[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1795 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1795

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 1999

 Mr. Burr of North Carolina (for himself and Ms. Eshoo) 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 and Engineering.

    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 and Engineering Establishment Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Basic research in imaging, bioengineering, computer 
        science, informatics, and related fields is critical to 
        improving health care but is fundamentally different from the 
        research in molecular biology on which the current national 
        research institutes at the National Institutes of Health 
        (``NIH'') are based. To ensure the development of new 
        techniques and technologies for the 21st century, these 
        disciplines therefore require an identity and research home at 
        the NIH that is independent of the existing institute 
        structure.
            (2) Advances based on medical research promise new, more 
        effective treatments for a wide variety of diseases, but the 
        development of new, noninvasive imaging techniques for earlier 
        detection and diagnosis of disease is essential to take full 
        advantage of such new treatments and to promote the general 
        improvement of health care.
            (3) The development of advanced genetic and molecular 
        imaging techniques is necessary to continue the current rapid 
        pace of discovery in molecular biology.
            (4) Advances in telemedicine, and teleradiology in 
        particular, are increasingly important in the delivery of high 
        quality, reliable medical care to rural citizens and other 
        underserved populations. To fulfill the promise of telemedicine 
        and related technologies fully, a structure is needed at the 
        NIH to support basic research focused on the acquisition, 
        transmission, processing, and optimal display of images.
            (5) A number of Federal departments and agencies support 
        imaging and engineering research with potential medical 
        applications, but a central coordinating body, preferably 
        housed at the NIH, is needed to coordinate these disparate 
        efforts and facilitate the transfer of technologies with 
        medical applications.
            (6) Several breakthrough imaging technologies, including 
        magnetic resonance imaging (``MRI'') and computed tomography 
        (``CT''), have been developed primarily abroad, in large part 
        because of the absence of a home at the NIH for basic research 
        in imaging and related fields. The establishment of a central 
        focus for imaging and bioengineering research at the NIH would 
        promote both scientific advance and U.S. economic development.
            (7) At a time when a consensus exists to add significant 
        resources to the NIH in coming years, it is appropriate to 
        modernize the structure of the NIH to ensure that research 
        dollars are expended more effectively and efficiently and that 
        the fields of medical science that have contributed the most to 
        the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease in recent 
        years receive appropriate emphasis.
            (8) The establishment of a National Institute of Biomedical 
        Imaging and Engineering at the NIH would accelerate the 
        development of new technologies with clinical and research 
        applications, improve coordination and efficiency at the NIH 
        and throughout the Federal government, reduce duplication and 
        waste, lay the foundation for a new medical information age, 
        promote economic development, and provide a structure to train 
        the young researchers who will make the pathbreaking 
        discoveries of the next century.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND 
              ENGINEERING.

    (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 and Engineering

                       ``purpose of the institute

    ``Sec. 464z. (a) The general purpose of the National Institute of 
Biomedical Imaging and Engineering (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 
biomedical imaging, biomedical engineering, and associated technologies 
and modalities with biomedical applications (in this section referred 
to as `biomedical imaging and engineering').
    ``(b)(1) The Director of the Institute, with the advice of the 
Institute's advisory council, shall establish a National Biomedical 
Imaging and Engineering Program (in this section referred to as the 
`Program').
    ``(2) Activities under the Program shall include the following with 
respect to biomedical imaging and engineering:
            ``(A) Research into the development of new techniques and 
        devices.
            ``(B) Related research in physics, engineering, 
        mathematics, computer science, and other disciplines.
            ``(C) Technology assessments and outcomes studies to 
        evaluate the effectiveness of biologics, materials, processes, 
        devices, procedures, and informatics.
            ``(D) Research in screening for diseases and disorders.
            ``(E) The advancement of existing imaging and engineering 
        modalities, including imaging, biomaterials, and informatics.
            ``(F) The development of target-specific agents to enhance 
        images and to identify and delineate disease.
            ``(G) The development of advanced engineering and imaging 
        technologies and techniques for research from the molecular and 
        genetic to the whole organ and body levels.
            ``(H) The development of new techniques and devices for 
        more effective interventional procedures (such as image-guided 
        interventions).
    ``(3)(A) With respect to the Program, the Director of 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 with respect to biomedical imaging and engineering. 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) Where appropriate, the consolidation of programs of 
        the National Institutes of Health for the express purpose of 
        enhancing support of activities regarding basic biomedical 
        imaging and engineering research.
            ``(ii) The coordination of the activities of the Institute 
        with related activities of the other agencies of the National 
        Institutes of Health and with related activities of other 
        Federal agencies.
    ``(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, engineers, 
                physicians, and other health professionals who 
                represent disciplines in biomedical imaging and 
                engineering and who are not officers or employees of 
                the United States; and
                    ``(B) 6 members shall be scientists, engineers, 
                physicians, and other health professionals who 
                represent other disciplines and are knowledgeable about 
                the applications of biomedical imaging and engineering 
                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 2000, there is authorized to be 
        appropriated an amount equal to the amount obligated by the 
        National Institutes of Health during fiscal year 1999 for 
        biomedical imaging and engineering, except that such amount 
shall be adjusted to offset any inflation occurring after October 1, 
1998.
            ``(B) For each of the fiscal years 2001 and 2002, there is 
        authorized to be appropriated an amount equal to the amount 
        appropriated under subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 2000, 
        except that such amount shall be adjusted for the fiscal year 
        involved to offset any inflation occurring after October 1, 
        1999.
    ``(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 and 
engineering.''.
    (b) Use of Existing Resources.--In providing for the establishment 
of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering 
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 and Engineering 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 and Engineering.
    (d) Date Certain for Establishment of Advisory Council.--Not later 
than 90 days after the effective date of this Act under section 4, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall complete the establishment 
of an advisory council for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging 
and Engineering 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 and 
        Engineering.''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act takes effect October 1, 1999, or upon the date of the 
enactment of this Act, whichever occurs later.
                                 <all>