[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009

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                               speech of

                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2009

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Clinical and 
Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program at the National Institutes 
of Health (NIH). The CTSA program is a noteworthy initiative with the 
potential to enhance and invigorate our nation's clinical and 
translational research enterprise.
  As the representative from the 8th Congressional District of 
Massachusetts, I am especially pleased that the program makes 
significant efforts to create new clinical research homes in academic 
settings and, so, strengthen our nation's current and future research 
infrastructure. Furthermore, I am quite proud that Boston institutions; 
Boston University, Harvard University, and Tufts University are 3 of 
the 38 sites that currently comprise the growing CTSA network.
  Over the past few years, roughly level funding for NIH has severely 
limited the size of the award that can be made to these and the other 
CTSA-recipient institutions. These funding challenges have had dire 
consequences for the program's implementation and have seriously 
impeded its very necessary expansion.
  As an ardent supporter of NIH, I thank Chairman Obey on the increased 
NIH funding in both the FY09 Omnibus Appropriations bill and the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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