House Bills - 110th Congress

H. R. 3904 —The Family Asthma Act

On October 1, 2007, Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced H. R. 3904, the Family Asthma Act. Provisions would require the Secretary of HHS, acting through the Director of NIH, to award grants as part of a Family Asthma Clinical and Environment Health Research Grant Program to eligible entities serving medically underserved populations to carry out pilot projects, including research, to prevent and control asthma symptoms and to reduce asthma attacks and improve patient self-management for individuals and families. The NIEHS would be required to serve as the lead for coordinating related activities, in coordination with the NHLBI, NIAID, and NICHD. Provisions would also authorize $1,000,000 for each of Fiscal Years 2008 through 2012 above the normal appropriation for NHLBI to develop a National Asthma Action Plan. A report to Congress would be required not later than 2 years after the date of enactment. The bill would also require the Director, NIEHS, to establish individual and institutional training grants for education and training of health care providers on the role of environmental factors in the development and prevention of asthma. H.R. 2904 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. A companion bill, S. 2175, was introduced by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on October 17.