House Bills - 110th Congress

H. R. 3333 —The Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act

On August 2, 2007, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) introduced H.R. 3333, the Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act, to amend the PHS Act to improve the health and healthcare of racial and ethnic minority groups. NIH-related provisions would require the Director of the NHGRI, in collaboration with other Federal entities as well as the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR), to convene a summit on Genetic Variation, Environment and Health. The legislation would also require the NLM, with the Office of the Director of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, to ask the Institute of Medicine to study and make recommendations regarding the use of health information technology and bioinformatics to improve the health and healthcare of racial and ethnic minority groups.

H.R. 3333 would also amend authorities of the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) to require that the Director of the Center, in consultation with the respective Institute and Center (IC) directors or their designees, (1) plan, coordinate, and evaluate research and other activities conducted or supported by the agencies of the NIH and carry out periodic re-evaluations of these activities; (2) conduct an annual review and revision of a comprehensive plan and budget for the conduct and support of relevant research; and (3) carry out a systematic review of research activities, including establishment of mechanisms for tracking minority health and health disparities research conducted within the ICs, with assessments of the appropriateness of such research within the overall goals and objectives of the Plan, and early identification of applications and proposals for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements supporting relevant extramural training, research, and development that are submitted to the ICs. In addition, provisions would require that the Director, NCMHD, direct all amounts appropriated for minority health and health disparities research activities, in collaboration with the Director, NIH, and the IC directors. H.R. 3333 has 55 original cosponsors and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Legislative Update (April 2008): Minority Health