[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 990 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 990

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 7, 1997

 Mr. Faircloth introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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) Purpose.--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) National Biomedical Imaging Program.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--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.--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) Plan.--
                    ``(A) In general.--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) Contents.--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) Advisory Council.--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) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), for the 
        purpose of carrying out this section:
                    ``(A) For fiscal year 1997, there is authorized to 
                be appropriated an amount equal to the amount obligated 
                by the National Institutes of Health during fiscal year 
                1996 for biomedical imaging, except that such amount 
                shall be adjusted to offset any inflation occurring 
                after October 1, 1995.
                    ``(B) For each of the fiscal years 1998 and 1999, 
                there is authorized to be appropriated an amount equal 
                to the amount appropriated under subparagraph (A) for 
                fiscal year 1997, except that such amount shall be 
                adjusted for the fiscal year involved to offset any 
                inflation occurring after October 1, 1996.
            ``(2) Reduction.--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 (42 
U.S.C. 284a) 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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