[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004

  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the passage 
of H.R. 2660, the Labor-HHS appropriations bill, it be in order to 
consider the amendment I now send to the desk, that the amendment be 
considered and agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1649) was agreed to, as follows:

(Purpose: To provide the Director of the National Institutes of Health 
 with the authority to carry out the NIH Roadmap to provide for rapid 
              advances in the biomedical research process)

       On page 61, between lines 14 and 15, insert the following:
       Sec. __. (a) Authority.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, the Director of the National Institutes of 
     Health may use funds available under section 402(i) of the 
     Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282(i)) to enter into 
     transactions (other than contracts, cooperative agreements, 
     or grants) to carry out research in support of the NIH 
     Roadmap Initiative of the Director.
       (b) Peer Review.--In entering into transactions under 
     subsection (a), the Director of the National Institutes of 
     Health may utilize such peer review procedures (including 
     consultation with appropriate scientific experts) as the 
     Director determines to be appropriate to obtain assessments 
     of scientific and technical merit. Such procedures shall 
     apply to such transactions in lieu of the peer review and 
     advisory council review procedures that would otherwise be 
     required under sections 301(a)(3), 405(b)(1)(B), 405(b)(2), 
     406(a)(3)(A), 492, and 494 of the Public Health Service Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 241, 284(b)(1)(B), 284(b)(2), 284a(a)(3)(A), 289a, 
     and 289c).

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