Directs the Secretary of Health and Human and Human Services to establish a National Commission on Digestive Diseases, which shall: (1) study the incidence, duration, and mortality rates of digestive diseases, as well as their social and economic impacts; (2) evaluate public and private facilities and resources (including trained personnel and research activities) for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of such diseases; (3) identify related disease management programs (including biological, behavioral, nutritional, environmental, and social programs); and (4) develop a long-range plan for the use and organization of national resources to effectively deal with digestive diseases.
Terminates the Commission 30 days after submission of its final report.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1902 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1902
To establish a National Commission on Digestive Diseases.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 20, 2003
Mr. Reed (for himself, Mr. Specter, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Allen)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a National Commission on Digestive Diseases.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON DIGESTIVE DISEASES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human and Human
Services (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), after
consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health,
shall, within 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
establish a National Commission on Digestive Diseases (in this section
referred to as the ``Commission'').
(b) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall--
(A) conduct a comprehensive study of the present
state of knowledge of the incidence, duration, and
morbidity of, and mortality rates resulting from,
digestive diseases and of the social and economic
impact of such diseases;
(B) evaluate the public and private facilities and
resources (including trained personnel and research
activities) for the diagnosis, prevention, and
treatment of, and research in, such diseases; and
(C) identify programs (including biological,
behavioral, nutritional, environmental, and social
programs) in which, and the means by which, improvement
in the management of digestive diseases can be
accomplished.
(2) Long-range plan.--Based on the study, evaluation, and
identification made pursuant to paragraph (1), the Commission
shall develop and recommend a long-range plan for the use and
organization of national resources to effectively deal with
digestive diseases. The plan shall provide for--
(A) research studies into the basic biological
processes and mechanisms related to digestive diseases;
(B) investigations into the epidemiology, etiology,
diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of
digestive diseases;
(C) development of preventive measures (including
education programs, programs for the elimination of
environmental hazards related to digestive diseases,
and clinical programs) to be taken against digestive
diseases;
(D) detection of digestive diseases in the
presymptomatic stages and development and evaluation of
new, and improved methods of screening for digestive
diseases, taking into account recent technological
changes in diagnostic imaging modalities;
(E) development of criteria for the diagnosis and
the clinical management and control of digestive
diseases;
(F) development of approaches to advance digestive
diseases research by incorporating insights obtained
from genomic and proteomic research.
(G) development of coordinated health care systems
for dealing with digestive diseases;
(H) education and training (including continuing
education programs) of scientists, clinicians,
educators, and allied health professionals in the
fields and specialties requisite to the conduct of
programs related to digestive diseases with special
emphasis on training for careers in research, teaching,
and all aspects of patient care;
(I) the conduct and subject matter of trials in
clinical and translational research in digestive
diseases; and
(J) establishment of a system of periodic
surveillance of the research potential and research
needs in digestive diseases;
The long-range plan formulated under this paragraph shall also include
within its scope related nutritional disorders and basic biological
processes and mechanisms in nutrition which are related to digestive
diseases.
(3) Recommendations for individual national research
institutes.--The Commission shall recommend for each of the
Institutes of the National Institutes of Health whose
activities are to be affected by the long-range plan estimates
of the expenditures needed to carry out each Institute's part
of the overall program. Such estimates shall be prepared for
the fiscal year beginning immediately after completion of the
Commission's plan and for each of the next 5 fiscal years.
(c) Composition.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall be composed of 16
members appointed in accordance with paragraph (2) and the ex
officio members designated under paragraph (3). The appointed
members shall be voting members, and the ex officio members
shall be nonvoting members, except that the ex officio member
designated under paragraph (3)(A) shall be a voting member.
(2) Appointed members.--The voting members of the
Commission shall be appointed by the Secretary from among
individuals who are not officers or employees of the Federal
Government. Of such members--
(A) 10 shall be appointed from among scientists,
physicians, and other health professionals, of whom--
(i) two shall be practicing clinical
gastroenterologists;
(ii) two shall be gastroenterologists
involved primarily in research on digestive
diseases;
(iii) one shall be a surgeon;
(iv) one shall be an expert in liver
disease;
(v) one shall be an epidemiologist;
(vi) one shall be an allied health
professional; and
(vii) two shall be basic biomedical
scientists (such as biochemists, physiologists,
microbiologists, nutritionists,
pharmacologists, or immunologists); and
(B) six shall be appointed from among the general
public, of whom at least three shall have personal or
close family experience with digestive diseases.
(3) Ex officio members.--
(A) National institute of diabetes and digestive
and kidney diseases.--From among officers or employees
of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases whose primary interest is in the field
of digestive diseases, the Secretary shall designate an
individual to serve as an ex officio member of the
Commission.
(B) Additional members.--The following officials
(or the designees of the officials) shall serve as ex
officio members of the Commission: The Director of the
National Institutes of Health; the Director of the
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases; the Director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the Director of the
National Cancer Institute; the Director of the National
Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; the
Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse; the
Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism; the Director of the National Human Genome
Research Institute; the Director for the Division of
Digestive Diseases and Nutrition within the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases;
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention; the Chief Medical Director of the
Department of Veterans Affairs; and the Secretary of
Defense.
(d) Chair.--From among the appointed members of the Commission, the
members of the Commission shall select an individual to serve as the
Chair of the Commission.
(e) Terms.--The term of a member of the Commission is the life of
the Commission.
(f) Vacancies.--
(1) Authority of commission.--A vacancy in the membership
of the Commission does not affect the power of the remaining
members to carry out the duties of the Commission.
(2) Appointment of successor.--A vacancy in the membership
of the Commission shall be filled in the manner in which the
original appointment was made.
(3) Incomplete term.--If a member of the Commission does
not serve the full term of the member, the individual appointed
to fill the resulting vacancy shall be appointed for the
remainder of the term of the predecessor of the individual.
(g) Meetings.--The Commission shall first meet as directed by the
Secretary, not later than 60 days after the Commission is established,
and thereafter shall meet at the call of the Chair of the Commission,
but not less often than three times during the life of the Commission.
(h) Compensation; Reimbursement of Expenses.--
(1) Appointed members.--Members of the Commission appointed
from among individuals who are not officers or employees of the
Federal Government shall receive compensation for each day
(including travel time) engaged in carrying out the duties of
the Commission. Such compensation may not be in an amount in
excess of the daily equivalent of the annual maximum rate of
basic pay payable under section 5108 of title 5, United States
Code, for positions above GS-15.
(2) Ex officio members.--Members of the Commission
appointed from among individuals who are officers or employees
of the Federal Government may not receive compensation for
service on the Commission in addition to the compensation
otherwise received for duties carried out as Federal officers
or employees.
(3) Reimbursement.--Members of the Commission, while
serving away from their homes or regular places of business in
the performance of services for the Commission, shall be
allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of
subsistence, in the same manner as such expenses are authorized
by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code, for persons in
Government service employed intermittently.
(i) Staff.--
(1) Executive director.--The Commission may appoint and fix
the pay of an executive director to effectively carry out its
functions. The executive director shall be appointed subject to
the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing
appointments in the competitive service, and shall be paid in
accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III
of chapter 53 of such title related to classification and
General Schedule pay rates.
(2) Additional staff.--The Secretary shall provide the
Commission with such additional professional and clerical
staff, such information, and the services of such consultants
as the Secretary determines to be necessary for the Commission
to carry out effectively its functions.
(j) Powers.--The Commission may hold such hearings, take such
testimony, and sit and act at such time and places as the Commission
deems advisable.
(k) Report.--Within 18 months following its initial meetings (as
prescribed by subsection (g)), the Commission shall publish and
transmit directly to Congress a final report respecting its activities
under this section. The report shall contain--
(1) the long-range plan required by subsection (b)(2);
(2) the expenditure estimates required by subsection
(b)(3); and
(3) any recommendations of the Commission for legislation
that would facilitate the implementation of the long-range
plan.
In developing recommendations under paragraph (3), the Commission shall
evaluate the effectiveness of the Interagency Coordinating Committee
for Digestive Diseases and assess its ability to monitor and promote
adherence to the long-range plan. The Commission may also make
recommendations regarding organizational changes within the National
Institutes of Health or the establishment of new entities that would
facilitate implementation of the long-range plan and otherwise
coordinate the Federal digestive diseases research effort.
(l) Termination.--The Commission terminates 30 days after the date
on which the final report under subsection (k) is submitted to
Congress.
(m) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $4,000,000 in
the aggregate for fiscal years 2005 and 2006.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S15290-15291)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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