Your Government, Your Institute
Congressional
Activities
Federal
Legislation relevant to the NHLBI and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
If you are interested in learning about some of
the congressional activities that may affect the
NHLBI, read the NHLBI's
legislative update.
The
NIH's Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis
(OLPA) provides legislative analysis, policy
development, and liaison with the Congress. The
office also tracks particular bills that have
broad relevance to the NIH. You can view summaries
of these bills through the OLPA Web site,
which also has links to other resources about
the federal government.
Search the
Library of Congress
You can also track federal legislation using the
Library of Congress' THOMAS World
Wide Web system. THOMAS is designed to make legislative
information available to the general public over
the Internet. If you are not familiar with the
site, we recommend that you visit THOMAS'
Frequently Asked Questions before delving into
it.
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Congressional
Committees
Relevant to the NHLBI and the National Institutes
of Health (NIH)
The Appropriations
Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education
The NHLBI, like all other entities supported by
federal funds, receives its funding through an
annual appropriations bill that must be approved
by both the House and the Senate and signed by
the President.
You can check the status of the various appropriations
bills online. Because the NHLBI is part of
the Department of Health and Human Services,
its budget is a component of the "Labor/HHS/Education" bills.
Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Hearings
NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni's testimony from
NIH budget hearings held by the House and Senate Appropriations
Committees is available online through the NIH
Office of Budget.
Congressional
Committees that Establish the NHLBI's Authority
The House
Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee have
jurisdiction over biomedical research and development,
and thus over the NIH and the NHLBI. When the
NHLBI was established as the National Heart Institute,
its primary purpose was to lead the national
research program in heart diseases. In the years
since, the Congress periodically has reauthorized
the NHLBI and expanded its responsibilities to
include research in diseases of the cardiovascular
system, lungs, and blood; sleep disorders; and
blood resources.
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