108th Congress

Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Improvement Act

S. 314

Background

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is a private, not-for-profit foundation established by Congress in 1990 to support the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). FNIH fosters collaborative relationships in education, research, and related activities among NIH, industry, academia, and nonprofit organizations. It supports basic and clinical research to advance medical knowledge, training and advanced education programs for research investigators, and educational programs about medical research. For example, FNIH is currently partnering with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to conduct clinical studies on pediatric patients. FNIH also recently received a $200 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a program to identify critical scientific challenges in global health and conduct research to address those challenges.

On February 5, 2003, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) introduced S. 314, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Improvement Act. The bill was cosponsored at introduction by Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH), Bill Frist (R-TN), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). The bill would have made several technical corrections to Section 499 of the Public Health Service Act, which provides the statutory authorization for FNIH.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

S. 314 would have amended Section 499 of the Public Health Service Act, making minor technical corrections regarding the Board of Directors and other clarifying amendments. Of particular interest to NIH was a provision that would have required the Director of NIH to transfer $500,000 yearly to FNIH for operating expenses.

Status and Outlook

S. 314 was introduced by Senator Kennedy on February 5, 2003, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). On February 12, S. 314 was reported out of the Senate HELP Committee without amendment. On July 17, S. 314 was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent. The House failed to consider S. 314 before the end of the 108th Congress. It is likely that the bill will be reintroduced during the 109th Congress.