National Arthritis Act

National Arthritis Act - States that it is the purpose of this Act to expand the authority of the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases in order to advance a national attack on arthritis.

Establishes a National Task Force on Arthritis to formulate a long-range plan to combat arthritis and related musculoskeletal and other related diseases. Provides that the Arthritis Plan shall include recommendations for the utilization and organization of national resources for the campaign against arthritis, and a program for the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases as a major participant in the campaign against arthritis. Specifies the composition of the Task Force membership.

Authorizes to be appropriated $500,000 for fiscal years 1974 and 1975 to carry out the purposes of the national arthritis program.

Establishes within the Institute the position of Associate Director for Arthritis who shall be responsible for programs regarding arthritis within such Institute. Provides that the Director of the National Institutes of Health shall establish an Inter-Institute Arthritis Coordinating Committee to be composed of representatives who can make policy commitments for each of the Institutes and divisions involved in arthritis-related research.

Creates within the Federal Government an Interagency Technical Committee on Arthritis which shall be responsible for promoting the coordination of those aspects of all Federal health programs and activities relating to arthritis to assure the adequacy and technical soundness of such programs and activities and to provide for the full communication and exchange of information necessary to maintain adequate coordination of such programs and activities.

States that the Director of the Institute shall establish programs for cooperation with other health agencies in the screening, detection, prevention, and control of arthritis which emphasize the development of new diagnostic and treatment methods for arthritis, and the dissemination of the knowledge about these methods to the health professions.

Authorizes to be appropriated to carry out these provisions $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1975; $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1976; and $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1977.

Provides that the Director of the Institute shall provide for the development of centers for basic and clinical research into, training in, and demonstration of, advanced diagnostic, prevention, control, and treatment methods for arthritis. Authorizes to be appropriated to carry out these provisions $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1975; $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1976; and $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1977.

Requires the Director of the Institute, after the end of each calendar year, to submit to the President and Congress a report including: (1) a proposal for the Institute's activities during the next five years; and (2) a program evaluation section.