[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 117 (Wednesday, September 27, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8266-H8269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING 
                           ESTABLISHMENT ACT

  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 1795) to amend the Public Health Service Act to 
establish the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1795

       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 Institute of 
     Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Establishment Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Basic research in imaging, bioengineering, computer 
     science, informatics, and related fields is critical to 
     improving health care but is fundamentally different from the 
     research in molecular biology on which the current national 
     research institutes at the National Institutes of Health 
     (``NIH'') are based. To ensure the development of new 
     techniques and technologies for the 21st century, these 
     disciplines therefore require an identity and research home 
     at the NIH that is independent of the existing institute 
     structure.
       (2) Advances based on medical research promise new, more 
     effective treatments for a wide variety of diseases, but the 
     development of new, noninvasive imaging techniques for 
     earlier detection and diagnosis of disease is essential to 
     take full advantage of such new treatments and to promote the 
     general improvement of health care.
       (3) The development of advanced genetic and molecular 
     imaging techniques is necessary to continue the current rapid 
     pace of discovery in molecular biology.
       (4) Advances in telemedicine, and teleradiology in 
     particular, are increasingly important in the delivery of 
     high quality, reliable medical care to rural citizens and 
     other underserved populations. To fulfill the promise of 
     telemedicine and related technologies fully, a structure is 
     needed at the NIH to support basic research focused on the 
     acquisition, transmission, processing, and optimal display of 
     images.
       (5) A number of Federal departments and agencies support 
     imaging and engineering research with potential medical 
     applications, but a central coordinating body, preferably 
     housed at the NIH, is needed to coordinate these disparate 
     efforts and facilitate the transfer of technologies with 
     medical applications.
       (6) Several breakthrough imaging technologies, including 
     magnetic resonance imaging (``MRI'') and computed tomography 
     (``CT''), have been developed primarily abroad, in large part 
     because of the absence of a home at the NIH for basic 
     research in imaging and related fields. The establishment of 
     a central focus for imaging and bioengineering research at 
     the NIH would promote both scientific advance and U.S. 
     economic development.
       (7) At a time when a consensus exists to add significant 
     resources to the NIH in coming years, it is appropriate to 
     modernize the structure of the NIH to ensure that research 
     dollars are expended more effectively and efficiently and 
     that the fields of medical science that have contributed the 
     most to the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease in 
     recent years receive appropriate emphasis.
       (8) The establishment of a National Institute of Biomedical 
     Imaging and Bioengineering at the NIH would accelerate the 
     development of new technologies with clinical and research 
     applications, improve coordination and efficiency at the NIH 
     and throughout the Federal government, reduce duplication and 
     waste, lay the foundation for a new medical information age, 
     promote economic development, and provide a structure to 
     train the young researchers who will make the pathbreaking 
     discoveries of the next century.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL 
                   IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING.

       (a) In General.--Part C of title IV of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following subpart:

      ``Subpart 18--National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
                             Bioengineering


                       ``purpose of the institute

       ``Sec. 464z. (a) The general purpose of the National 
     Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (in this 
     section referred to as the `Institute') is the conduct and 
     support of research, training, the dissemination of health 
     information, and other programs with respect to biomedical 
     imaging, biomedical engineering, and associated technologies 
     and modalities with biomedical applications (in this section 
     referred to as `biomedical imaging and bioengineering').
       ``(b)(1) The Director of the Institute, with the advice of 
     the Institute's advisory council, shall establish a National 
     Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Program (in this 
     section referred to as the `Program').
       ``(2) Activities under the Program shall include the 
     following with respect to biomedical imaging and 
     bioengineering:
       ``(A) Research into the development of new techniques and 
     devices.
       ``(B) Related research in physics, engineering, 
     mathematics, computer science, and other disciplines.
       ``(C) Technology assessments and outcomes studies to 
     evaluate the effectiveness of biologics, materials, 
     processes, devices, procedures, and informatics.
       ``(D) Research in screening for diseases and disorders.
       ``(E) The advancement of existing imaging and 
     bioengineering modalities, including imaging, biomaterials, 
     and informatics.
       ``(F) The development of target-specific agents to enhance 
     images and to identify and delineate disease.
       ``(G) The development of advanced engineering and imaging 
     technologies and techniques for research from the molecular 
     and genetic to the whole organ and body levels.
       ``(H) The development of new techniques and devices for 
     more effective interventional procedures (such as image-
     guided interventions).
       ``(3)(A) With respect to the Program, the Director of the 
     Institute shall prepare and transmit to the Secretary and the 
     Director of NIH a plan to initiate, expand, intensify, and 
     coordinate activities of the Institute with respect to 
     biomedical imaging and bioengineering. The plan shall include 
     such comments and recommendations as the Director of the 
     Institute determines appropriate. The Director of the 
     Institute shall periodically review and revise the plan and 
     shall transmit any revisions of the plan to the Secretary and 
     the Director of NIH.
       ``(B) The plan under subparagraph (A) shall include the 
     recommendations of the Director of the Institute with respect 
     to the following:
       ``(i) Where appropriate, the consolidation of programs of 
     the National Institutes of Health for the express purpose of 
     enhancing support of activities regarding basic biomedical 
     imaging and bioengineering research.
       ``(ii) The coordination of the activities of the Institute 
     with related activities of the other agencies of the National 
     Institutes of Health and with related activities of other 
     Federal agencies.
       ``(c) The establishment under section 406 of an advisory 
     council for the Institute is subject to the following:
       ``(1) The number of members appointed by the Secretary 
     shall be 12.
       ``(2) Of such members--
       ``(A) 6 members shall be scientists, engineers, physicians, 
     and other health professionals who represent disciplines in 
     biomedical imaging and bioengineering and who are not 
     officers or employees of the United States; and
       ``(B) 6 members shall be scientists, engineers, physicians, 
     and other health professionals who represent other 
     disciplines and are knowledgeable about the applications of 
     biomedical imaging and bioengineering in medicine, and who 
     are not officers or employees of the United States.
       ``(3) In addition to the ex officio members specified in 
     section 406(b)(2), the ex officio members of the advisory 
     council shall include the Director of the Centers for Disease 
     Control and Prevention, the Director of the National Science 
     Foundation, and the Director of the National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology (or the designees of such officers).
       ``(d)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), for the purpose of 
     carrying out this section:
       ``(A) For fiscal year 2001, there is authorized to be 
     appropriated an amount equal to the amount obligated by the 
     National Institutes of

[[Page H8267]]

     Health during fiscal year 2000 for biomedical imaging and 
     bioengineering, except that such amount shall be adjusted to 
     offset any inflation occurring after October 1, 1999.
       ``(B) For each of the fiscal years 2002 and 2003, there is 
     authorized to be appropriated an amount equal to the amount 
     appropriated under subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 2001, 
     except that such amount shall be adjusted for the fiscal year 
     involved to offset any inflation occurring after October 1, 
     2000.
       ``(2) The authorization of appropriations for a fiscal year 
     under paragraph (1) is hereby reduced by the amount of any 
     appropriation made for such year for the conduct or support 
     by any other national research institute of any program with 
     respect to biomedical imaging and bioengineering.''.
       (b) Use of Existing Resources.--In providing for the 
     establishment of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging 
     and Bioengineering pursuant to the amendment made by 
     subsection (a), the Director of the National Institutes of 
     Health (referred to in this subsection as ``NIH'')--
       (1) may transfer to the National Institute of Biomedical 
     Imaging and Bioengineering such personnel of NIH as the 
     Director determines to be appropriate;
       (2) may, for quarters for such Institute, utilize such 
     facilities of NIH as the Director determines to be 
     appropriate; and
       (3) may obtain administrative support for the Institute 
     from the other agencies of NIH, including the other national 
     research institutes.
       (c) Construction of Facilities.--None of the provisions of 
     this Act or the amendments made by the Act may be construed 
     as authorizing the construction of facilities, or the 
     acquisition of land, for purposes of the establishment or 
     operation of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
     Bioengineering.
       (d) Date Certain for Establishment of Advisory Council.--
     Not later than 90 days after the effective date of this Act 
     under section 4, the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
     shall complete the establishment of an advisory council for 
     the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
     Bioengineering in accordance with section 406 of the Public 
     Health Service Act and in accordance with section 464z of 
     such Act (as added by subsection (a) of this section).
       (e) Conforming Amendment.--Section 401(b)(1) of the Public 
     Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281(b)(1)) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following subparagraph:
       ``(R) The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
     Bioengineering.''.

     SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       This Act takes effect October 1, 2000, or upon the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, whichever occurs later.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Burr) and the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. 
DeGette) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on H.R. 1795.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1795, the National Institute of Biomedical 
Engineering and Bioengineering Establishment Act, is supported by over 
170 of our colleagues in the House. It passed out of the Committee on 
Commerce under voice vote, and I want to commend my colleague on the 
other side, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), for her great 
support and co-sponsorship of this legislation. H.R. 1795 establishes a 
new National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the 
NIH, the National Institutes of Health.
  Mr. Speaker, in an age where we talk about producing more resources 
for the National Institutes of Health to do additional research, it is 
incumbent on this institution to create a structure that makes sure 
that we are chasing the best and the brightest. When we talk about the 
issue of biomedical imaging, we need to look at ways to detect at an 
earlier stage breast cancer and many other terminal and chronic 
illnesses.

                              {time}  1230

  It is incumbent on this institution to make sure that this institute 
is there so that the resources that are made available for imaging 
changes the latest and greatest breakthroughs that could possibly be 
brought to the patient community.
  MRIs and CT scans were not created in this country, but they were 
refined in this country because of the emphasis we put on research and 
development and on the refinement to make sure that every possible tool 
is available for early detection of disease.
  H.R. 1795 creates a research environment in which new imaging and 
biotechnologies, techniques, and devices can be developed for clinical 
use much more rapidly than under the present system.
  For those that might say this does not require a new institute, let 
me assure them that for 3 years we have tried to work with the National 
Institutes of Health to make sure that the proper attention was paid to 
this very important field of imaging and what we found was that every 
disease in its research stages uses basic imaging, but there was not an 
effort to move to the next generation of imaging that can mean the 
difference between the number of options that patients are provided in 
their treatment, in many cases the difference between life and death 
because of early detection.
  In the last Congress, 80 bipartisan House Members cosponsored this 
bill, but it was to create only an imaging institute. Others supported 
a bill by my dear friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), 
to establish a bioengineering center. It was our belief that to combine 
these was in the best interest of both efforts and that we could rely 
on the administrative resources of a single institute versus dual.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important that our colleagues know our effort here 
is to not create a new bureaucracy but it is to put somebody in charge 
of this new exciting field that is driven by technology to make sure 
that every patient in America has early detection as a tool against 
disease whether it is chronic or whether it is fatal.
  My hope is that every Member will support this legislation and that 
we can move it so that it becomes law and this institute becomes a 
permanent part of the National Institutes of Health.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1795 amends the Public Health Service Act to 
require the director of the National Institutes of Health to establish 
a National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering for the 
purposes of conducting and supporting research, training scientists and 
health professionals, disseminating relevant information, and 
sponsoring other programs with respect to biomedical imaging, 
biomedical engineers, and associated technologies and modalities with 
biomedical applications, such as bioinformatics and telemedicining.
  Bioimaging is truly the diagnostic tool of the 21st century. I am 
proud to be a cosponsor, and I am also particularly proud of the hard 
work that my colleagues, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) 
and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), have done on the 
legislation; and I commend them for this excellent bill.
  More than any other area of medicine, medical imaging has radically 
changed the way physicians detect, diagnose, and treat disease. In the 
coming years, additional breakthroughs in imaging promise to save more 
lives and further reduce the need for expensive, invasive, and painful 
surgery.
  This proposed institute fulfills all five of the criteria stipulated 
by the Institute of Medicine in its 1984 report responding to the 
health needs of the scientific community, the organizational structure 
of the National Institutes of Health. It would also coordinate all 
imaging research through the Federal Government in order to enhance 
communication and avoid duplicity, activities now sorely lacking.
  I have been assured by my colleagues, the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Eshoo) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), that the 
proposed institute has been structured to control administrative costs 
and mitigate against administrative growth.
  Indeed, the numbers are sobering. Based on fiscal year 1998 figures, 
the biomedical imaging program at the National Cancer Institute 
administered a grant portfolio of nearly $60 million and 220 grants. 
Given a generous ratio staff-to-grant, the newly proposed institute 
should easily maintain itself with the 62 full-time employees already 
working in this discipline through the NIH institute and centers.
  It would draw most heavily from currently funded positions at the 
National

[[Page H8268]]

Cancer Institute and have a responsibility for collection of 932 grants 
totaling $201.5 million.
  These figures, together with this great promise of this cutting edge 
biomedical discipline, make a compelling case for moving forward with 
the new institute; and I, therefore, support wholeheartedly the 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), the sponsor of 
the legislation.
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to join with the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Burr) in this very important effort, and I salute him for 
his leadership. I am pleased to have partnered with him, because I 
think this is a very important idea for the people of our country. So I 
am very, very proud of being the chief Democratic sponsor on H.R. 1795.
  This legislation, as Members have already heard, creates a new 
institute, a Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, at NIH. Dramatic 
advances in both of these areas have really revolutionized medical 
practice in recent years. New noninvasive imaging techniques such as 
magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, and those three letters are mentioned 
with all the familiarity of patients across the country and many, many 
people speak of going in for an MRI; and also computed tomography, or 
CTs. These have both paved the way for earlier detection and diagnosis 
of diseases, and they have dramatically improved the quality of 
treatment for so many people across our country.
  But the next generation of breakthroughs, Mr. Speaker, will be longer 
in coming, or they may not come at all unless we modernize the 
structure at NIH.
  The MRI and the CT, I was really taken aback to learn that they were 
not developed in the United States. The lack of a dedicated research 
effort in our country has forced the greatest country in the world 
really to be relying on other countries for breakthroughs in medical 
imaging and bioengineering. And that really is the basis and the intent 
of the bill to change this.
  H.R. 1795 ensures the continued and rapid development of new 
diagnostic technologies by creating an independent research institute 
at NIH which is focused specifically on medical imaging and 
bioengineering. Establishment of a National Institute of Biomedical 
Imaging and Bioengineering will reduce duplication, it will lay the 
foundation for a new medical information age, and it will provide a 
structure to train young researchers who will make the breakthrough 
discoveries for the rest of this very new and promising century.
  At a time when the Congress is committed to doubling the NIH budget, 
we must ensure that research dollars are expended more efficiently and 
more effectively and that the field of medical science that has 
contributed the most to the detection, the diagnosis, and the treatment 
of disease receives appropriate emphasis.
  I am very fond of saying that the NIH represents our national 
institutes of hope. And I think that with this legislation we extend 
that hope in an area that really holds a great deal of promise not only 
for the genius of America but how that genius is applied to the 
betterment of our people and for the breakthroughs that they are 
counting on to be made to fight the war of diseases that have not yet 
been conquered.
  So, again, I want to compliment my colleague, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Burr), and everyone that has joined this effort. I 
think it is a worthy one, and I urge all of my colleagues to support 
it.
  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, again I thank the sponsors of this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to once again thank my friends, 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo) and the gentlewoman from 
Colorado (Ms. DeGette) and all the members of our committee and staff 
who have worked on what I think is very important legislation.
  I will end with a quote from the hearing that we had on this bill. It 
was given by Dr. Nick Bryant, a former Director of Diagnostic Radiology 
at the NIH.
  Dr. Bryant said, ``I believe that the creation of a National 
Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering is essential to 
promote the development of new imaging techniques and technologies. In 
order to flourish and grow consistently at the NIH, a scientific field 
requires an organization with the mandate, the responsibility, the 
authority, and the resources to direct and drive investigation in that 
field. In the NIH structure, only institutes possess those 
attributes.''
  I believe his testimony to our committee best sums up why every 
Member of Congress should support this legislation.
  Most Members of Congress strongly support an increase in NIH funding. 
Additional resources are important. But we should pass H.R. 1795 before 
we commit more money. Our legislation will ensure a greater return on 
our investment in medical science.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I continue to have major doubts about the 
wisdom of H.R. 1795, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
Bioengineering Establishment Act. Because this rushed process has not 
resolved my doubts, I oppose this legislation.
  At the September 14 Commerce Committee markup on this bill, I 
expressed my long-standing concern about the administrative burdens and 
duplication that come with authorizing new Institutes at the National 
Institutes of Health. I understand that the intent of this bill is to 
bring together programs in biomedical imaging and bioengineering that 
support clinical research in other disciplines, thereby fostering basic 
research in the development of improved diagnostic technologies. This 
is a laudable goal, yet all Institutes come with Directors who appoint 
administrative personnel, and new Institutes create opportunities for 
needless duplication of existing work. NIH's budget is finite, and we 
must be careful to use it wisely.
  Do we need to spend more money on administrative bureaucracy or risk 
duplication of existing work to achieve the goals of this legislation? 
I think not, and neither does Secretary Shalala. Her attached letter to 
me, received last night, concludes that a newly created Office of 
Bioengineering, Bioimaging, and Bioinformatics ``ensures the most 
effective and efficient deployment of resources to foster research in 
this area.''
  Are we prepared to say she is wrong, before the Office has a chance 
to work? Are we prepared to substitute our judgment for that of the 
National Institutes of Health? Are we prepared to take money from 
research to spend on administrative support?
  My answer to these questions is no. I cannot support this legislation 
at this time.

                                           The Secretary of Health


                                           and Human Services,

                               Washington, DC, September 25, 2000.
     Hon. John D. Dingell,
     Committee on Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Representative Dingell: On September 14, the Committee 
     on Commerce marked up and ordered reported H.R. 1795, which 
     would establish a new National Institute on Biomedical 
     Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of 
     Health (NIH). During the markup, you raised questions about 
     the impact of the legislation on the operations of NIH. I am 
     writing in response a request made by your staff to address 
     these concerns.
       NIH invests heavily in this promising field of research. 
     The majority of its Institutes and Centers (ICs) have 
     significant research efforts underway in bioimaging and 
     bioengineering. We believe that the application of imaging 
     techniques to scientific questions about health and disease 
     is part of the basic mission of NIH. We further believe it is 
     imperative that the ICs maintain their support for imaging 
     and engineering projects that are informed by compelling 
     biological questions.
       The discovery of new imaging modalities and approaches is 
     being fostered in this collaborative environment, since the 
     engineers and physicists are constantly being challenged by 
     their biologist/clinician colleagues to develop new 
     approaches to studying the body. A critical mass of engineers 
     and physicists is present in many of these programs, 
     providing the necessary technical and theoretical insight to 
     develop advances in the biological sciences. There are many 
     examples in the various ICs of this synergy leading to 
     significant discoveries.
       Three Institutes--the National Institute of Neurological 
     Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute of Mental 
     Health, and the National Institute on Aging--are using 
     bioimaging advances to evaluate cognition. The

[[Page H8269]]

     National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is collaborating 
     with other Government as well as private sector researchers 
     to develop new cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and 
     ultrasound techniques. The National Cancer Institute is 
     developing new, more sensitive diagnostic and treatment tools 
     using bioimaging techniques to detect and cure malignancies 
     that heretofore have been recalcitrant to current 
     interventions.
       These are but a few examples of the tremendous amount of 
     research being conducted within the ICs, where collaborations 
     among scientists, physicists, and engineers are essential to 
     developing new technologies.
       The establishment of another NIH Institute would require an 
     expensive administrative structure, for which additional 
     resources would be required, so as not to rob the existing 
     NIH ICs of their expertise and funds. While this Department 
     and NIH are thoroughly committed to this rich and exciting 
     research area, we have concluded that the newly created 
     Office of Bioengineering, Bioimaging, and Bioinformatics in 
     the Office of the Director, NIH, ensures the most effective 
     and efficient deployment of resources to foster research in 
     this area. The mission of the Office, for which a director is 
     no being recruited, is to provide a focus for biomedical 
     engineering, bioimaging, and biomedical computational science 
     among the ICs and other Federal agencies. The Office will 
     develop programs aimed at fostering basic understanding and 
     new collaborations among the biological, medical, 
     engineering, physical, and computational scientists and among 
     the various ICs. The purpose of the Office is to develop 
     effective research strategies while maintaining the core of 
     the research at the individual ICs that have the necessary 
     expertise to ask the appropriate questions and conduct the 
     best research. In sum, we have carefully considered various 
     approaches and are convinced that at this time a new Office, 
     rather than a new Institute with its attendant organizational 
     layers and administrative costs, offers the best and most 
     practical opportunity to exploit the many potentials of this 
     critical research. Experience with the new Office will 
     contribute to the evaluation of the need for a separate 
     Institute for bioengineering and bioimaging at NIH.
       I would be delighted to answer any further questions that 
     you may have regarding bioimaging and bioengineering research 
     at NIH, and I look forward to working with you as you 
     consider legislation that would enhance our research efforts. 
     An identical letter on this subject has been sent to Chairman 
     Bliley.
       The Office of Management and Budget has advised that there 
     is no objection to the transmittal of this letter from the 
     standpoint of the Administration's program.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Donna E. Shalala.

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to join my colleague from North 
Carolina, Representative Burr, in sponsoring H.R. 1795--legislation to 
create a new Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at NIH.
  Dramatic advances in bioimaging and bioengineering have 
revolutionized medical practice in recent years. New noninvasive 
imaging techniques, such as Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) and 
Computed Tomography (CT), have paved the way for earlier detection and 
diagnosis of disease, dramatically improving the quality of treatment.
  But, the next generation of breakthroughs will be longer in coming, 
or may not come at all, unless we modernize the structure at NIH. The 
MRI and CT were not developed here in the United States. The lack of a 
dedicated research effort makes us rely on other countries for 
breakthroughs in medical imaging and bioengineering.
  H.R. 1795 ensures the continued and rapid development of new 
diagnostic technologies by creating an independent research institute 
at NIH focused specifically on medical imaging and bioengineering. 
Establishment of a National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
Bioengineering will reduce duplication, lay the foundation for a new 
medical information age, and provide a structure to train young 
researchers who will make the breakthrough discoveries of the next 
century.
  At a time when Congress has committed to doubling the NIH budget, we 
must ensure that research dollars are expended more efficiently and 
effectively and that the fields of medical science that have 
contributed the most to the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of 
disease receive appropriate emphasis. This is the goal and the effect 
of H.R. 1795 and I urge the support of the full House.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1795, the 
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering Establishment 
Act. This legislation, introduced by Representatives Richard Burr and 
Anna Eshoo, would establish a National Institute of Biomedical Imaging 
and Engineering at the National Institutes of Health.
  Earlier this month, members of my Subcommittee heard testimony from 
three distinguished professors from Radiology departments throughout 
the country. They indicated that breakthroughs in imaging, such as 
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), have 
revolutionized the practice of medicine in the past quarter century.
  However, these technologies are inadequate in diagnosing some 
diseases. The NIH itself has recognized the importance of this 
discipline by designating imaging as one of the top four research 
priorities at the National Cancer Institute. However, testimony 
indicates that NIH's focus on imaging research should be broadened 
beyond cancer.
  Representatives Burr and Eshoo have introduced this legislation to 
create an institute at NIH to focus on imaging research. This will 
create a climate that promotes discovery and innovation in imaging, as 
NIH has done in other fields of scientific discovery.
  By approving the legislation before us, we can move into an era of 
non-invasive medicine. I urge Members to support passage of H.R. 1795, 
the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering 
Establishment Act.
  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of legislation, 
H.R. 1795, that would establish a National Institute of Biomedical 
Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health [NIH]. 
As an original cosponsor of this bill, I am pleased that the House of 
Representatives will be considering this legislation today.
  The National Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Institute would 
conduct and support research on biomedical imaging and bioengineering 
and associated technologies that have biomedical applications. There 
are current 25 Institutes at the NIH. This new Institute would help in 
the development of innovative imaging technologies to help patients.
  Today there are currently two types of imaging technologies called 
magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and computed tomography [CT or ``CAT'' 
scans]. These technologies are critically important to physicians who 
use them to diagnose disease. As a result of these diagnostic tools, 
physicians can avoid costly and invasive surgeries because they can 
determine whether operations are necessary to help their patients. 
Regrettably, many of these technologies have been developed in other 
nations.
  In addition, there is not one Institute at the NIH which is 
conducting this type of cutting-edge research technologies that will 
save lives and reduce health care costs. Under the current system, the 
NIH focuses its research on disease-specific or organ-specific 
research. However, imaging and bioengineering is not disease-specific 
or organ-specific and therefore does not fit well into the structure of 
the NIH.
  This legislation would correct this inequity by ensuring that the NIH 
conduct basic biomedical research on imaging techniques and devices, 
including those involving molecular and genetic biology. This research 
would include scientific projects on engineering, mathematics, and 
computer science. This legislation would authorize funding for this 
Institute through 2003. In order to be fiscally responsible, this bill 
does not include any funding to purchase land or construct an 
Institute. Rather, it would require the NIH to coordinate research 
being done at other NIH facilities into one Institute. The measure also 
establishes a 12 member Advisory Council of health care professionals 
who are directly involved in biomedical imaging and bioengineering to 
help in the establishment and research priorities of this Institute.
  I believe that this bill will benefit our nation's health care 
system. First, it would accelerate the development of new technologies 
by funding clinical and research applications. Second, it would require 
coordination at the NIH and throughout the Federal Government on 
biomedical imaging. Third, it would provide a foundation for the new 
medical information age. Fourth, it would help to ensure that young 
scientists have the resources they need to conduct cutting-edge 
research projects. Without this investment, I am concerned that many of 
our brightest scientists will abandon their academic research to join 
private sector firms which do not fund these basic research programs. 
For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill.
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Walden of Oregon). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1795, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read:

       ``A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to 
     establish the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and 
     Bioengineering.''.

  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.




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