[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 835 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 835

  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for expanding and 
  intensifying activities of the National Institute of Arthritis and 
        Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases with respect to lupus.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 1995

Mrs. Meek of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                      to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for expanding and 
  intensifying activities of the National Institute of Arthritis and 
        Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases with respect to lupus.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lupus Research Amendments of 1995''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) lupus is a serious, complex, inflammatory, autoimmune 
        disease of particular concern to women;
            (2) lupus affects women 9 times more often than men;
            (3) there are 3 main types of lupus: systemic lupus, a 
        serious form of the disease that affects many parts of the 
        body; discoid lupus, a form of the disease that affects mainly 
        the skin; and drug-induced lupus caused by certain medications;
            (4) lupus can be fatal if not detected and treated early;
            (5) the disease can simultaneously affect various areas of 
        the body, such as the skin, joints, kidneys, and brain, and can 
        be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms of lupus are 
        similar to those of many other diseases;
            (6) lupus disproportionately affects African-American 
        women, as the prevalence of the disease among such women is 3 
        times the prevalence among white women, and an estimated 1 in 
        250 African-American women between the ages of 15 and 65 
        develops the disease;
            (7) it has been estimated that over 500,000 Americans have 
        been diagnosed with the disease, and that many more have 
        undiagnosed cases;
            (8) current treatments for the disease can be effective, 
        but may lead to damaging side effects; and
            (9) many victims of the disease suffer debilitating pain 
        and fatigue, making it difficult to maintain employment and 
        lead normal lives.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION AND INTENSIFICATION OF ACTIVITIES REGARDING LUPUS.

    Subpart 4 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 285d et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 441 the 
following section:

                                ``lupus

    ``Sec. 441A. (a) In General.--The Director of the Institute shall 
expand and intensify research and related activities of the Institute 
with respect to lupus.
    ``(b) Coordination With Other Institutes.--The Director of the 
Institute shall coordinate the activities of the Director under 
subsection (a) with similar activities conducted by the other national 
research institutes and agencies of the National Institutes of Health 
to the extent that such Institutes and agencies have responsibilities 
that are related to lupus.
    ``(c) Programs for Lupus.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Director of the Institute shall conduct or support research to expand 
the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, lupus. 
Activities under such subsection shall include conducting and 
supporting the following:
            ``(1) Research to determine the reasons underlying the 
        elevated prevalence of lupus in women, including African-
        American women.
            ``(2) Basic research concerning the etiology and causes of 
        the disease.
            ``(3) Epidemiological studies to address the frequency and 
        natural history of the disease and the differences among the 
        sexes and among racial and ethnic groups with respect to the 
        disease.
            ``(4) The development of improved screening techniques.
            ``(5) Clinical research for the development and evaluation 
        of new treatments, including new biological agents.
            ``(6) Information and education programs for health care 
        professionals and the public.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 
for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 1996 and 1997. The authorization of appropriations 
established in the preceding sentence is in addition to any other 
authorization of appropriations that is available for such purpose.''.
                                 <all>