Congressional Affairs

(Prepared February 4, 2003)

FY 2003 Appropriations

The President's amended FY 2003 budget request for NIH is $27.243 billion. This includes a request for NIDA of approximately $960 million.

Since the beginning of the current fiscal year, the federal government has been operating under a series of Continuing Resolutions (CR). Before adjournment of the 107th Congress, Members agreed to a long-term CR that left federal funding at fiscal 2002 levels. Congressional leaders hoped to complete the 11 remaining fiscal 2003 spending bills quickly by combining them into an omnibus package. Although Members were unable to finish the process before the President's State of the Union Address as they had hoped, progress is nevertheless being made through an Omnibus Appropriations Bill, H.J. Res. 2.

The Senate passed a $391 billion FY 2003 spending package on January 23, 2003. House and Senate Conferees began meeting formally the week of February 3rd to determine final FY 2003 funding levels for all programs included in the Omnibus bill, which contains funding for the 11 appropriation bills that have not yet passed.

FY 2004 APPROPRIATIONS

The President released his FY 2004 budget request on February 3, 2003. The program level for the NIH is $27.893 billion, an increase of $549 million over the FY 2003 Amended President's Budget. For NIDA, the FY 2004 figure is $996 million, a 3.7 percent increase over the FY 2003 Amended President's Budget. When adjusted for one-time facilities costs in FY 2003, the total available for NIH non-biodefense research programs increases by 4.3 percent. The NIH President's Budget request to the Labor/Health and Human Services/Education Appropriations Subcommittee is $27.664 billion.

BILLS OF INTEREST - 107TH CONGRESS

[For the full text and additional information about any bill, go to the Library of Congress website at http://thomas.loc.gov]

H.R. 2215 -- P.L. 107-273 - the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act reauthorizes many programs and agencies at the Department of Justice for fiscal year (FY) 2002. In addition, there are several provisions addressing substance abuse treatment, research, and services. The bill was introduced in June 2001 by Rep. Sensenbrenner, (R-WI), and was signed into law by the President on November 2, 2002, [PL 107-273, 116 Stat. 1758. (Congressional Record p. D1124)].

Title II, Section 2203, the Drug Abuse Education, Prevention and Treatment Act of 2002, amends Section 464N of the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of NIDA to make grants or enter into cooperative agreements to expand the current and ongoing interdisciplinary research and clinical trials with treatment centers of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network relating to drug abuse and addiction, including biomedical, behavioral and social issues.

Section 2202, requires that not later than 180 days after the date of enactment, the President, after consultation with the Attorney General, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Education, and other appropriate Federal officers, shall conduct a thorough review of all Federal drug and substance abuse treatment, prevention, education, and research programs; and make such recommendations to Congress as the President may judge necessary and expedient to streamline, consolidate, coordinate, simplify, and more effectively conduct and deliver drug and substance abuse treatment, prevention, and education. The report to Congress, which is being coordinated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, will include a survey of all Federal drug and substance abuse treatment, prevention, education, and research programs; indicate the legal authority for each program, the amount of funding in the last 2 fiscal years for each program, and a brief description of the program; and identify authorized programs that were not funded in fiscal year 2002 or 2003.

H.R. 5005 - P.L. 107-296 - On November 25, 2002, the President signed into law H.R. 5005, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 as P.L. 107-296. This legislation will establish a new Executive Branch agency with responsibilities for information and infrastructure protection, science and technology in support of homeland security, border and transportation security, and emergency preparedness and response.

BILLS OF INTEREST - 108TH CONGRESS

S. 22 --The Senate Democratic Caucus, led by Senate Minority Leader Daschle (D-SD), introduced legislation that would authorize additional resources for drug and alcohol education, prevention and treatment programs. S. 8, "The Educational Excellence for All Learners Act of 2003" - referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, would fully fund education reform, as called for in the "No Child Left Behind Act," and would increase authorized funding for the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program by $50 million to $700 million in FY 2004. S. 22, "The Justice Enhancement and Domestic Security Act of 2003" - referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Title V of the bill, entitled "Combating Drug and Violence Prevention," would provide funding for drug treatment and prevention programs.

H.R. 207 -- On January 7, 2003, Reps. Sweeney (R-NY) and Osborne (R-NE) introduced H.R. 207 - "To amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to the placing of certain substances on the schedules of controlled substances, and for other purposes." The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and to the Committees on the Judiciary and Education and the Workforce. The bill would allow certain steroid precursors to be placed in a schedule as controlled substances. It would also authorize the Director of ONDCP to "undertake education programs at the grade and high school levels to highlight harmful effects of steroids and steroid precursor use by youths." There is authorized to be appropriated for such programs $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, and $17,500,000 for fiscal year 2006.

MEETINGS, BRIEFINGS, VISITS

November 19, 2002 - At the request of Marcia Lee, minority staff to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Nancy Pilotte, Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research and Elizabeth Robertson, Division of Treatment Research and Development, NIDA, provided a briefing on the science and health effects of steroid use, particularly on children and young people. Leo Luberecki, HHS/ASL, and Mary Mayhew, OSPC, also attended.

December 4, 2002 - At the request of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, NIDA staff participated in a briefing for Congressional staff on recent findings of the evaluation of the Anti-Drug Media Campaign. The briefing was conducted by Wilson Compton, Director, DESPR, NIDA, and Westat contract staff David Macklin and Robert Orwin. Susan Martin, DESPR, accompanied Dr. Compton. Mary Mayhew, OSPC, also attended.