Washington Highlights: June 15,
2007
Contents
Prior Issues
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AAMC Holds NIH Advocacy Day
The AAMC conducted an Advocacy Day on June 12 to make the case
in support of increased NIH funding with Congress and the Administration.
Robert Alpern, M.D., dean of Yale University School of Medicine
and co-chair of the AAMC's NIH Special Action Committee, Eli Adashi,
M.D., dean of Brown University School of Medicine, and AAMC President
Darrell Kirch, M.D., began the day with a visit with the assistant
Washington bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal to draw
attention to the impact of 5 years of relatively flat funding on
the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals, young investigators,
and America's ability to compete globally in the research arena.
Later in the day, Paul DeLuca, Jr., Ph.D., vice dean and associate
dean-research, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public
Health, and Bruce Zetter, Ph.D., vice president for research, Children's
Hospital in Boston, joined the group for a meeting with Julie Goon,
special assistant to the president for economic policy, and Stacie
Maas, special assistant to the president for domestic policy. The
group also met with Rob Lehman, Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) chief of staff; Don Dempsey, OMB associate director; and Jennifer
Gera, OMB's program examiner for the NIH. The discussions with the
Administration focused on the prospects for the NIH budget in FY
2009. In addition, throughout the day, deans and their government
relations staff met with members of their Congressional delegations.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
House Committee Delays Action on HHS Spending
Bill
An agreement between Democrats and Republicans on how to handle
the inclusion of member projects in spending bills has resulted
in the House Appropriations Committee postponing consideration of
the FY 2008 Labor-HHS-Education bill until the week of July 9. The
committee had originally planned to take up the bill June 14, with
floor action tentatively scheduled for June 20 or 21.
Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its subcommittee
(302(b)) allocations on June 14. The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
Subcommittee received $149.2 billion, an increase of $4.7 billion
(3.3 percent) over FY 2007, but $1.9 billion less than the House
allocation. The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee
is scheduled to mark up its FY 2008 bill June 19.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Congress Moves VA Appropriations
The House June 15 was expected to pass the "Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2008" (H.R.
2642). The bill provides $36.6 billion for VA medical care,
a $4.5 billion (14 percent) increase over the FY 2007 joint funding
resolution (JR). The measure also provides $480 million for VA Medical
and Prosthetic Research, an increase of $66.3 million (16 percent)
over the FY 2007 JR [see Washington
Highlights, June 8].
The Senate Appropriations Committee June 14 approved, 28-1, its
version of the VA appropriations bill. The measure provides the
same increases for VA medical care as the House bill, but includes
$500 million for VA research, an $86.3 million (21 percent) increase
over the FY 2007 JR.
In a Statement
of Administration Policy June 13, the White House states "If
Congress increases VA funding above the President's request and
does not offset this increase with spending reductions in other
bills, the President will veto any of the other bills that exceed
his request."
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
House Panel Passes Education Reconciliation Bill
The House Committee on Education and Labor June 13 approved, 30-16,
the "College Cost Reduction Act of 2007" (H.R.
2669). According to a press
release from Chair George Miller (D-Calif.), the bill would
increase student aid by nearly $20 billion over the next 5 years,
reduce federal subsidies paid to lenders, and provide $750 million
for federal budget deficit reduction.
Of particular importance to academic medicine, the bill:
- Eliminates the 3-year limit on the Economic Hardship Deferment,
allowing qualifying resident physicians to postpone federal
loan repayments until after completing their training;
- Increases aggregate (graduate and undergraduate) subsidized
Stafford loan limits from $65,500 to $73,000; and
- Prohibits states from reducing their total annual contribution
to public institutions of higher education (below the average
amount provided during the previous 5 years).
The House June 7 passed the "First Higher Education Extension
Act of 2007" (H.R.
2559) to extend temporarily authority of the Higher Education
Act (HEA) through Oct. 31. The last HEA reauthorization expired
on Sept. 30, 2003; since then, several extensions have been enacted,
making no policy changes but allowing uninterrupted administration
of the programs. The most recent extension is scheduled to expire
June 30.
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
Senators Introduce Health Disparities Bill
Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) introduced
June 7 the "Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity
Elimination Act" (S.
1576). The bill seeks to improve the health and health care
of racial and ethnic minority groups through enhancing the diversity
of the health workforce, improving cultural competency training
for providers and increasing research and data collection related
to minority health and health disparities. The legislation is similar
to a bill introduced by Senator Kennedy and former Senate Majority
Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) at the end of the 109th Congress.
Of particular interest to academic medicine, the bill:
- Reauthorizes the Title VII diversity training programs through
2012, including the Centers of Excellence, Health Careers Opportunity
Program, Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students, and Faculty
Loan Repayment program;
- Requires health professions schools to collect and report demographic
data annually on applicants, matriculates and graduates, as well
as graduates' intended practice location and discipline;
- Requires the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
to create a health disparities strategic plan and establish new
grants for health disparities research; and
- Reauthorizes and strengthens the National Center for Minority
Health and Health Disparities' oversight of NIH research related
to health disparities.
The bill's sponsors hope to mark up the proposal in the Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee by the end of June
or beginning of July.
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
House Panel Boosts NSF Funding
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and
Science June 11 approved its FY 2008 spending bill, providing $6.509
billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The figure represents
an increase of $593.4 million (10 percent) over FY 2007 and $80
million (1.2 percent) over the President's request.
The bill shifts the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive
Research (EPSCoR) from the Education and Human Resources (EHR) account
to the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) account, and specifies
$8 million within R&RA for the program. Overall, R&RA receives
$5.140 billion, an increase of $376.3 million (7.9 percent) over
FY 2007 when accounting for the EPSCoR shift. EHR receives $822.6
million, an increase of $124.6 million (17.9 percent) over FY 2007,
when adjusted for EPSCoR.
The increases are in line with the Democratic leadership's Innovation
Agenda and the President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI)
to bolster support for research and education in the physical sciences.
The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider
the bill June 18.
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
House Approves NSF HIS Bill
The House June 6 approved by voice vote a bill establishing grant
programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) for education
and training in health care information systems (HIS) [see Washington
Highlights, May 25]. The
House Science and Technology Committee approved the measure, sponsored
by Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.), on May 23.
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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