[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4689 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4689

      To establish the Office of the National Alzheimer's Project.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 2010

 Mr. Markey of Massachusetts (for himself and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To establish the Office of the National Alzheimer's Project.

    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 Alzheimer's Project Act''.

SEC. 2. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT.

    (a) Establishment of Office.--There is established in the Office of 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services the Office of the National 
Alzheimer's Project (referred to in this Act as the ``Office'').
    (b) Purpose of the Office.--The Office shall--
            (1) accelerate the development of treatments that would 
        prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer's;
            (2) be responsible for the creation and maintenance of an 
        integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's;
            (3) help to coordinate the health care and treatment of 
        citizens with Alzheimer's;
            (4) ensure the inclusion of ethnic and racial populations 
        at higher risk for Alzheimer's or least likely to receive care, 
        in clinical, research, and service efforts with the purpose of 
        decreasing health disparities in Alzheimer's;
            (5) coordinate with international bodies to integrate and 
        inform the fight against Alzheimer's globally; and
            (6) provide information and coordination of Alzheimer's 
        research and services across all Federal agencies.
    (c) Director of the Office.--
            (1) Appointment.--The President shall appoint a Director of 
        the Office.
            (2) Duties of the director.--
                    (A) In general.--The Director of the Office shall--
                            (i) oversee the creation and updating of 
                        the national plan described in subparagraph 
                        (B);
                            (ii) use discretionary authority to 
                        evaluate all Federal programs around 
                        Alzheimer's, including budget requests and 
                        approvals; and
                            (iii) prepare and submit to the President 
                        the annual budget estimate for the Office.
                    (B) National plan.--The Director of the Office 
                shall carry out an annual assessment of the Nation's 
                progress in preparing for the escalating burden of 
                Alzheimer's, including both implementation steps and 
                recommendations for priority actions based on the 
                assessment.
            (3) Service by director.--The Director of the Office shall 
        serve on the advisory board of the Office of Science and 
        Technology to promote research efforts into mechanisms to slow 
        and stop the development of Alzheimer's for those at risk of 
        developing the disease.
    (d) Advisory Council.--
            (1) In general.--There is established in the Office an 
        Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research and Treatment 
        (referred to in this Act as the ``Advisory Council'').
            (2) Membership.--
                    (A) Federal members.--The Advisory Council shall be 
                comprised of the following experts:
                            (i) A designee of the Centers for Disease 
                        Control and Prevention.
                            (ii) A designee of the Administration on 
                        Aging.
                            (iii) A designee of the Centers for 
                        Medicare & Medicaid Services.
                            (iv) A designee of the Indian Health 
                        Service.
                            (v) A designee of the Office of the 
                        Director of the National Institutes of Health.
                            (vi) The Surgeon General.
                            (vii) A designee of the National Science 
                        Foundation.
                            (viii) A designee of the Department of 
                        Veterans Affairs.
                    (B) Non-federal members.--In addition to the 
                members outlined in subparagraph (A), the Advisory 
                Council shall include 12 expert members from outside 
                the Federal Government, which shall include--
                            (i) 2 Alzheimer patient advocates;
                            (ii) 2 Alzheimer caregivers;
                            (iii) 2 health care providers;
                            (iv) 2 representatives of State health 
                        departments;
                            (v) 2 researchers with Alzheimer-related 
                        expertise in basic, translational, clinical, or 
                        drug development science; and
                            (vi) 2 voluntary health association 
                        representatives, including a national 
                        Alzheimer's disease organization that funds 
                        research and has demonstrated experience in 
                        care and patient services, and a State-based 
                        advocacy organization that provides services to 
                        families and professionals, including 
                        information and referral, support groups, care 
                        consultation, education, and safety services.
            (3) Meetings.--The Advisory Council shall meet quarterly 
        and such meetings shall be open to the public.
            (4) Advice.--The Advisory Council shall advise the Director 
        of the Office.
            (5) Annual report.--The Advisory Council shall provide to 
        the Director of the Office--
                    (A) recommendations for information to be included 
                in the annual report to Congress by the Office; and
                    (B) an annually updated national plan.
    (e) Annual Report.--The Director of the Office shall submit to 
Congress--
            (1) an annual report that includes an evaluation of all 
        nationally and federally funded efforts in Alzheimer's 
        research, clinical care, institutional, and home- and 
        community-based programs and their outcomes; and
            (2) an annually updated national plan.
    (f) Sunset.--The Office shall expire on December 31, 2025.
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