[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2541 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2541

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the expansion, 
  intensification, and coordination of the activities of the National 
Institutes of Health regarding qualifying adult stem cell research, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2005

    Mr. King of New York (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. 
    Norwood, Mr. Israel, and Mr. Bishop of New York) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the expansion, 
  intensification, and coordination of the activities of the National 
Institutes of Health regarding qualifying adult stem cell research, and 
                          for other purposes.

    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 ``Joe Testaverde Adult Stem Cell 
Research Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION, INTENSIFICATION, AND COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES OF 
              NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH REGARDING QUALIFYING ADULT 
              STEM CELL RESEARCH.

    Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 409J. QUALIFYING ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH.

    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Expansion of activities.--The Director of NIH shall 
        expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the 
        National Institutes of Health regarding qualifying adult stem 
        cell research.
            ``(2) Collaboration among agencies.--The Director shall 
        carry out this section in collaboration with any other agencies 
        that the Director determines appropriate.
    ``(b) Centers of Excellence.--
            ``(1) In general.--In carrying out subsection (a)(1), the 
        Director shall make awards of grants and contracts to public or 
        nonprofit private entities to pay all or part of the cost of 
        planning, establishing, improving, and providing basic 
        operating support for centers of excellence regarding 
        qualifying adult stem cell research.
            ``(2) Research.--Each center shall conduct basic and 
        clinical research regarding qualifying adult stem cells. Such 
        research should include investigations into the cause, 
        diagnosis, early detection, prevention, control, and treatment 
        of disease.
            ``(3) Services for patients.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A center may expend amounts 
                provided under paragraph (1) to carry out a program to 
                make individuals aware of opportunities to participate 
                as subjects in research conducted by the centers.
                    ``(B) Referrals and costs.--A program under 
                subparagraph (A) may, in accordance with such criteria 
                as the Director may establish, provide to the subjects 
                described in such subparagraph, referrals for health 
                and other services, and such patient care costs as are 
                required for research.
                    ``(C) Availability and access.--The extent to which 
                a center can demonstrate availability and access to 
                clinical services shall be considered by the Director 
                in decisions about awarding grants to applicants which 
                meet the scientific criteria for funding under this 
                section.
            ``(4) Coordination of centers; reports.--The Director 
        shall, as appropriate, provide for the coordination of 
        information among centers and ensure regular communication 
        between such centers, and may require the periodic preparation 
        of reports on the activities of the centers and the submission 
        of the reports to the Director.
            ``(5) Organization of centers.--Each center 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.
            ``(6) Number of centers; duration of support.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director shall provide for 
                the establishment of not less than five centers under 
                paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) Duration.--Support for a center may be 
                provided under this section for a period of not to 
                exceed 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 and if such group has 
                recommended to the Director that such period should be 
                extended.
    ``(c) Facilitation of Research.--In carrying out subsection (a)(1), 
the Director shall provide for a program under which samples of tissues 
and genetic materials that are of use in qualifying adult stem cell 
research are donated, collected, preserved, and made available for such 
research. The program shall be carried out in accordance with accepted 
scientific and medical standards for the donation, collection, and 
preservation of such samples.
    ``(d) Public Input.--In carrying out subsection (a)(1), the 
Director shall provide for means through which the public can obtain 
information on the existing and planned programs and activities of the 
National Institutes of Health regarding qualifying adult stem cell 
research and through which the Director can receive comments from the 
public regarding such programs and activities.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `center' means a center of excellence under 
        subsection (b)(1).
            ``(2) The term `Director' means the Director of NIH.
            ``(3) The term `qualifying adult stem cell' means a human 
        stem cell obtained from a human placenta, umbilical cord blood, 
        an organ or tissue of a living or deceased human being who has 
        been born, or an organ or tissue of unborn human offspring who 
        died of natural causes (such as spontaneous abortion).
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal year 2006 and each subsequent fiscal year. Such 
authorization of appropriations is in addition to any other 
authorization of appropriations that is available for activities of the 
National Institutes of Health regarding qualifying adult stem cell 
research.''.
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