107th Congress

Public Health Service Act Amendment on Diabetes

P.L. 107- 360 (H.R. 5738)

Impact of Public Law

P.L. 107- 360 (H.R. 5738)

P.L. 107-360 amends Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act to renew funding for the special diabetes programs for Type 1 diabetes research, and also the parallel services program for diabetes in Native Americans, at $150 million for each of the fiscal years (FYs) 2004 through 2008. This measure provides additional funding separate from the regular appropriations process for the special diabetes programs for Type 1 diabetes research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Research

The special statutory funding program for Type 1 diabetes research was initially established under the 1997 Balanced Budget Act (P.L. 105-33) and later extended in time and amount by the 2001 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-554). As designated under the Act by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, NIH has established a broad, consultative, scientifically competitive, and managerially sound process for planning, allocating, and evaluating the effectiveness of this special statutory funding program. Under the leadership of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the process is framed around six broad goals in Type 1 diabetes research, and it involves all relevant NIH Institutes and Centers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the external community of scientific and lay experts in the field. Decisions about the appropriation of funds have been informed by critically important scientific conferences and workshops, and by advisory meetings of experts in the field, both internal and external to NIH. Since the program's inception in FY 1998, there has been continuous, careful assessment of the initiatives proposed by the participating U.S. Department of Health and Human Services components, with final funding decisions made in a manner consistent with the scientific merit and technical feasibility of specific projects as determined by the NIH peer-review system.

Legislative History

H.R. 5738 was introduced on November 14, 2002, by Representative John M. Shimkus (R-IL), and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill was discharged from the Committee on November 15 and brought to the House floor under Suspension of the Rules. The measure passed the House by unanimous consent. The Senate passed H.R. 5738 by unanimous consent on November 20. The President signed H.R. 5738 on December 18 as P.L. 107-360.