[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 17, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5803-H5805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          NIMHD RESEARCH ENDOWMENT REVITALIZATION ACT OF 2020

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4499) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide that 
the authority of the Director of the National Institute on Minority 
Health and Health Disparities to make certain research endowments 
applies with respect to both current and former centers of excellence, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4499

       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 ``NIMHD Research Endowment 
     Revitalization Act of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. RESEARCH ENDOWMENTS AT BOTH CURRENT AND FORMER 
                   CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.

       Paragraph (1) of section 464z-3(h) of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285t(h)) is amended to read as 
     follows:
       ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Institute may carry 
     out a program to facilitate minority health disparities 
     research and other health disparities research by providing 
     for research endowments--
       ``(A) at current or former centers of excellence under 
     section 736; and
       ``(B) at current or former centers of excellence under 
     section 464z-4.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4499.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4499, the NIMHD Research Endowment 
Revitalization Act of 2020.
  This bill authorizes the National Institute on Minority Health and 
Health Disparities, or NIMHD, to facilitate research on minority health 
disparities through research endowments at current or former Centers of 
Excellence.
  The NIMHD Research Endowment Program was established by the Minority 
Health and Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000. By 
supporting the endowments of certain academic institutions, the program 
promotes minority health and health disparities research capacity, 
increases the diversity of the scientific workforce, and enhances the 
recruitment and retention of underrepresented individuals in science.
  Congress expanded the eligibility of the program to include 
institutions of higher education with an active NIMHD Center of 
Excellence, and this expansion inadvertently resulted in

[[Page H5804]]

schools such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia State University, 
and Morgan State University being ineligible.
  As our Nation continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an 
even more urgent need to support additional research into minority 
health and health disparities, and to bolster the recruitment and 
retention of underrepresented individuals in science.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the lead sponsors, Representatives Barragan, 
Carter, and the late John Lewis, and their staffs, for their work on 
this legislation. I also thank the Democratic and Republican members of 
our committee, as well as bipartisan committee staff, for working 
together to move this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4499, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I, too, rise in support of H.R. 4499, the National Institute on 
Minority and Health Disparities Research Endowment Revitalization Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my Committee on Energy and Commerce colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle, especially Congressman Carter and 
Congresswoman Barragan, for their leadership on this bill, and the 
chairman for moving it.
  This bill authorizes the National Institute on Minority Health and 
Health Disparities to award research grants to current and former 
Centers of Excellence that conduct research on minority health 
disparities.
  Health inequalities and inequities are disproportionately experienced 
by minority populations, and we all know they can have adverse impacts 
on health outcomes, on economic opportunities and, frankly, on overall 
quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these 
disparities, which is why this legislation is so important, Mr. 
Speaker.
  Continued support of these Centers of Excellence is critical in 
advancing minority health, addressing health inequities, and expanding 
educational and training opportunities for those interested in further 
advancing research in this space.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional Members who would like 
to speak on the bill, and so I urge support for the legislation. I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Latta).
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4499, the NIMHD Research 
Endowment Revitalization Act of 2020.
  This is an extremely important piece of legislation, and I intend to 
support it.
  I also intend to ask the House today to support my legislation, which 
is H.R. 4806, the Debarment Enforcement of Bad Actor Registrants Act of 
2019, or the DEBAR Act.
  Substance abuse continues to wreak havoc in our communities and is 
responsible for claiming nearly 700,000 lives since 1999. In the first 
quarter of this year alone, overdose death rates increased 11.4 percent 
compared to the same time last year.
  As we work to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic, addressing the 
ongoing opioid epidemic is increasingly critical.

                              {time}  1215

  I introduced the DEBAR Act because it takes significant steps to 
reduce the circulation of illegal substances in our country.
  This bill provides the Drug Enforcement Agency debarment authority to 
permanently prohibit a person or entity who has violated the Controlled 
Substances Act from being able to receive a registration to 
manufacture, distribute, or dispense a controlled substance.
  We cannot stop our efforts to end the opioid and substance abuse 
crisis, and I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4806 and H.R. 
4499.
  I also want to thank the chairman for his work on both of these 
pieces of legislation, and the ranking member, and I encourage my 
colleagues to support both pieces of legislation.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Carter), one of the coauthors of this piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the time today to speak on this 
important legislation, and I thank Congresswoman Barragan for being a 
champion of this issue.
  The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on our communities. Now, more than 
ever, we must support minority academic institutions and the critical 
research they conduct. Minority academic institutions can play a big 
role in conducting critical research and helping us work to lessen the 
health disparities minority communities face.
  We must ensure schools, including the Morehouse College in my home 
State of Georgia, are able to conduct their research without 
disruption. Their efforts will better prepare all of us to respond to 
the coronavirus and other health inequities more effectively.
  I urge passage today.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I don't believe we have any other Members 
wishing to speak on this legislation, so I will just close and say it 
is another great work product from our Energy and Commerce Committee, 
bipartisan legislation that I encourage our colleagues to support, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4499, the 
NIMHD Research Endowment Revitalization Act, a bill I introduced with 
my friend and colleague from Georgia, Congressman Carter.
  This legislation moves us closer to ending the disparities in public 
health between minority communities and other Americans. We need to 
understand why people in minority communities are more likely to get 
certain illnesses and how we can prevent that. H.R. 4499 will fund the 
research that will help us find solutions.
  If signed into law, this bill will once again allow for current and 
former NIMHD or HRSA Centers of Excellence to receive research 
endowment funding, money that is critical in the fight to reduce 
minority health disparities.
  The Research Endowment Program at the National Institute on Minority 
Health and Health Disparities provides funding to the endowments of 
academic institutions across the country, such as Charles Drew 
University in my district.
  The goals of the program include:
  Promoting minority health and health disparities research capacity 
and infrastructure;
  Increasing the diversity and strength of the scientific workforce; 
and
  Enhancing the recruitment and retention of individuals from health 
disparity populations that are underrepresented in the scientific 
workforce.
  Charles Drew University has stated that this legislation and the 
funding are critical to their mission and that they support this 
legislation because:
  ``Restoring eligibility would allow the University to continue its 
historic focus on research to close the gap between the burden of 
illness and premature mortality experienced more commonly by 
communities of color, as well as other medically underserved 
populations, as compared to the nation as a whole. It would also help 
to grow and enhance the University's capacity and infrastructure for 
health disparities research within the Urban Health Institute.''
  During the COVID health emergency, where communities of color are 
once again disproportionately affected, research into health 
disparities is more crucial than ever.
  I want to once again thank my colleague Congressman Carter for co-
leading this bill with me, as well as the other bipartisan cosponsors: 
Congresswoman Kelly, Congressman Rogers, and the late John Lewis. I 
also want to thank Chairman Pallone for working with me to help move 
this important bill through the Committee.
  I urge all my colleagues to vote yes on the NIMHD Research Endowment 
Revitalization Act so that these schools can continue this important 
research on minority health disparities.


 Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Statement on H.R. 
                                  4499

       Charles R. Drew University of Medicine in Science (CDU) is 
     in strong support of H.R. 4499 which amend the Public Health 
     Service Act to provide that the authority of the Director of 
     the National Institute on Minority Health and Health 
     Disparities to make certain research endowments applies with 
     respect to both current and former centers of excellence, and 
     for other purposes.
       If enacted H.R. 4499 would reinstate the University's 
     eligibility for NIMHD endowment grants that were withdrawn 
     because the University had received endowment grants for 10 
     years despite being underfunded for its critical health 
     disparities research.

[[Page H5805]]

     Restoring eligibility would allow the University to continue 
     its historic focus on research to close the gap between the 
     burden of illness and premature mortality experienced more 
     commonly by communities of color, as well as other medically 
     underserved populations, as compared to the nation as a 
     whole. It would also help to grow and enhance the 
     University's capacity and infrastructure for health 
     disparities research within the Urban Health Institute.
           Respectfully Submitted,

                                   David M. Carlisle, MD, PhD,

                                President and CEO, Charles R. Drew
                               University of Medicine and Science.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4499, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________