H.R. 758 is expected to be considered on the House floor on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, under a suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote to pass.  Rep. DeGette (D-CO) introduced H.R. 758 on January 28, 2009, and it was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R. 758 would authorize the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or nonprofit private entities to pay all or part of the cost of planning, establishing, and providing basic operating support for up to 20 national pediatric research consortia.  In addition, the bill would require each consortium to do the following: (1) supplement, but not replace, the establishment of a comprehensive pediatric research portfolio, (2) conduct basic, clinical, behavioral, social, and translational research, and (3) conduct training and demonstration of advanced diagnostic and treatment methods relating to pediatrics.

The director of NIH would provide for the coordination of information and ensure regular communication between consortia.

Payments to each consortium would not exceed $2,500,000 per year for each consortium in the first five-year cycle.  The support would be provided for a period of five years and would be extended for additional five-year periods at higher funding levels based on operational review. 

As of publication, the Congressional Budget Office had not released a score of H.R. 758.