[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 105 (Thursday, July 28, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9297-S9299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA:
  S. 1537. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for 
the establishment of Parkinson's Disease Research Education and 
Clinical Centers in the Veterans Health Administration of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs and Multiple Sclerosis Centers of 
Excellence; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise proudly today to introduce 
legislation that would establish Parkinson's Disease Research Education 
and Clinical Centers and Multiple Sclerosis, MS, Centers of Excellence 
in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, VA. The need for research and care is extremely pressing at a 
time when VA is dealing with meeting the demands of veterans suffering 
from debilitating neurological diseases.
  VA has been a leader in the advancement of medicine and should be 
applauded for its progressive and innovative research endeavors. Yet, 
continued strides in specialized research are necessary to address the 
specific health care needs of our veterans. Through the establishment 
of the Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis Centers, VA 
clinicians and educators will be able to gain a better understanding of 
these diseases that affect not just our veterans, but Americans across 
the nation. It is through this understanding that clinicians will be 
able to provide more effective patient care, treatment, and education.
  The establishment of the Parkinson's Disease Research Education and 
Clinical Centers stems from the same spirit that inspired the 
conception of a great alliance formed between VA and the National 
Parkinson Foundation, Inc., NPF, in June of 1999. This alliance created 
an opportunity for the two entities to come together to develop 
research and treatment symposiums, provide information concerning 
Parkinson's disease, and also provide VA physicians that treat at least 
20,000 Parkinson's patients with continuing education.
  Those affected with Parkinson's Disease not only suffer from symptoms 
that manifest themselves physically, such as through tremors, muffled 
speech, slowness and impaired mobility. There are also psychological 
effects characterized in the form of depression for those suffering 
from this diseases. Through these centers, clinicians and educators can 
determine better ways to manage symptoms associated with Parkinson's 
Disease, as well as those symptoms such as fatigue and spasticity 
associated with MS that will give veterans suffering from these 
diseases a better quality of life.
  Since the time of its inception, the VA health care system was tasked 
with

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meeting the special needs of its veteran patients. Though VA is 
providing the necessary care to those currently affected by the 
disease, more can be done to develop new treatments to reduce the 
symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease.
  This legislation will provide VA with the opportunity to establish 
these centers and mark a new phase in the pursuit of enhanced treatment 
for those that struggle with the daily challenges imposed by these 
diseases, which includes not only the veteran patients but their 
families as well. The Parkinson's Disease Research Education and 
Clinical Centers and Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence will also 
be beacons of hope towards finding a cure for degenerative neurological 
diseases.
  I ask my colleagues for their support of this bill as a commitment to 
advancing research and education for veterans battling Parkinson's 
Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. I also wish to thank Congressman Lane 
Evans, who serves as the ranking member of the House Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs, for his leadership on this issue.
  I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the bill be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1537

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. PARKINSON'S DISEASE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, CLINICAL 
                   CENTERS, AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS CENTERS OF 
                   EXCELLENCE.

       (a) Requirement for Establishment of Centers.--
       (1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``Sec. 7329. Parkinson's disease research, education, and 
       clinical centers and multiple sclerosis centers of 
       excellence

       ``(a) Designation.--The Secretary, upon the recommendation 
     of the Under Secretary for Health and pursuant to the 
     provisions of this section, shall--
       ``(1) designate--
       ``(A) at least 6 Department health care facilities as the 
     locations for centers of Parkinson's disease research, 
     education, and clinical activities and (subject to the 
     appropriation of sufficient funds for such purpose); and
       ``(B) at least 2 Department health care facilities as the 
     locations for Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence 
     (subject to the appropriation of sufficient funds for such 
     purpose); and
       ``(2) establish and operate such centers at such locations 
     in accordance with this section.
       ``(b) Existing Facilities; Geographic Distribution.--In 
     designating locations for centers under subsection (a), the 
     Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary for 
     Health, shall--
       ``(1) designate each Department health care facility that, 
     as of January 1, 2005, was operating a Parkinson's Disease 
     Research, Education, and Clinical Center or a Multiple 
     Sclerosis Center of Excellence unless the Secretary, on the 
     recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health, determines 
     that such facility--
       ``(A) does not meet the requirements of subsection (c);
       ``(B) has not demonstrated effectiveness in carrying out 
     the established purposes of such center; or
       ``(C) has not demonstrated the potential to carry out such 
     purposes effectively in the reasonably foreseeable future; 
     and
       ``(2) assure appropriate geographic distribution of such 
     facilities.
       ``(c) Minimum Requirements.--The Secretary may not 
     designate a health care facility as a location for a center 
     under subsection (a) unless--
       ``(1) the peer review panel established under subsection 
     (d) determines that the proposal submitted by such facility 
     is among those proposals which meet the highest competitive 
     standards of scientific and clinical merit; and
       ``(2) the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under 
     Secretary for Health, determines that the facility has (or 
     may reasonably be anticipated to develop)--
       ``(A) an arrangement with an accredited medical school 
     which provides education and training in neurology and with 
     which such facility is affiliated under which residents 
     receive education and training in innovative diagnosis and 
     treatment of chronic neurodegenerative diseases and movement 
     disorders, including Parkinson's disease, or in the case of 
     Multiple Sclerosis Centers, multiple sclerosis disease;
       ``(B) the ability to attract the participation of 
     scientists who are capable of ingenuity and creativity in 
     health-care research efforts;
       ``(C) a policymaking advisory committee composed of 
     consumers and appropriate health care and research 
     representatives of the facility and of the affiliated school 
     or schools to advise the directors of such facility and such 
     center on policy matters pertaining to the activities of such 
     center during the period of the operation of such center;
       ``(D) the capability to conduct effectively evaluations of 
     the activities of such center;
       ``(E) the capability to coordinate, as part of an 
     integrated national system, education, clinical, and research 
     activities within all facilities with such centers;
       ``(F) the capability to jointly develop a consortium of 
     providers with interest in treating neurodegenerative 
     diseases, including Parkinson's disease, and other movement 
     disorders, or multiple sclerosis in the case of Multiple 
     Sclerosis Centers, at facilities without such centers in 
     order to ensure better access to state of the art diagnosis, 
     care, and education for neurodegenerative disorders, or in 
     the case of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, autoimmune disease 
     affecting the cental nervous system throughout the health 
     care system; and
       ``(G) the capability to develop a national repository in 
     the health care system for the collection of data on health 
     services delivered to veterans seeking care for 
     neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, 
     and other movement disorders, or in the case of Multiple 
     Sclerosis Centers, autoimmune disease affecting the central 
     nervous system.
       ``(d) Panel.--(1) The Under Secretary for Health shall 
     establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit 
     of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the 
     establishment of new centers under this section.
       ``(2)(A) The membership of the panel shall consist of 
     experts in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's 
     disease and other movement disorders, and, in the case of 
     Multiple Sclerosis Centers, experts in autoimmune disease 
     affecting the central nervous system.
       ``(B) Members of the panel shall serve as consultants to 
     the Department for a period of no longer than 2 years except 
     in the case of panelists asked to serve on the initial panel 
     as specified in subparagraph (C).
       ``(C) In order to ensure panel continuity, half of the 
     members of the first panel shall be appointed for a period of 
     3 years and half for a period of 2 years.
       ``(3) The panel shall review each proposal submitted to the 
     panel by the Under Secretary and shall submit its views on 
     the relative scientific and clinical merit of each such 
     proposal to the Under Secretary.
       ``(4) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal 
     Advisory Committee Act.
       ``(e) Adequate Funding.--Before providing funds for the 
     operation of any such center at a health care facility other 
     than a health care facility designated under subsection 
     (b)(1), the Secretary shall ensure that--
       ``(1) the Parkinson's disease center at each facility 
     designated under subsection (b)(1) is receiving adequate 
     funding to enable such center to function effectively in the 
     areas of Parkinson's disease research, education, and 
     clinical activities; and
       ``(2) in the case of a new Multiple Sclerosis Center, that 
     existing centers are receiving adequate funding to enable 
     such centers to function effectively in the areas of multiple 
     sclerosis research, education, and clinical activities.
       ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There are 
     authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
     for the support of the research and education activities of 
     the centers established under subsection (a).
       ``(2) The Under Secretary for Health shall allocate to such 
     centers from other funds appropriated generally for the 
     Department medical services account and medical and 
     prosthetics research account, as appropriate, such amounts as 
     the Under Secretary for Health determines appropriate.
       ``(g) Funding Eligibility and Priority for Parkinson's 
     Disease Research.--Activities of clinical and scientific 
     investigation at each center established under subsection (a) 
     for Parkinson's disease shall--
       ``(1) be eligible to compete for the award of funding from 
     funds appropriated for the Department medical and prosthetics 
     research account; and
       ``(2) receive priority in the award of funding from such 
     account to the extent funds are awarded to projects for 
     research in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders.
       ``(h) Funding Eligibility and Priority for Multiple 
     Sclerosis Research.--Activities of clinical and scientific 
     investigation at each center established under subsection (a) 
     for multiple sclerosis shall--
       ``(1) be eligible to compete for the award of funding from 
     funds appropriated for the Department medical and prosthetics 
     research account; and
       ``(2) receive priority in the award of funding from such 
     account to the extent funds are awarded to projects for 
     research in multiple sclerosis and other movement 
     disorders.''.
       (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, is 
     amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7328 
     the following:

``Sec. 7329. Parkinson's disease research, education, and clinical 
              centers and multiple sclerosis centers of excellence''.
       (b) Effective Date.--Section 7329 of title 38, United 
     States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on 
     October 1, 2005.

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