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APPROPRIATIONS - FY2007
DECISIONS IMMINENT
Year-Long Continuing Resolution for FY2007
is Being Finalized
The House plans to begin debating a year-long
continuing resolution (CR) for FY2007
next week. In order to avoid amendments in the
House and avert having to pass another
short-term CR, House and Senate negotiators have
decided to try to reach agreement on many of the
issues and funding levels prior to bringing the
CR to the House floor for a vote. Therefore,
this means that House and Senate leaders will
use this weekend to negotiate final funding
decisions for those agencies whose FY2007
spending bills were not enacted. Republicans
failed to pass ten of the twelve FY2007
appropriations bills, and instead passed a CR
through February 15, 2007.
Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter
(R-PA) are working overtime to make
the case that NIH should be regarded as one of
our nation’s “most important policy
concerns.” And, during the past few weeks,
thousands of FASEB society members have
taken the time to urge their Members of Congress
to tell their Congressional leaders that NIH is
an important priority for our country, and that
supporting NIH results in scientific
breakthroughs and discoveries that promise to
improve the health and the quality of life for
millions of people. It appears that the message
is being heard on Capitol Hill, and the odds are
increasing that Congress may actually provide
NIH with a significant increase in FY2007.
Congress’ decision to eliminate earmarks is
allowing for a redistribution of funds to
priority programs. For example, Congress intends
to transfer some of the savings from
earmarked programs to the Veteran’s
Administration. Without such a transfer, health
benefits for veterans and active-duty military
would face a combined $5 billion shortfall
if their budgets are left frozen in FY2007. In
addition, the FBI is slated to receive
additional funds to prevent it from having to
institute a yearlong hiring freeze. FASEB’s
societies, as well as the broader research
community, are making a compelling case for
the lifesaving research that is being funded by
NIH. We are asking that Congress
recognize that after several years of flat or
reduced funding, researchers are not able to
pursue many of the scientific opportunities that
were discovered during the time period
when NIH’s budget was doubled. One big concern
is that when only 1 in 5 NIH grants
are being funded, the chances are high that a
breakthrough discovery is going to be left
on the cutting room floor.
As Congress therefore prepares to use this
weekend to finalize the FY2007 full-year
continuing resolution, FASEB’s Office of Public
Affairs has decided to facilitate a
second
alert to its society members. The alert,
distributed today, requested that FASEB
society members take action within the next 24
to 48 hours to urge House and Senate
negotiators to support an increase for NIH in
FY2007. FASEB also issued a
press release.
In addition to the alert, FASEB’s President
sent a follow-up letter to House and
Senate
Congressional leaders requesting that they
provide an increase in FY2007 for
the life saving research sponsored by the NIH,
as well as to embrace the American
Competitiveness Initiative to double spending on
basic research at NSF and DOE over 10
years.
NIH REAUTHORIZATION
President Signs Bill into Law and
Implementation Process Begins
On January 15, 2007, President Bush signed the
National Institutes of Health Reform Act of
2006. This is only the third omnibus
reauthorization in the NIH’s history, and the
first
in 14 years. The Act received bipartisan support
from Congress. Many believe that the Act affirms
the importance of the NIH and its vital role in
advancing biomedical research to improve the
health of the Nation.
NIH has initiated an implementation process to
carry out the new legislation. An Ad Hoc Working
Group of the NIH Steering Committee has been
established. It will be chaired by the NIH
Deputy Director, Dr. Raynard Kington, and
includes Institute and Center (IC) Directors and
leadership in legislation, policy, management,
communications, extramural and intramural
activities, budget, and the Office of the
General Counsel, who will make recommendations
on the implementation of the legislation. The Ad
Hoc Working Group will be charged to complete a
careful, detailed analysis of the legislation
and propose
plans for its implementation that will aid the
NIH in serving the public and its scientific
community more effectively.
Key provisions in the Act include items related
to (1) the Division of Program
Coordination, Planning and Strategic
Initiatives; (2) the Common Fund; (3) the
Council
of Councils; (4) the Scientific Management
Review Board; (5) Authorization of
Appropriations; (6) Reorganization; and (7)
Reporting.
1. The Division of Program Coordination,
Planning and Strategic Initiatives
(DPCPSI)
The DPCPSI, within the Office of the Director,
is officially established. The purpose of
DPCPSI is to identify and report on research
that represents important areas of emerging
scientific opportunities, rising public health
challenges, or knowledge gaps that deserve
special emphasis and would benefit from the
conduct or support of additional research that
involves collaboration between two or more ICs,
or would otherwise benefit from strategic
coordination and planning.
2. The Common Fund
The Common Fund (CF) will support trans-NIH
research. CF amounts will be reserved
by the NIH Director, subject to any applicable
provisions in appropriations Acts, but the
amount reserved as a percentage of the total
appropriation in any fiscal year may not be
less than the percentage from the preceding
fiscal year. The first year that the CF reaches
the 5 percent mark, the Director will be
required, in consultation with the Council of
Councils, to submit recommendations to Congress
for changes regarding amounts for the CF.
3. Council of Councils
A new Council of Councils will advise on
research proposals that would be funded by the
Common Fund. It will be composed of 27 members
selected from the IC Advisory
Councils, individuals nominated by OD offices,
and members of the NIH Council of
Public Representatives.
4. Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB)
At least every 7 years, the SMRB will be
required to examine the use of the NIH’s
organizational authorities, provide a report on
the review, and make recommendations
regarding the use of such authorities. If the
SMRB recommends an organizational
change, the process to effect the change must
begin within 100 days of the report, and the
change must be fully implemented within 3 years.
These requirements do not apply if the NIH
Director formally objects to all or part of the
recommended organizational change within 90
days, and the objection includes a rationale.
5. Authorization of Appropriations
Most expired authorizations of appropriations
sections relevant to the NIH will be deleted
from the Statute and replaced with one
authorization of appropriations for the entire
Agency for the following amounts:
$30,331,309,000 for FY2007; $32,831,309,000 for
FY2008; and such sums as may be necessary for
FY2009.
6. Reorganization
The legislation requires a public process for
certain reorganizations and identifies
procedures for any reorganization.
7. Reporting
Most reports pertaining to NIH in current law
will be deleted and replaced by one
biennial report to Congress. Additional reports
with respect to collaboration with other
DHHS agencies, clinical trials, tissue samples,
whistleblowers, and experts and
consultants are required. Reports will be
required from each institution receiving an NIH
award for the training of graduate students for
doctoral degrees. ICs will also be required to
report to the Director of NIH on the amount of
that IC’s budget made available for trans-NIH
research.
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