[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 944 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 944

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance research, training, 
and health information dissemination with respect to urologic diseases, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2005

 Mr. Leach (for himself and Mr. Gordon) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance research, training, 
and health information dissemination with respect to urologic diseases, 
                        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 ``Training and Research in Urology Act 
of 2005''.

SEC. 2. RESEARCH, TRAINING, AND HEALTH INFORMATION DISSEMINATION WITH 
              RESPECT TO UROLOGIC DISEASES.

    (a) Division Director of Urology.--Section 428 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-2) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``and a Division 
        Director for Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases'' and 
        inserting ``a Division Director for Urologic Diseases, and a 
        Division Director for Kidney and Hematologic Diseases''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``and the Division Director for 
                Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases'' and 
                inserting ``the Division Director for Urologic 
                Diseases, and the Division Director for Kidney and 
                Hematologic Diseases''; and
                    (B) by striking ``(1) carry out programs'' and all 
                that follows through the end and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(1) carry out programs of support for research and 
        training (other than training for which National Research 
        Service Awards may be made under section 487) in the diagnosis, 
        prevention, and treatment of diabetes mellitus and endocrine 
        and metabolic diseases, digestive diseases and nutritional 
        disorders, and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases, 
        including support for training in medical schools, graduate 
        clinical training (with particular attention to programs geared 
        to the needs of urology residents and fellows), graduate 
        training in epidemiology, epidemiology studies, clinical 
        trials, and interdisciplinary research programs;
            ``(2) establish programs of evaluation, planning, and 
        dissemination of knowledge related to such research and 
        training;
            ``(3) in cooperation with the urologic scientific and 
        patient community, develop and submit to the Congress not later 
        than January 1, 2008, a national urologic research plan that 
        identifies research needs in the various areas of urologic 
        diseases, including pediatrics, interstitial cystitis, 
        incontinence, stone disease, urinary tract infections, and 
        benign prostatic diseases; and
            ``(4) in cooperation with the urologic scientific and 
        patient community, review the national urologic research plan 
        every 3 years beginning in 2011 and submit to the Congress any 
        revisions or additional recommendations.''; and
            (3) at the end of the section, by adding the following:
    ``(c) There are authorized to be appropriated $500,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2006 through 2010 to carry out paragraphs (3) and (4) of 
subsection (b), and such sums as may be necessary thereafter.''.
    (b) Urologic Diseases Data System and Information Clearinghouse.--
Section 427 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-1) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (c), by striking the terms ``and 
        Urologic'' and ``and urologic'' each place either such term 
        appears; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) The Director of the Institute shall--
            ``(1) establish the National Urologic Diseases Data System 
        for the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and 
        dissemination of data derived from patient populations with 
        urologic diseases, including, where possible, data involving 
        general populations for the purpose of detection of individuals 
        with a risk of developing urologic diseases; and
            ``(2) establish the National Urologic Diseases Information 
        Clearinghouse to facilitate and enhance knowledge and 
        understanding of urologic diseases on the part of health 
        professionals, patients, and the public through the effective 
        dissemination of information.''.
    (c) Strengthening the Urology Interagency Coordinating Committee.--
Section 429 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-3) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``and a Kidney, 
        Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases Coordinating Committee'' and 
        inserting ``a Urologic Diseases Interagency Coordinating 
        Committee, and a Kidney and Hematologic Diseases Interagency 
        Coordinating Committee'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``the Chief Medical 
        Director of the Veterans' Administration,'' and inserting ``the 
        Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) The urology interagency coordinating committee may encourage, 
conduct, or support intra- or interagency activities in urology 
research, including joint training programs, joint research projects, 
planning activities, and clinical trials.
    ``(f) For the purpose of carrying out the activities of the 
Urologic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee, there are 
authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 
through 2010, and such sums as may be necessary thereafter.''.
    (d) National Urologic Diseases Advisory Board.--Section 430 of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-4) is amended by striking 
``and the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Advisory Board'' and 
inserting ``the National Urologic Diseases Advisory Board, and the 
National Kidney Diseases Advisory Board''.
    (e) Expansion of O'Brien Urologic Disease Research Centers.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (c) of section 431 of the 
        Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-5(c)) is amended in 
        the matter preceding paragraph (1) by inserting ``There shall 
        be no fewer than 15 such centers focused exclusively on 
        research of various aspects of urologic diseases, including 
        pediatrics, interstitial cystitis, incontinence, stone disease, 
        urinary tract infections, and benign prostatic diseases.'' 
        before ``Each center developed''.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--Section 431 of the 
        Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-5) is amended by 
        adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) There are authorized to be appropriated for the urologic 
disease research centers described in subsection (c) $22,500,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010, and such sums as are necessary 
thereafter.''.
            (3) Technical amendment.--Subsection (c) of section 431 of 
        the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-5(c)) is amended 
        at the beginning of the unnumbered paragraph--
                    (A) by striking ``shall develop and conduct'' and 
                inserting ``(2) shall develop and conduct''; and
                    (B) by aligning the indentation of such paragraph 
                with the indentation of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4).
    (f) Subcommittee on Urologic Diseases.--Section 432 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c-6) is amended by striking ``and a 
subcommittee on kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases'' and 
inserting ``a subcommittee on urologic diseases, and a subcommittee on 
kidney and hematologic diseases''.
    (g) Loan Repayment to Encourage Urologists and Other Scientists to 
Enter Research Careers.--Subpart 3 of part C of title IV of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 434A the following:

             ``loan repayment program for urology research

    ``Sec. 434B.
    ``(a) Establishment.-- Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary 
shall carry out a program of entering into contracts with appropriately 
qualified health professionals or other qualified scientists under 
which such health professionals or scientists agree to conduct research 
in the field of urology, as employees of the National Institutes of 
Health or of an academic department, division, or section of urology, 
in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each 
year of such research, not more than $35,000 of the principal and 
interest of the educational loans of such health professionals or 
scientists.
    ``(b) Limitation.--The Secretary may not enter into an agreement 
with a health professional or scientist pursuant to subsection (a) 
unless the professional or scientist--
            ``(1) has a substantial amount of educational loans 
        relative to income; and
            ``(2) agrees to serve as an employee of the National 
        Institutes of Health or of an academic department, division, or 
        section of urology for purposes of the research requirement of 
        subsection (a) for a period of not less than 3 years.
    ``(c) Applicability of Certain Provisions.--Except as inconsistent 
with this section, the provisions of subpart 3 of part D of title III 
apply to the program established under subsection (a) in the same 
manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National 
Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established under such 
subpart.''.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations for Urology Research.--Subpart 
3 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
285c et seq.) (as amended by subsection (g)) is further amended by 
inserting after section 434B the following:

         ``authorization of appropriations for urology research

    ``Sec. 434C. There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Director of NIH for the purpose of carrying out intra- and interagency 
activities in urology research (including training programs, joint 
research projects, and joint clinical trials) $5,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2006 through 2010, and such sums as may be necessary 
thereafter. Amounts authorized to be appropriated under this section 
shall be in addition to amounts otherwise available for such 
purpose.''.
                                 <all>