[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 720 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 720

  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for awards by the 
  National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to develop and 
  operate multidisciplinary research centers regarding the impact of 
    environmental factors on women's health and disease prevention.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 5, 2001

 Ms. Landrieu (for herself and Ms. Stabenow) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for awards by the 
  National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to develop and 
  operate multidisciplinary research centers regarding the impact of 
    environmental factors on women's health and disease prevention.

    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 ``Women's Health Environmental 
Research Centers Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES; AWARDS FOR 
              DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH 
              CENTERS REGARDING WOMEN'S HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION.

    Subpart 12 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 285l et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new section:

   ``multidisciplinary research centers regarding women's health and 
                           disease prevention

    ``Sec. 463B. (a) In General.--The Director of the Institute shall 
make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development 
and operation of not more than six centers whose purpose is conducting 
multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related 
to the development of women's health conditions (as defined in section 
486(f)(1)). The Director of the Institute shall carry out this section 
in consultation with the Director of the Office of Research on Women's 
Health and with the advisory council for the Institute.
    ``(b) Research, Training, and Information and Education.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each center under subsection (a) shall, 
        with respect to the purpose described in such subsection--
                    ``(A) conduct basic and clinical research;
                    ``(B) develop protocols for training physicians, 
                scientists, nurses, and other health and allied health 
                professionals;
                    ``(C) conduct training programs for such 
                individuals;
                    ``(D) develop model continuing education programs 
                for such professionals; and
                    ``(E) disseminate information to such professionals 
                and the public.
            ``(2) Priority for prevention activities.--In carrying out 
        the activities described in paragraph (1), each center under 
        subsection (a) shall give priority to activities that are 
        directed toward preventing the development in women of the 
        diseases and conditions involved.
            ``(3) Stipends for training of health professionals.--A 
        center under subsection (a) may use funds under such subsection 
        to provide stipends for health and allied health professionals 
        enrolled in programs described in paragraph (1)(C).
    ``(c) Collaboration With Community.--Each center under subsection 
(a) shall establish and maintain ongoing collaborations with community 
organizations in the geographic area served by the center, including 
those that represent women with disorders that appear to stem from 
environmental factors.
    ``(d) Coordination of Centers; Reports.--The Director of the 
Institute shall, as appropriate, provide for the coordination of 
information among centers under subsection (a) and ensure regular 
communication between such centers.
    ``(e) Structure of Center.--Each center assisted under subsection 
(a) shall use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from 
a consortium of cooperating institutions, meeting such requirements as 
may be prescribed by the Director of the Institute.
    ``(f) Duration of Support.--Support of a center under subsection 
(a) may be for a period not exceeding 5 years. Such period may be 
extended for one or more additional periods not exceeding 5 years if 
the operations of such center have been reviewed by an appropriate 
technical and scientific peer review group established by the Director 
of the Institute and if such group has recommended to the Director that 
such period should be extended.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $4,000,000 
for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 2003 through 2006.''.
                                 <all>