108th Congress

National Commission on Digestive Diseases

S. 1902, H.R. 3756

Background

In 1976, Congress created a Commission on Digestive Diseases Research, which proposed a long-term plan and made recommendations that laid the groundwork for significant progress in the area of digestive diseases research. On November 20, 2003, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced S. 1902, the National Commission on Digestive Diseases, in order to “advance our understanding of the causes, effective treatments, possible prevention, and cures for digestive diseases,” as Senator Specter stated upon the bill’s introduction.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

S. 1902 would have required the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish a National Commission on Digestive Diseases. The Commission would have been required to study the present state of knowledge about digestive diseases, evaluate public and private facilities and resources for diagnosis and treatment, and identify programs to improve the management of these diseases. From this information, the Commission would have been required to develop a long-term plan for the organization and use of national resources to effectively address digestive diseases.

Status and Outlook

S. 1902 was introduced by Senators Reed and Specter on November 20, 2003, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. No further action occurred on this legislation during the 108th Congress.

H.R. 3756, the companion measure, was introduced by Representatives Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) on February 3, 2004. H.R. 3756 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. No further action occurred on this legislation during the 108th Congress.

While there was no further action on either bill, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees included language in their respective FY 2005 Committee Reports regarding the establishment of a Digestive Disease Commission at NIH.

Senate Report 108-345 contained the following language:

“The Committee calls on the Director, in collaboration with the Secretary, to establish a national commission on digestive diseases composed of distinguished scientists and physicians who are experts in digestive diseases, digestive disease patient advocates and representatives of Federal departments, agencies or institutes providing support for research related to digestive diseases in order to 1) study the incidence, duration, and mortality rates of digestive diseases, as well as their social and economic impacts, 2) evaluate public and private facilities and resources, including trained personnel and research activities, for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of such diseases, 3) identify related disease management programs, including biological, behavioral, nutritional, environmental, and social programs, and 4) develop a long-range plan for the use and organization of national resources to effectively deal with digestive diseases.”

The House Report 108-636 contained the following language:

“The Committee encourages the Secretary to consider establishing a national commission on digestive diseases composed of scientists and physicians, patient advocates and representatives of Federal agencies to 1) study the incidence, duration, and mortality rates of digestive diseases, as well as their economic impact, 2) evaluate facilities and resources for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of such diseases, and 3) develop a long-range plan for the use and organization of national resources to effectively deal with digestive diseases.”

The Conference Report, H. Report 108-792, accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations bill, H.R. 4818, did not contain language on this issue.