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INSIDE
(The Beltway) SCOOP- Jon Retzlaff,
Legislative Director
FASEB applauds the efforts undertaken by
Senators Specter and Harkin, and Representative
Castle to actively seek commitments from
Senators and moderate House Republican members
to restore funding for labor, health and
education programs to the fiscal year 2005
funding level. This effort has taken on an even
greater level of importance with the news this
week that Defense appropriations conferees
conceded to White House demands to restore $4
billion of the money that had been transferred
from defense accounts to non-defense,
non-homeland security accounts, including the
programs funded by the Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations subcommittee. This action could
squeeze billions from the domestic spending
bills if the President resists efforts to lift
the cap he imposed on discretionary spending for
FY2007.
You may remember that both House and Senate
Appropriations Chairmen Jerry Lewis (R-CA) and
Thad Cochran (R-MS) expressed concern when
President Bush proposed to flat fund
non-defense, non-homeland security accounts. As
a result, the Appropriations Chairmen
transferred more than $6 billion from defense
accounts to domestic discretionary accounts. The
House provided $4 billion of that money to
supplement labor, health and education accounts,
while the Senate designated an additional $5
billion of the defense money for the Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations subcommittee.
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BILLS, BILLS, BILLS
H.R. 5533 – the Biodefense and Pandemic
Vaccine and Drug Development Act
On September 20, the House Committee on Energy
and Commerce marked up and reported out H.R.
5533, the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and
Drug Development Act of 2006, with an amendment
in the nature of a substitute. Among its many
provisions, the measure would require the
establishment of a Biomedical Advanced Research
and Development Authority (BARDA) within HHS to
coordinate and oversee
activities that support and accelerate advanced
research and development of qualified
countermeasures or pandemic or epidemic
products; and a National Biodefense Science
Board to advise the Secretary on current and
future trends, challenges, and opportunities
presented by biotechnology and genetic
engineering with respect to diseases and
chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological
agents (similar to the existing HHS National
Science Advisory Biosecurity Board). No longer
included are requirements to establish a
strategic plan for advanced R & D activities or
a Biodefense Medical Countermeasure Development
Fund.
On September 26, the House passed, under
suspension of the rules, H.R. 5533, the
Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug
Development Act of 2006. The measure’s
counterpart in the Senate, S. 2564, which was
introduced on April 6, 2006, has not yet been
acted upon. There is no indication when or if
the Senate will act on either measure.
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CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE
The House and Senate are expected to adjourn
this weekend until November 13, 2006.
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WASHINGTON UPDATE |
