[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 579 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 579

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for 
      the development and operation of research centers regarding 
  environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast 
                                cancer.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2007

  Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. 
Sanders, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Warner, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Biden, Mr. Menendez, 
Mr. Reed, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Lautenberg) 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 authorize the Director of the 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for 
      the development and operation of research centers regarding 
  environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast 
                                cancer.

    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 ``Breast Cancer and Environmental 
Research Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH; AWARDS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND 
              OPERATION OF RESEARCH CENTERS REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL 
              FACTORS RELATED TO BREAST CANCER.

    Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 404H. RESEARCH CENTERS REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS RELATED 
              TO BREAST CANCER.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
NIH, based on recommendations from the Breast Cancer and Environmental 
Research Panel established under subsection (b) (referred to in this 
section as the `Panel'), shall make grants to public or nonprofit 
private entities for the development and operation of collaborative, 
multi-institutional centers for the purpose of conducting 
multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental 
factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Each such 
center shall be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research 
Center of Excellence.
    ``(b) Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within 
        the National Institutes of Health a Breast Cancer and 
        Environmental Research Panel.
            ``(2) Composition.--The Panel shall be composed of--
                    ``(A) 9 members to be appointed by the Secretary, 
                of which--
                            ``(i) six members shall be appointed from 
                        among physicians and other health 
                        professionals, who--
                                    ``(I) are not officers or employees 
                                of the United States;
                                    ``(II) represent multiple 
                                disciplines, including clinical, basic, 
                                and public health sciences;
                                    ``(III) represent different 
                                geographical regions of the United 
                                States;
                                    ``(IV) are from practice settings, 
                                academia, or other research settings; 
                                and
                                    ``(V) are experienced in peer 
                                review; and
                            ``(ii) three members shall be appointed 
                        from the general public who are representatives 
                        of individuals who have had breast cancer and 
                        who represent a constituency; and
                    ``(B) such nonvoting, ex officio members as the 
                Secretary determines to be appropriate.
            ``(3) Chairperson.--The members of the Panel appointed 
        under paragraph (2)(A) shall select a chairperson from among 
        such members.
            ``(4) Meetings.--The Panel shall meet at the call of the 
        chairperson or upon the request of the Director of NIH, but in 
        no case less often than once each year.
            ``(5) Duties.--The Panel shall--
                    ``(A) develop a comprehensive strategy concerning 
                collaborative centers that would--
                            ``(i) result in innovative approaches to 
                        study unexplored or underexplored areas of the 
                        environment and breast cancer;
                            ``(ii) outline key research questions, 
                        methodologies, and knowledge gaps concerning 
                        environmental factors that may be related to 
                        the etiology of breast cancer;
                            ``(iii) outline key issues concerning 
                        environmental factors that may be related to 
                        the etiology of breast cancer; and
                            ``(iv) result in an overall strategy to 
                        address environmental factors related to breast 
                        cancer;
                    ``(B) make recommendations to the Secretary with 
                respect to the mechanisms, peer review criteria, and 
                allocations under this section;
                    ``(C) assist in the overall program evaluation; and
                    ``(D) make recommendations for the dissemination of 
                information on program process.
    ``(c) Collaboration With Community.--Each center under subsection 
(a) shall include community organizations in the geographic area served 
by the center, including those that represent women with breast cancer, 
as integral collaborators involved at all levels of the decision-making 
and research in such center.
    ``(d) Coordination of Centers; Reports.--The Director of NIH shall, 
as appropriate, provide for the coordination of information among 
centers under subsection (a) 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.
    ``(e) Required Consortium.--Each center under subsection (a) shall 
be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions and community 
groups, meeting such requirements as may be prescribed by the Director 
of NIH. Each center shall require collaboration among highly 
accomplished scientists, other health professionals and advocates of 
diverse backgrounds from various areas of expertise.
    ``(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 NIH and if such group has recommended to the Director that such 
period be extended.
    ``(g) Geographic Distribution of Centers.--The Director of NIH 
shall, to the extent practicable, provide for an equitable geographical 
distribution of centers under this section.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000 
for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012. Such authorization is 
in addition to any other authorization of appropriations that is 
available for such purpose.''.
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