[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 6, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H6024-H6026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       10,000 TRAINED BY 2010 ACT

  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 1467) to authorize the National Science Foundation to award 
grants to institutions of higher education to develop and offer 
education and training programs.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1467

       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 ``10,000 Trained by 2010 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) the National Science Foundation has long been a 
     government leader in strengthening our Nation's information 
     infrastructure;
       (2) as automation and digitization reach the healthcare 
     industry, that industry will need to draw heavily on the 
     expertise of researchers funded by the National Science 
     Foundation for the collection, processing, and utilization of 
     information;
       (3) the National Science Foundation's basic research, 
     demonstrations, and curriculum development assistance are all 
     required to help make sure the industry has the knowledge, 
     procedures, and workforce necessary to take full advantage of 
     advanced communications and information technology;
       (4) the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 136,000 
     Americans were employed in 2000 as information management 
     professionals in the healthcare industry alone, with 
     projected growth of 49 percent by 2010; and
       (5) no systematic plan exists for designing and 
     implementing systems and information tools and for ensuring 
     that the healthcare workforce can make the transition to the 
     information age.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the National Science Foundation.
       (2) Information.--The term ``information'' means healthcare 
     information.
       (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given 
     that term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1001).

     SEC. 4. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH.

       (a) Grants.--
       (1) In general.--The Director, in consultation with the 
     heads of other Federal agencies as appropriate, shall award 
     grants for basic research on innovative approaches to improve 
     information systems. Research areas may include--
       (A) information studies;
       (B) population informatics;
       (C) translational informatics; and
       (D) data security, integrity, and confidentiality.
       (2) Merit review; competition.--Grants shall be awarded 
     under this section on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
       (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to 
     carry out this subsection--
       (A) $3,500,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       (B) $3,600,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       (C) $3,700,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
       (D) $3,800,000 for fiscal year 2011.
       (b) Informatics Research Centers.--
       (1) In general.--The Director, in consultation with the 
     heads of other Federal agencies as appropriate, shall award 
     multiyear grants, subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, to institutions of higher education (or 
     consortia thereof) to establish multidisciplinary Centers for 
     Informatics Research. Institutions of higher education (or 
     consortia thereof) receiving such grants may partner with one 
     or more government laboratories, for-profit institutions, or 
     non-profit institutions.
       (2) Merit review; competition.--Grants shall be awarded 
     under this subsection on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
       (3) Purpose.--The purpose of the Centers shall be to 
     generate innovative approaches in information by conducting 
     cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research, including in the 
     research areas described in subsection (a)(1).
       (4) Applications.--An institution of higher education (or a 
     consortium thereof) seeking funding under this subsection 
     shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in 
     such manner, and containing such information as the Director 
     may require. The application shall include, at a minimum, a 
     description of--
       (A) the research projects that will be undertaken by the 
     Center and the contributions of each of the participating 
     entities;
       (B) how the Center will promote active collaboration among 
     professionals from different disciplines, such as information 
     technology specialists, health professionals, administrators, 
     and social science researchers; and
       (C) how the Center will contribute to increasing the number 
     of information researchers and other professionals.
       (5) Criteria.--In evaluating the applications submitted 
     under paragraph (4), the Director shall consider, at a 
     minimum--
       (A) the ability of the applicant to generate innovative 
     approaches to information and effectively carry out the 
     research program;
       (B) the experience of the applicant in conducting research 
     in the information field, and the capacity of the applicant 
     to foster new multidisciplinary collaborations;
       (C) the capacity of the applicant to attract and provide 
     adequate support for undergraduate and graduate students to 
     pursue information research; and
       (D) the extent to which the applicant will partner with 
     government laboratories or for-profit or non-profit entities, 
     and the role the government laboratories or for-profit or 
     non-profit entities will play in the research undertaken by 
     the Center.
       (6) Annual meeting.--The Director shall convene an annual 
     meeting of the Centers in order to foster collaboration and 
     communication between Center participants.
       (7) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated for the National Science Foundation to 
     carry out this subsection--
       (A) $4,500,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       (B) $4,600,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       (C) $4,700,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
       (D) $4,800,000 for fiscal year 2011.

     SEC. 5. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION INFORMATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) Capacity Building Grants.--
       (1) In general.--The Director, in consultation with the 
     heads of other Federal agencies as appropriate, shall 
     establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher 
     education (or consortia thereof) to establish or improve 
     undergraduate and master's degree information programs, to 
     increase the number of students who pursue undergraduate or 
     master's degrees in information fields, to provide students 
     with experience in government or industry related to their 
     information studies, and, to the extent practicable, to do so 
     using distance learning.
       (2) Merit review; competition.--Grants shall be awarded 
     under this subsection on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
       (3) Use of funds.--Grants awarded under this subsection 
     shall be used for activities that enhance the ability of an 
     institution of higher education (or consortium thereof) to 
     provide high-quality information education, including 
     certification and undergraduate and master's degree programs, 
     and to recruit and retain increased numbers of students to 
     such programs. Activities may include--
       (A) developing and revising curriculum to better prepare 
     undergraduate and master's degree students for careers in the 
     information field;
       (B) establishing degree and certificate programs in the 
     information field;
       (C) creating opportunities in information research for 
     undergraduate students;
       (D) acquiring equipment necessary for student instruction 
     in these programs, including the installation of testbed 
     networks for student use;
       (E) providing opportunities for faculty to work with State, 
     local, or Federal Government agencies, private industry, and 
     other academic institutions to develop new expertise or to 
     formulate new information research directions;
       (F) establishing collaborations with other academic 
     institutions or departments that seek to establish, expand, 
     or enhance these programs;
       (G) establishing student internships for students in these 
     programs at State, local, and Federal Government agencies or 
     in private industry;
       (H) establishing or enhancing bridge programs in 
     information fields between community colleges and 
     universities; and
       (I) any other activities the Director, in consultation with 
     the heads of other Federal agencies as appropriate, 
     determines will achieve the purposes described in paragraph 
     (1).
       (4) Selection process.--
       (A) Application.--An institution of higher education (or a 
     consortium thereof) seeking funding under this subsection 
     shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in 
     such manner, and with such contents as the Director may 
     require. The application shall include, at a minimum--
       (i) a description of the applicant's relevant research and 
     instructional capacity, and in the case of an application 
     from a consortium of institutions of higher education, a 
     description of the role that each member will play in 
     implementing the proposal;
       (ii) a comprehensive plan by which the institution or 
     consortium will build instructional capacity in information 
     fields;

[[Page H6025]]

       (iii) a description of relevant collaborations with State, 
     local, or Federal Government agencies or private industry 
     that inform the instructional program;
       (iv) a survey of the applicant's historic student 
     enrollment and placement data and a study of potential 
     enrollment and placement for students enrolled in the 
     proposed program; and
       (v) a plan to evaluate the success of the proposed program, 
     including postgraduate assessment of graduate school and job 
     placement and retention rates as well as the relevance of the 
     instructional program to graduate study and to the workplace.
       (B) Awards.--The Director shall ensure, to the extent 
     practicable, that grants are awarded under this subsection in 
     a wide range of geographic areas and categories of 
     institutions of higher education.
       (5) Assessment required.--The Director, in consultation 
     with the heads of other Federal agencies as appropriate, 
     shall evaluate the program established under this subsection 
     no later than 3 years after the establishment of the program. 
     At a minimum, the Director shall evaluate the extent to which 
     the grants have achieved their objectives of increasing the 
     quality and quantity of students pursuing undergraduate or 
     master's degrees in information fields. The Director shall 
     make this assessment publicly available.
       (6) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to 
     carry out this subsection--
       (A) $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       (B) $9,200,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       (C) $9,400,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
       (D) $9,600,000 for fiscal year 2011.
       (b) Scientific and Advanced Technology Act of 1992.--
       (1) Grants.--The Director shall provide grants under the 
     Scientific and Advanced Technology Act of 1992 for the 
     purposes of section 3(a) and (b) of that Act, except that the 
     activities supported pursuant to this subsection shall be 
     limited to improving education in fields related to 
     information.
       (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to 
     carry out this subsection--
       (A) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       (B) $7,200,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       (C) $7,400,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
       (D) $7,600,000 for fiscal year 2011.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Wu) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 1467, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oregon?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I and other Members of the Science and Technology 
Committee have been working on the issue of health care IT for several 
years. The genesis of this legislation, H.R. 1467, was a roundtable I 
held in Oregon in August 2005. This roundtable was followed by an 
Environment, Standards and Technology Subcommittee field hearing on 
health care information technology in February of 2006. Representative 
Reichert of Washington chaired the hearing, and our current ranking 
member, Mr. Hall, also had staff in attendance.
  One of the common issues raised at both of these events was the lack 
of trained people who are experts in both health care and in 
information technology. Despite the Federal focus on developing a 
national electronic health care record system, there is no systematic 
plan for the training of current and prospective professionals in both 
health care and IT. Without this specialized training, the technology 
can sit on health care provider's desks as a box, cold and unused 
rather than as an integrated system of health care doing what it should 
do.
  The need for individuals to manage health care IT is expected to grow 
49 percent between 2000 and 2010, and nearly 75 percent of health care 
organizations indicate there are not enough qualified applicants for 
these positions.
  I would like to point out that the Science and Technology Committee 
has a history of developing specific and specialized training and 
research programs for IT professionals.
  During the 107th Congress, the committee became concerned that the 
lack of specialized computerized training for IT students and 
professionals was a contributing factor in the lack of decent computer 
security practices and software. As a result, the committee developed 
and moved H.R. 3394, the CyberSecurity Research and Development Act 
which subsequently became Public Law 107-305.
  The bill under consideration today, H.R. 1467, consists of four 
components. It authorizes the National Science Foundation, NSF, to 
award research grants for innovative approaches enhancing health care 
informatics. I want to make clear that this provision builds upon 
existing NSF activities.
  It authorizes NSF to support multidisciplinary health and medical 
informatics research centers to perform research and to train qualified 
health care informatics personnel and professionals.
  Next, it authorizes NSF to establish a grant program to improve 
undergraduate, master's and certificate programs in health care 
informatics. The goal is to increase the number of students and the 
quality of training in their field. This program allows both 4-year and 
2-year institutions to participate as well as allowing for the 
development of continuing education curricula.
  Finally, it authorizes NSF's Advanced Technology Education Program 
which focuses solely on 2-year colleges to support improved education 
and technical training for health care informatics.
  H.R. 1467 is a bipartisan product of the Science and Technology 
Committee. Ranking Member Hall and I introduced this bill in the last 
Congress. In this Congress, we introduced this legislation, along with 
Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Gingrey of the Technology and 
Innovation Subcommittee.
  I have spoken to Dr. Gingrey about health care IT, and he knows from 
his firsthand experience the challenges involved in integrating IT into 
health care settings.
  We all recognize the benefits that an integrated health IT network 
could provide in terms of improved patient care, safety, privacy and 
potentially cost savings. However, investment in physical 
infrastructure and technology alone is not enough. We need research and 
training programs for health care and IT professionals in order to use 
and design the system well.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 1467, the 10,000 Trained by 2010 Act, 
and the primary goal it seeks to achieve. If implemented correctly and 
efficiently, health information technology, which we call IT, can 
revolutionize our health care system.
  However, we have to have an educated workforce properly trained in 
health IT in order for it to be successful. This is what H.R. 1467 is 
all about. NSF is already doing incredible work in the IT area, but 
this measure focuses specifically on health IT by providing grants on 
new innovative approaches for health care hardware and software 
solutions.
  Creating health medical informatics research centers and making 
improvements to undergraduate and master's degree programs for health 
care informatics, it also expands the Advanced Technology Education 
Program to include health IT.
  The activities supported by H.R. 1467 are important if we are to have 
a sufficiently trained health IT workforce, and I encourage my 
colleagues to adopt this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for working 
with me, and his staff for working with our staff over a period of 3 
years on this legislation.
  I inquire of the gentleman whether he has any additional speakers.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. We have no further speakers, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I thank the staff on both sides of the aisle on 
the Science Committee for working hard through two Congresses to bring 
this legislation to the floor, and I encourage all of my colleagues to 
vote for adoption of this legislation.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
H.R. 1467, the 10,000 Trained by 2010 Act.

[[Page H6026]]

  The bill requires the National Science Foundation to award 
competitive grants for research to improve health care information 
systems.
  As our health care information moves from paper to computer-based 
storage methods, it becomes increasingly important to develop 
systematic methods for organizing and sharing biomedical information.
  Digital medical records must be transferable, and above all, patient 
confidentiality must be ensured.
  H.R. 1467 would fund scientific and engineering activities to improve 
education in the health care information fields. The funding would be 
used to develop innovative approaches in health care information; and 
help students earn advanced degrees in these fields.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill would promote technologies that will save us 
taxpayer dollars over the long term. I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 1467.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 1467.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________