[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2115 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2115

 To provide for the establishment of a fund to provide for an expanded 
       and sustained national investment in biomedical research.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 12, 2014

    Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Reed, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Brown, Mrs. 
  Feinstein, Mr. Markey, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Boxer, and Mrs. 
Hagan) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
       to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the establishment of a fund to provide for an expanded 
       and sustained national investment in biomedical research.

    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 ``American Cures Act''.

SEC. 2. BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FUND.

    (a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to establish a 
Biomedical Research Fund (referred to in this section as the ``Fund''), 
to be administered by the Secretary of the Treasury, to provide for an 
expanded and sustained national investment in biomedical research 
through the programs and agencies described in subsection (b)(2).
    (b) Use of Fund.--
            (1) In general.--For each fiscal year, amounts shall be 
        transferred from the Fund to the accounts related to the 
        programs and agencies described in paragraph (2) to ensure that 
        funding for such programs and agencies for such fiscal year 
        does not fall below 105 percent of the level of funding 
        provided for the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal 
        year for which the determination is being made and an 
        additional amount to account for any increases in the Gross 
        Domestic Product for the year involved.
            (2) Agencies.--The programs and agencies described in this 
        paragraph are the following:
                    (A) The National Institutes of Health.
                    (B) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
                    (C) The Department of Defense health program.
                    (D) The medical and prosthetics research program of 
                the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (c) Minimum Continued Funding Requirement.--Amounts appropriated 
for each of the programs and agencies described in subsection (b)(2) 
for a fiscal year shall not be less than the amounts appropriated for 
such programs and agencies for fiscal year 2014.
    (d) Funding.--There are hereby authorized to be appropriated, and 
appropriated, to the Fund, out of any monies in the Treasury not 
otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary in each fiscal 
year to enable the transfers to be made in accordance with subsection 
(b)(1).
    (e) Transfer Authority.--The Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives may provide for the transfer of funds in the Fund to 
eligible programs and agencies under this section, subject to 
subsection (b).
    (f) Exemption of Certain Payments From Sequestration.--
            (1) In general.--Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced 
        Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (2 U.S.C. 
        905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``Advances to the 
        Unemployment Trust Fund and Other Funds (16-0327-0-1-600).'' 
        the following:
                            ``Biomedical Research Fund.''.
            (2) Applicability.--The amendment made by this section 
        shall apply to any sequestration order issued under the 
        Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 
        U.S.C. 900 et seq.) on or after the date of enactment of this 
        Act.
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