the cuts will have on the programs' ability to improve the
diversity and distribution of the health care workforce. The event
also included a breakfast briefing that featured presentations by
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dr. Franks, and Jane Kirschling, RN, DNS,
dean of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. HPNEC is
an alliance of over 70 organizations representing a variety of providers,
institutions, and community partnerships dedicated to educating
the nation's health care personnel.
Information:
Erica Froyd, Director, Public Health and Research Legislative Affairs
AAMC Government Relations
efroyd@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Congress to Approve Stopgap Funding Measure
Faced with the prospect of completing only two of the 11 annual
appropriations bills prior to the Oct. 1 start of the federal fiscal
year, Congress is set to approve a continuing resolution (CR) to
continue funding for federal programs through Nov. 17. The CR is
included in the FY 2007 Defense appropriations bill (H.R.
5631), which is one of only two spending bills Congress is expected
to send to the President prior to leaving town. The House passed
the defense bill on Sept. 26, and the Senate is scheduled to pass
it Sept. 29.
The CR will fund programs at the FY 2006 level, the House-passed
FY 2007 level, or the Senate-passed level, whichever is lowest.
Since neither the House nor Senate has passed the Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations bill (H.R.
5647, S.
3708), funding for those programs will be continued at the FY
2006 level.
The other appropriations bill slated for completion prior to the
congressional recess is the Homeland Security (H.R.
5441). The remaining nine appropriations measures must wait
until Congress returns to Washington on Nov. 13.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Moderate Republicans Push For More Labor-HHS
Funding
A group of 24 moderate Republican members of the House of Representatives
is calling on their leadership to fulfill a commitment made earlier
this year to provide additional funding for the FY 2007 Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations bill. The moderates, led by Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.),
sent a Sept. 27 letter
reminding House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) "of the
agreement to provide no less than $7 billion above the Administration's
request" for the FY 2007 Labor-HHS bill. The letter states,
"This amount is equal to the funding enacted in FY06 …
plus a 2 percent inflationary increase."
When the House Appropriations Committee determined its FY 2007 subcommittee
allocations, over $6 billion was shifted from defense and foreign
operations into domestic discretionary spending, including $4.1
billion added to the Administration's request for the Labor-HHS
bill. The letter notes that as a result of further negotiations
on the FY 2007 budget resolution (H.Con.Res.
376), the Majority Leader "and other members of our leadership
committed to providing no less than $3 billion above the $4.1 billion
that had already been shifted for programs" in the Labor-HHS
bill [see Washington Highlights,
May 19].
The following Republicans signed the letter in addition to Rep.
Castle: Judy Biggert (Ill.), Sherry Boehlert (N.Y), Charlie Dent
(Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Jim Gerlach (Pa.), Wayne Gilchrest
(Md.), Nancy Johnson (Conn.), Timothy Johnson (Ill.), Sue Kelly
(N.Y.), Randy Kuhl (N.Y.), Jim Leach (Iowa), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.),
Steven LaTourette (Ohio), John McHugh (N.Y.), Todd Platts (Pa.),
Jon Porter (Nev.), Jim Ramstad (Minn.), Dave Reichert (Wash.), Joe
Schwarz (Mich.), Christopher Shays (Conn.), Rob Simmons (Conn.),
Fred Upton (Mich.), and Curt Weldon (Pa.).
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
House Passes NIH Bill
The House of Representatives Sept. 26 approved legislation to authorize
a 5 percent annual increase in NIH funding through FY 2009 and to
create a "common fund" to support research involving more
than one of the agency's institutes or centers. The House passed
the "National Institutes of Health Reform Act of 2006"
(H.R.
6164) by a vote of 414-2, with Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.)
and Jesse Jackson, Jr., (D-Ill.) casting the only no votes. The
House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill Sept. 20 [see
Washington Highlights,
Sept. 22.]. The bill's sponsor, House Energy and Commerce Committee
Chair Joe Barton (R-Texas), described the legislation as "the
signal achievement" of his committee in the 109th Congress.
The AAMC endorsed the bill.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is unclear whether it
will be considered during the lame duck session scheduled for mid-November.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which
has jurisdiction over NIH, has not considered comparable legislation.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
NCRR Advisory Council Discusses New Clinical Science
Awards
The advisory council for the National Institutes of Health's (NIH)
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
Sept. 21 met to discuss the pending new Clinical and Translational
Science Awards (CTSA). The CTSAs will establish cooperative agreements
between NIH and academic institutions, creating organizations-or
"homes"-for oversight and development of clinical and
translational research and research training. The CTSAs will provide
up to approximately $6 million per institution per year in addition
to other NIH sponsored clinical research programs. The first round
of awards, scheduled to be announced in a live webcast Oct. 3, is
expected to be for five or six institutions.
NCRR Acting Director Barbara Alving, M.D., noted that up to 60
CTSAs are planned for implementation by 2012. While the first announcement
will occur in the first week of the 2007 fiscal year, the initial
awards are provided from the FY 2006 budget. NIH Director Elias
Zerhouni, M.D., the program's leading champion, addressed the council
to report his analysis of the factors contributing to current low
success rates for research grant applications and other sources
of stress on NIH and academic institutions. His remarks underscored
the difficulty of initiating major new programs in a time of tight
budgets, but also reiterated his conviction that CTSAs can help
fulfill NIH's promise to the public to deliver better personal and
preventive medicine. Dr. Zerhouni is personally delivering his analysis
to all NIH councils and many constituent groups.
Dr. Alving, Anthony Hayward, M.D., Director of NCRR's Division
for Clinical Research Resources, and other NCRR staff described
plans for administration, oversight, and evaluation of the CTSA
program. In discussion, council member Robert Beall, Ph.D., president
and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, asked about the impact
on institutions with NIH-funded General Clinical Research Centers
(GCRC) that do not eventually receive CTSAs. Dr. Alving noted that
many institutions have multiple GCRCs, such that CTSAs may cover
these institutions and not result in many losses for existing centers.
Information:
Stephen Heinig, Lead Science Policy Analyst
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
sheinig@aamc.org
(202) 828-0488
Howard Dickler, Director
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
hdickler@aamc.org
(202) 828-0567
House Committee Preserves Physician Visa Waiver
Programs
The House Judiciary Committee Sept. 27 approved the "Physicians
for Underserved Areas Act" (H.R.
4997) to reauthorize J-1 visa waiver programs through 2008.
Participating entities include the Department of Health and Human
Services, the Mississippi Delta Regional Authority, the Appalachian
Regional Commission, and State Departments of Health through the
Conrad 30 program. These waiver programs exempt foreign physicians
who receive their graduate medical education in the U.S. from the
2-year home service requirement of the J-1 visa in exchange for
practicing in a health professions shortage area.
Authority for the waiver programs expired June 1, 2006, preventing
participating entities from granting new waivers. H.R. 4997 will
retroactively authorize the waiver programs during this lapse. The
bill was included earlier this year in broader immigration reform
legislation and was originally written to make J-1 visa waiver programs
permanent, but was amended during committee mark-up to a 2-year
extension. It is unclear if the House and Senate will pass H.R.
4997 before they adjourn.
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
House Passes HEA Extension
The House Sept. 27 passed by a voice vote the "Third Higher
Education Extension Act of 2006" (H.R.
6138) to extend the Higher Education Act (HEA) through June
30, 2007. HEA was scheduled to expire Sept. 30. This 9 month extension
will allow for uninterrupted operation of the federal educational
aid programs while the House and Senate consider new reauthorization
bills in the 110th Congress. Unlike previous extensions, H.R. 6138
includes four non-controversial provisions to amend HEA. The Senate
is expected to approve the bill before they adjourn.
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
House Votes to Reauthorize Ryan White CARE Act
The House Sept. 28 passed, 325-98, a bill (H.R.
6143) to reauthorize through FY 2011 the Ryan White CARE Act
(P.L.
106-345). Sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.), the bill is
a source of controversy among Members from metropolitan areas who
oppose the bill because it shifts funds away from urban communities
to rural areas where prevalence of the epidemic has recently increased
[see Washington Highlights,
Sept. 22]. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee May 17 approved its version of the bill (S.
2823).
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
Sept. 26 introduced draft "emergency legislation" to temporarily
reauthorize the Act using current funding formulas and increase
funding levels by 3.7 percent to $2.2 billion. In the Senate, Lautenberg
is joined by six Democrats, while the Pallone bill is co-sponsored
by a bi-partisan group of 17 Representatives from California, Illinois,
New Jersey, and New York. Supporters of the temporary reauthorization
argue it will allow lawmakers one year to renegotiate funding formulas
in a way that best satisfies both urban and rural needs.
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
House Clears Biodefense Bill
The House Sept. 26 passed the "Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine
and Drug Development Act" (H.R.
5533), which would create a Biomedical Advanced Research and
Development Authority (BARDA) to coordinate federal research and
production of countermeasures to bioweapons and pandemics [see Washington
Highlights, Sept. 22].
Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) plans to attach the BARDA provision
to his biodefense bill (S.
3678) and secure its passage before the Senate adjourns.
Information:
Erica Froyd, Director, Public Health and Research Legislative Affairs
AAMC Government Relations
efroyd@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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