[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1715 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1715

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish the National 
                    Institute of Biomedical Imaging.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 1997

Mr. Burr of North Carolina (for himself, Mr. Goode, Mr. Taylor of North 
 Carolina, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Clement, Mr. Norwood, Ms. 
    Rivers, Mr. Hefner, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Hansen, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. 
Abercrombie, Mr. Jones, Mr. Cook, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Coble, Mr. Borski, 
 Mrs. Clayton, Mr. Watt of North Carolina, Mr. Kleczka, Mr. Towns, Mr. 
 Fattah, Mrs. Mink of Hawaii, Mr. Spence, and Mr. McIntyre) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish the National 
                    Institute of Biomedical Imaging.

    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 ``National Institute of Biomedical 
Imaging Establishment Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING.

    (a) In General.--Part C of title IV of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following subpart:

         ``Subpart 18--National Institute of Biomedical Imaging

                       ``purpose of the institute

    ``Sec. 464z. (a) The general purpose of the National Institute of 
Biomedical Imaging (in this section referred to as the `Institute') is 
the conduct and support of research, training, the dissemination of 
health information, and other programs with respect to radiologic and 
other imaging modalities, imaging techniques, and imaging technologies 
with biomedical applications (in this section referred to as 
`biomedical imaging').
    ``(b)(1) The Director of the Institute, with the advice of the 
Institute's advisory council, shall establish a National Biomedical 
Imaging Program (in this section referred to as the `Program').
    ``(2) Activities under the Program shall include the following with 
respect to biomedical imaging:
            ``(A) Research into the development of new techniques and 
        devices.
            ``(B) Related research in physics, computer science, 
        information sciences, and other disciplines.
            ``(C) Technology assessments and outcomes studies to 
        evaluate the effectiveness of devices and procedures.
            ``(D) Research in screening for diseases and disorders.
            ``(E) The advancement of existing modalities (such as x-ray 
        imaging, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, 
        magnetic resonance spectroscopy, positron emission tomography, 
        single photon emission computed tomography, ultrasound, and 
        bioelectric and biomagnetic imaging).
            ``(F) The development of image-enhancing agents, contrast 
        media, and radiopharmaceuticals.
            ``(G) The development of image-enhancing agents and 
        advanced technologies and techniques for molecular and genetic 
        imaging.
            ``(H) The development of new techniques and devices for 
        imaging-guided surgery and related interventional procedures.
            ``(I) Research into technologies to enhance and expand the 
        potential applications of picture archiving, communication 
        systems, and telemedicine.
    ``(3)(A) With respect to the Program, the Director or the Institute 
shall prepare and transmit to the Secretary and the Director of NIH a 
plan to initiate, expand, intensify, and coordinate activities of the 
Institute respecting biomedical imaging. The plan shall include such 
comments and recommendations as the Director of the Institute 
determines appropriate. The Director of the Institute shall 
periodically review and revise the plan and shall transmit any 
revisions of the plan to the Secretary and the Director of NIH.
    ``(B) The plan under subparagraph (A) shall include the 
recommendations of the Director of the Institute with respect to the 
following:
            ``(i) The consolidation of programs of the National 
        Institutes of Health for the conduct or support of activities 
        regarding biomedical imaging.
            ``(ii) The establishment of a center within the Institute 
        to coordinate imaging research activities conducted or 
        supported by Federal agencies and to facilitate the transfer of 
        biomedical imaging technologies.
    ``(c) The establishment under section 406 of an advisory council 
for the Institute is subject to the following:
            ``(1) The number of members appointed by the Secretary 
        shall be 12.
            ``(2) Of such members--
                    ``(A) 6 members shall be scientists, physicians, 
                and other health professionals who represent 
                disciplines in biomedical imaging and who are not 
                officers or employees of the United States; and
                    ``(B) 6 members shall be scientists, physicians, 
                and other health professionals who represent other 
                disciplines and are knowledgeable about the 
                applications of biomedical imaging in medicine, and who 
                are not officers or employees of the United States.
            ``(3) In addition to the ex officio members specified in 
        section 406(b)(2), the ex officio members of the advisory 
        council shall include the Director of the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention, the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation, and the Director of the National Institute of 
        Standards and Technology (or the designees of such officers).
    ``(d)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), for the purpose of carrying out 
this section:
            ``(A) For fiscal year 1998, there is authorized to be 
        appropriated an amount equal to the amount obligated by the 
        National Institutes of Health during fiscal year 1997 for 
        biomedical imaging, except that such amount shall be adjusted 
        to offset any inflation occurring after October 1, 1996.
            ``(B) For each of the fiscal years 1999 and 2000, there is 
        authorized to be appropriated an amount equal to the amount 
        appropriated under subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 1998, 
        except that such amount shall be adjusted for the fiscal year 
        involved to offset any inflation occurring after October 1, 
        1997.
    ``(2) The authorization of appropriations for a fiscal year under 
paragraph (1) is hereby reduced by the amount of any appropriation made 
for such year for the conduct or support by any other national research 
institute of any program with respect to biomedical imaging.''.
    (b) Use of Existing Resources.--In providing for the establishment 
of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging pursuant to the 
amendment made by subsection (a), the Director of the National 
Institutes of Health (referred to in this subsection as ``NIH'')--
            (1) may transfer to the National Institute of Biomedical 
        Imaging such personnel of NIH as the Director determines to be 
        appropriate;
            (2) may, for quarters for such Institute, utilize such 
        facilities of NIH as the Director determines to be appropriate; 
        and
            (3) may obtain administrative support for the Institute 
        from the other agencies of NIH, including the other national 
        research institutes.
    (c) Construction of Facilities.--None of the provisions of this Act 
or the amendments made by the Act may be construed as authorizing the 
construction of facilities, or the acquisition of land, for purposes of 
the establishment or operation of the National Institute of Biomedical 
Imaging.
    (d) Date Certain for Establishment of Advisory Council.--Not later 
than 90 days after the effective date of this Act under section 3, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall complete the establishment 
of an advisory council for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging 
in accordance with section 406 of the Public Health Service Act and in 
accordance with section 464z of such Act (as added by subsection (a) of 
this section).
    (e) Conforming Amendment.--Section 401(b)(1) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following subparagraph:
            ``(R) The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act takes effect October 1, 1997, or upon the date of the 
enactment of this Act, whichever occurs later.
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