NIH 1998 Almanac/Historical Data/
Legislative Chronology
This legislative chronology is limited to enactments that had a major influence upon the Marine Hospital Service as it evolved
into the PHS, to legislation leading to the establishment of the National Institutes
of Health, and to specific NIH legislation with the exception of appropriations bills,
unless such bills provided significant new authorities for or restrictions on NIH components.
July 16, 1798--"An Act for the relief of
sick and disabled Seamen" established the
Marine Hospital Service for merchant seamen. The Marine Hospital Service--forerunner of
the present-day PHS--became a component of the Treasury Department. A
monthly hospital tax of 20 cents was deducted from the pay of merchant seamen in the
first prepaid medical care plan in the United States. (1 Stat. L. 605.)
March 2, 1799--An amending act to the legislation of 1798 extended Marine
Hospital Service benefits to officers and men of
the U.S. Navy. This arrangement continued until 1818 after which the Navy built its
own hospitals. However, the deduction of 20 cents per month from the pay of Navy and
Marine Corps personnel continued until June 15, 1943. (1 Stat. L. 729.)
June 29, 1870--A bill to reorganize the Marine Hospital Service and establish
a central controlling office in Washington, D.C., was enacted. This act also
increased the amount of hospital tax paid by
seamen from 20 cents to 40 cents per month, a tax which continued until 1884. (16 Stat.
L. 169.) (After the seamen's hospital tax was abolished July 1, 1884, the cost of
maintaining Marine hospitals was paid out of a tonnage tax until 1906. Since then
medical care for merchant seamen and other beneficiaries of the service has been supported
by direct congressional appropriations.)
March 3, 1875--An act was passed
authorizing the admission of seamen from the Navy and other government services to
Marine hospitals on a reimbursable basis.
The Surgeon General of the Marine Hospital Service was to be appointed by
the President, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate. (18 Stat. L. 377.)
April 29, 1878--The first Federal
Quarantine Act "to prevent the introduction of
contagious or infectious diseases into the United States" was passed. (20 Stat. L. 37.)
March 3, 1879--The National Board of Health was created by law and
given quarantine powers; first organized, comprehensive Federal medical research effort.
(20 Stat. L. 484.)
January 4, 1889--A bill to establish a commissioned officer corps in the
Marine Hospital Service was passed. This law established a mobile corps subject to
duty anywhere upon assignment, a policy that had been in effect since Dr. Woodworth
assumed leadership of the Marine Hospital Service
in 1871. (25 Stat. L. 639.)
March 27, 1890--Congress gave the Marine Hospital Service interstate
quarantine authority. (26 Stat. L. 31.)
February 15, 1893--A new Quarantine Act was passed following outbreaks of cholera
in Europe, strengthening the inadequate Quarantine Act of 1878 by giving the
Federal Government the right of quarantine inspection. The act of March 3, 1879,
was repealed. (27 Stat. L. 449.)
March 2, 1899--The Marine Hospital Service was directed by Congress
to investigate leprosy in the United States. (30 Stat. L. 976.)
March 3, 1901--An appropriation of
$35,000 was made for the Hygienic Laboratory building (first legislative mention
of Hygienic Laboratory). Thus
"investigations of contagious and infectious diseases
and matters pertaining to public health" were given definite status in law. (31 Stat.
L. 1086.)
July 1, 1902--A bill to increase the
efficiency and change the name of the Marine
Hospital Service to Public Health and Marine
Hospital Service was enacted. The law authorized
the establishment of specified administrative divisions and, for the first time, designated
a bureau of the Federal Government as an agency in which public health matters
could be coordinated. (32 Stat. L. 712.)
Another law, usually referred to as the Biologics Control Act, authorized the
Public Health and Marine Hospital Service to regulate the transportation or sale for
human use of viruses, serums, vaccines,
antitoxins, and analogous products in interstate traffic
or from any foreign country into the United States. (P.L. 57-244, 32 Stat. L. 728.)
August 14, 1912--Under an act, the name Public Health and Marine Hospital
Service was changed to Public Health Service. The legislation broadened the PHS
research program to include "diseases of man"
and contributing factors such as pollution of navigable streams, and information
dissemination. (37 Stat. L. 309.)
July 9, 1918--The Chamberlain-Kahn Act provided for the study of venereal diseases
by the PHS. (40 Stat. L. 886.)
October 27, 1918--A PHS reserve corps
was established. The 1918 influenza pandemic emphasized the need for a reserve corps
to meet such emergency situations. (40 Stat. L. 1017.)
January 19, 1929--The Narcotics Control Act provided for construction of
two hospitals for the care and treatment of drug addicts, and authorized creation of
a Narcotics Division in the PHS Office of the Surgeon General. (P.L. 70-672, 45 Stat.
L. 1085.)
April 9, 1930--A law changed the name of the Advisory Board for the
Hygienic Laboratory to the National Advisory
Health Council. (P.L. 71-106, 46 Stat. L. 152.)
May 26, 1930--The Ransdell Act reorganized, expanded, and redesignated
the Hygienic Laboratory as the National
Institute of Health. The act authorized $750,000
for the construction of two buildings for NIH and authorized a system of fellowships.
(P.L. 71-251, 46 Stat. L. 379.)
June 14, 1930--A law authorized creation
of a separate Bureau of Narcotics in the Treasury Department to control trading
in narcotic drugs and their use for therapeutic purposes. Also, the legislation
redesignated the PHS Narcotics Division to the
Division of Mental Hygiene, giving the Surgeon General authority to investigate abuse
of narcotics and the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental and nervous diseases.
(P.L. 71-357, 46 Stat. L. 585.)
August 14, 1935--The Social Security Act was an event of major importance in
the progress of public health in the United States.
This act authorized health grants to the states on the principle that the most effective way
to prevent the interstate spread of disease is to improve state and local public
health programs. With this legislation, the PHS became adviser and practical assistant to
state and local health services. (P.L. 74-271, 49 Stat. L. 634.)
August 5, 1937--A law established the National Cancer Institute to conduct
and support research relating to the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. The
law authorized the Surgeon General to make grants-in-aid for research in the field
of cancer, provide fellowships, train personnel, and assist the states in their efforts
toward cancer prevention and control. (P.L.
75-244, 50 Stat. L. 559.)
April 3, 1939--The Reorganization Act of 1939 transferred the PHS from the
Treasury Department to the Federal Security Agency.
(P.L. 76-19, 53 Stat. L. 561.)
July 1, 1944--The PHS act consolidated
and revised laws pertaining to the PHS and divided the service into the Office of
the Surgeon General, Bureau of Medical Services, Bureau of State Services, and
the National Institute of Health. The act gave
the Surgeon General broad powers to conduct and support research into the diseases
and disabilities of man, authorized projects and fellowships, and made the National
Cancer Institute a division of NIH. The act also empowered the Surgeon General to treat
at PHS medical facilities, for purposes of study, persons not otherwise eligible for
such treatment. (P.L. 78-410, 58 Stat. L. 682.) Under this provision, the Clinical Center
was later established. (Under this act, the Research Grants Office, January 1, 1946;
the Experimental Biology and Medicine Institute and the National Microbiological
Institute, November 1, 1948; and the Division of Research Services, January 1, 1956,
were established.)
July 3, 1946--The National Mental Health Act was designed to improve the
mental health of U.S. citizens through research
into the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric disorders. It authorized
the Surgeon General to support research, training, and assistance to state mental
health programs. (P.L. 79-487, 60 Stat. L. 421.) (The National Institute of Mental Health
was established under the authority of this law on April 15, 1949.)
August 13, 1946--The Hospital Survey and Construction Act (Hill-Burton Act)
authorized grants to the states for construction
of hospitals and public health centers, for planning construction of additional
facilities, and for surveying existing hospitals and
other facilities. (P.L. 79-725, 60 Stat. L. 1040.)
July 8, 1947--Under P.L. 80-165,
research construction provisions of the
Appropriations Act for FY 1948 provided funds "for
the acquisition of a site, and the preparation of plans, specifications, and drawings,
for additional research buildings and a 600-bed clinical research hospital and
necessary accessory buildings related thereto to be
used in general medical research...."
June 16, 1948--The National Heart Act authorized the National Heart Institute
to conduct, assist, and foster research; provide training; and assist the states in the
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart diseases. In addition, the act changed
the name of National Institute of Health
to National Institutes of Health. (P.L.
80-655, 62 Stat. L. 464.)
June 24, 1948--The National Dental Research Act authorized the
National Institute of Dental Research to conduct, assist, and foster dental research;
provide training; and cooperate with the states in
the prevention and control of dental diseases. (P.L. 80-755, 62 Stat. L. 598.)
August 15, 1950--The Omnibus Medical Research Act authorized the Surgeon
General to establish the National Institute of
Neurological Diseases and Blindness, as well as additional institutes, to conduct and
support research and research training relating to other diseases and groups of diseases.
(P.L. 81-692, 64 Stat. L. 443.) (The National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic
Diseases and the National Institute of
Neurological Diseases and Blindness were
established under the authority of this act on
November 22, 1950. Under this same act, the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases was established on December 29, 1955, replacing the National
Microbiological Institute which was originally
established November 1, 1948, under authority of
section 202 of the PHS act.)
April 1, 1953--Reorganization plan #1 assigned the PHS to the new Department
of Health, Education, and Welfare.
July 28, 1955--The Mental Health Study
Act authorized the Surgeon General to award grants to nongovernmental organizations
for partial support of a nationwide study and reevaluation of the problems of
mental illness. Under this act, the Joint
Committee on Mental Illness and Health was awarded grant support for 3 years. (P.L. 84-182,
69 Stat. L. 381.)
July 3, 1956--The National Health Survey Act authorized the Surgeon General to
survey sickness and disabilities in the United
States on a sampling basis. (P.L. 84-652, 70 Stat.
L. 489.)
July 28, 1956--The Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act provided for
territorial treatment facilities to eliminate the need
to transport the mentally ill outside Alaska. It also authorized PHS grants to Alaska for
its mental health program. (P.L. 84-830, 70 Stat. L. 709.)
July 30, 1956--The Health Research Facilities Act of 1956 (Title VII of the
PHS act) authorized a PHS program of Federal matching grants to public and
nonprofit institutions for the construction of
health research facilities. (P.L. 84-835, 70 Stat.
L. 717.)
August 2, 1956--The Health Amendments Act of 1956 authorized the Surgeon
General to assist in increasing the number of adequately trained nurses and
professional public health personnel. It also
authorized PHS grants to support the development
of improved methods of care and treatment of the mentally ill. (P.L. 84-911, 70 Stat.
L. 923.)
August 3, 1956--An amendment to Title
III of the PHS act, the National Library of Medicine Act, placed the Armed
Forces Medical Library under the PHS, and renamed it the National Library of Medicine.
(P.L. 84-941.)
June 30, 1958--The Mutual Security Act
of 1958 amended P.L. 83-480, authorizing the President to enter into agreements
with friendly nations to use foreign currencies accruing under title I for collection,
translation, and dissemination of scientific
information and to conduct research and support scientific activities overseas. (P.L. 85-477.)
July 12, 1960--Congress passed the International Health Research Act. The
law authorized the Surgeon General to establish and make grants for fellowships in the
United States and participating foreign countries; make grants or loans of equipment and
other materials to participating foreign
countries for use by public or nonprofit institutions
and agencies; participate in international health meetings, conferences, and other
activities; and facilitate the interchange of
research scientists and experts between the United States and participating foreign countries.
(P.L. 86-610, 74 Stat. L. 364.)
September 15, 1960--A law amended the PHS act to authorize grants-in-aid
to universities, hospitals, laboratories, and
other public and nonprofit institutions to
strengthen their programs of research and research training in the sciences related to health.
The act also authorized the use of funds appropriated for research or research training to be
set aside by the Surgeon General in a special account for general research support
grants. (P.L. 86-798, 74 Stat. L. 1053.)
October 17, 1962--An act authorized the Surgeon General to establish the
National Institute of General Medical Sciences and
the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The latter was authorized
to conduct and support research and training relating to maternal health; child
health; human development, in particular the
special health problems of mothers and children;
and the basic sciences relating to the processes
of human growth and development. The former was authorized to conduct and
support research in the basic medical sciences and related behavioral sciences that
have significance for two or more institutes, or which are outside the general area
of responsibility of any other institute. (P.L. 87-838, 76 Stat. L. 1072.) (On January
30, 1963, the NICHD and the NIGMS were established under this act.)
September 24, 1963--A law amended the Health Research Facilities Act of 1956
(Title VII to the PHS act) to allow grants for multipurpose facilities that would
provide teaching space as well as essential
research space. (P.L. 88-129, 77 Stat. L. 164.)
October 24, 1963--The Maternal and Child Health and Mental Retardation
Planning Amendments of 1963 amended the Social Security Act of 1935 by authorizing a
five-point grant program of $265 million, over a 5-year period. Major provisions designed
to prevent mental retardation included increased Federal grants for maternal and child
health services and crippled children's service administered by the Children's Bureau; a
new 5-year program of grants to the states for health care of expectant mothers who
have, or are likely to have, conditions associated with childbearing which may lead to
mental retardation; funds for research to improve maternal and child health and
crippled children's services; and grants to the states
to assist in developing plans for comprehensive state and community programs to
combat mental retardation. (P.L. 88-156, 77 Stat.
L. 273.)
October 31, 1963--A companion measure
to P.L. 88-156 was the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental
Health Centers Construction Act of 1963. This act authorized a total of $329 million over
5 years for grants to assist in the construction of mental retardation research centers
and community mental health centers, and to train teachers of mentally retarded and
other handicapped children. (P.L. 88-164, 77 Stat.
L. 282.)
August 18, 1964--The Hospital and
Medical Facilities Amendments of 1964 extended the Hospital Survey and Construction Act
of 1946 (Hill-Burton Act) for 5 years with a total authorization of $1.4 billion. (P.L.
88-443, 78 Stat. L. 447.)
August 27, 1964--Graduate Public Health Training Amendments of 1964 extended
the authorization for public health traineeships and training grants to schools of
public health, nursing, and engineering for 5
years, through June 30, 1969. (P.L. 88-497, 78 Stat. L. 613.)
September 19, 1964--The Appropriations Act for 1965 included $10 million
for establishment of a virus-leukemia program. (P.L. 88-605.)
August 4, 1965--The Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental
Health Centers Construction Act Amendments of 1965 provided monies through FY 1972
to help finance initial staffing of community mental health centers which were
authorized in the original act; extended and
increased appropriations authority for mental
retardation education research and demonstration projects; and authorized increased
annual funds through FY 1969 for training teachers of the handicapped young. (P.L. 89-105.)
August 9, 1965--The Health Research Facilities Amendments of 1965 extended
the program for construction of health research facilities for 3 years with $280
million authorized for that period in lieu of the previous $50 million annual
appropriations authorizations. (P.L. 89-115.)
August 31, 1965--A supplemental
appropriations act resulting from recommendations
of the President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke provided
an additional $20,250,000 (shared by NCI, NHI, NIGMS and NINDB) to intensify and
expand support of research in the three major
"killer" diseases. (P.L. 89-156.)
October 6, 1965--The Heart Disease,
Cancer and Stroke Amendments of 1965 provided for establishment of regional
cooperative programs in research, training,
continuing education and demonstration activities
in patient care among medical schools, clinical research institutions and hospitals so that
the latest treatment methods for the three
diseases may be more widely available to patients.
Under this act, the Division of Regional Medical Programs was created February
1, 1966. (P.L. 89-239.)
October 22, 1965--The Medical Library Assistance Act was passed,
authorizing NLM's extramural programs. (P.L. 89-291.)
August 3, 1968--A law authorized the designation of a national center for
biomedical communications as the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical
Communications. (P.L. 90-456.)
August 16, 1968--An amendment to the PHS act authorized the secretary to establish
a National Eye Institute and to rename NINDB the National Institute of
Neurological Diseases. The new institute was formed
from NINDB programs to conduct and support research for new treatment and cures,
and training relating to blinding eye diseases and visual disorders. (P.L. 90-489.)
The Health Manpower Act of 1968 extended and expanded the following
five health laws then in effect: Health
Professions Educational Assistance Act of 1963, as amended; Nurse Training Act of 1964,
as amended; Allied Health Professions Personnel Training Act of 1966;
Health Research Facilities Act of 1956, as
amended; and Public Health Service Act of 1944, as amended. The measure provided a
2-year extension, through FY 1971, of the above legislation except for the Allied
Health Professions Act, extended only through FY 1970. (P.L. 90-490.)
October 24, 1968--The President signed legislation further amending the name
of NIND to National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. (P.L. 90-639.)
March 12, 1970--An amendment to the PHS act extended and made coterminous
through June 30, 1973, the authority to make
formula grants to schools of public health,
project grants for graduate training in public
health, and traineeships for professional public health personnel. (P.L. 91-208, 84 Stat. 52.)
March 13, 1970--The Medical Library Assistance Extension Act of 1970
amended the PHS act to improve and extend the provisions relating to assistance to
medical libraries and related instrumentalities for
3 years through June 30, 1973. (P.L. 91-212, 84 Stat. 63.)
October 30, 1970--The PHS act was amended to provide: 1) extension of
research contract authority in areas of public
health through June 30, 1974; 2) authorization of mission-related clinical training (as well
as research training) by the NIGMS; 3) clari-fication of terms in the regulation
of biological products; 4) clarifying and technical directives relating to
appointment, compensation and functions of
advisory councils and committees, and 5) extension
of statutory authority for regional medical programs, comprehensive medical
planning, and health services research and development. (P.L. 91-515.)
November 2, 1970--The Health Training Improvement Act of 1970 extended
and amended allied health professions training authority (which expired June 30, 1970)
and established eligibility of new health professions educational assistance schools
for "start-up" grants. (P.L. 91-519.)
December 24, 1970--The Congress enacted the Family Planning Services and
Population Research Act of 1970 to expand, improve and better coordinate family
planning services and population research activities
of the Federal Government. (P.L. 91-572.)
May 22, 1971--Congress passed into law
the Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which included $100 million for cancer research.
This appropriation was made in response to the President's State of the Union address,
in which he called for "an intensive campaign
to find a cure for cancer." The appropriation includes authority under grants and
contracts, as well as direct construction authority
for NCI. (P.L. 92-18.)
July 9, 1971--A law amended the Public Health Service Act to provide for
extension of student loan scholarship programs for
up to four fiscal years. (P.L. 92-52.)
November 18, 1971--The President signed the Comprehensive Health
Manpower Training Act of 1971 to provide increased manpower in the health professions, and
the Nurse Training Act of 1971 to provide training for increased numbers of nurses.
(P.L. 92-157, P.L. 92-158.)
December 23, 1971--The National
Cancer Act of 1971 enlarged the authorities of NCI and NIH in order to advance the
national effort against cancer. The authority of
the director, NCI, was expanded, a National Cancer Advisory Board was established,
and appropriations in excess of $400 million were authorized for 1972, with further increases
in subsequent years. (P.L. 92-218.)
May 16, 1972--The National Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act of 1972 became law
and established a national program for diagnosis and treatment of, and counseling and
research in, sickle cell disease. (P.L. 92-294.)
May 19, 1972--The need for further
support of research and training in the field of digestive diseases was emphasized by
adding a new section 434 to the PHS act and renaming NIAMD the National Institute
of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases. (P.L. 92-305.)
August 29, 1972--The National Cooley's Anemia Control Act authorized over
$9 million for 3 years for research in the diagnosis and treatment of Cooley's
anemia, and for counseling and public information programs. (P.L. 92-414.)
September 19, 1972--The National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Act
expanded the authorities of the National Heart and Lung Institute to augment the
national effort against heart, lung, and blood diseases.
Appropriations of $375 million for 1973
were authorized with further increases
in subsequent years. (P.L. 92-423.)
October 25, 1972--The National Advisory Commission on Multiple Sclerosis
Act established a commission charged to determine the most productive avenue
of researching possible causes and cures of MS, and make specific recommendations for
the maximum utilization of national resources directed toward MS. (P.L. 92-563.)
June 18, 1973--The Health Programs Extension Act of 1973 extended the
medical library assistance programs of NLM (with
the exception of the construction program) for 1 year. Population research and
family planning activities were also extended through FY 1974, along with other
Federal health programs. (P.L. 93-45.)
November 16, 1973--The Emergency Medical Services System Act of
1973 amended the PHS act to provide assistance and encouragement for the development
of comprehensive area emergency medical services systems, including grants
and contracts for the support of research in emergency medical techniques,
methods, devices, and delivery. (P.L. 93-154.)
April 22, 1974--The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Act of 1974 amended the PHS
act to authorize specific and general research on the sudden infant death syndrome through
the NICHD. The collection, analysis, and public dissemination of information and data
and the support of counseling programs were also authorized. The act did not authorize
specific funds for research, but did authorize appropriations of $9 million over a
3-year period for the other programs. (P.L. 93-270.)
May 31, 1974--The Research on Aging Act of 1974 established a National Institute
on Aging. The act authorized the NIA to conduct and support biomedical, social,
and behavioral research and training related to
the aging process and the diseases and other special problems and needs of the aged.
(P.L. 93-296.)
June 22, 1974--The Energy Supply and Coordination Act directed the
secretary through NIEHS to study the effects of chronic exposure to sulfur oxides,
and authorized $3.5 million for that purpose. (P.L. 93-319.)
July 12, 1974--The National Research Act
of 1974 amended the PHS act by repealing existing research training and
fellowship authorities and consolidating such
authorities in the national research service
awards authority. The NRSA's (both individual and institutional grants) are restricted on the
basis of subject area shortages and would involve service obligations and payback provisions.
The act established a temporary National Commission for the Protection of
Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research within the department to make
a comprehensive investigation of the ethical
principles involved in biomedical
and behavioral research (including psychosurgery and living fetus research), and to
develop ethical guidelines for conducting such research. Also, a permanent
National Advisory Council for the Protection of Subjects of Biomedical and
Behavioral Research was to be established. (P.L.
93-348.)
July 23, 1974--The National Cancer Act Amendments of 1974 authorized
$2.565 billion over a 3-year period to extend and improve the National Cancer Program as
well as $210.5 million over 3 years for cancer control programs. The act also: 1)
established the President's Biomedical Research Panel to make a comprehensive
investigation of Federal biomedical and behavioral research; 2) extended indefinitely
the research contract authority of section 301(h) of the PHS act; 3) provided that the
director, NIH, shall be appointed by the President
by and with the advice of the Senate; and 4) required peer review of NIH and
ADAMHA grant applications and contract projects. (P.L. 93-352.)
The Health Services Research, Health Statistics, and Medical Libraries Act of
1974 extended and amended NLM program authorities ($37.5 million over a
2-year period). The act also extended the FIC's authority to engage in international
cooperative efforts in health. (P.L. 93-353.)
The National Diabetes Mellitus Research and Education Act provided for
regional research and training centers ($40
million authorized over a 3-year period), a long-range plan prepared by a National
Commission on Diabetes, expanded research and training programs, a Diabetes
Mellitus Coordinating Committee, and an associate director for diabetes in the National
Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases. (P.L. 93-354.)
October 29, 1974--The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act authorized
$5 million and $8 million for fiscal years 1975-76 for establishment of 25 research
and treatment centers, 25 burn units, and 90 burn programs by NIH. (P.L. 93-498.)
January 4, 1975--The National Arthritis
Act established a National Commission on Arthritis and Related
Musculoskeletal Diseases, authorized $2 million to develop
a long-range plan involving research, training, services and data systems; established
an associate director for arthritis in NIAMDD; and provided 3-year authorizations
for arthritis screening, detection, prevention,
and referral projects and for arthritis research
and demonstration centers. (P.L. 93-640.)
July 29, 1975--A law extended and
amended authorities of Title X relating to family planning and population research and
made Title X sole authority for all departmental extramural, collaborative, and
intramural
research in "biomedical,
contraceptive development, behavioral, and program implementation fields related to
family planning and population;" and created
two temporary national commissions for the control of epilepsy and Huntington's disease.
(P.L. 94-63.)
April 22, 1976--The Health Research and Health Services Amendments 1)
extended authorization through FY 1977 and amended provisions governing the programs of
the National Heart and Lung Institute, placed increased emphasis on blood-related
research, and changed the institute's name to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute;
2) mandated studies by the President's Biomedical Research Panel and the National
Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of the implications of public disclosure
of information contained in grant applications and contract proposals; 3) authorized
broad-based genetic diseases research under
section 301 of the PHS act, and provided for programs of counseling, testing,
and information dissemination about genetically transmitted diseases; and 4)
extended authorization through FY 1977 for
national research service awards for NIH and ADAMHA. The act prohibited
consideration of political affiliation in making
appointments to health advisory committees. (P.L.
94-278.)
October 19, 1976--The 1976 Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive Diseases
Amendments 1) provided for an arthritis data system; 2) emphasized public
information and encouragement of proper treatment
for arthritis; 3) established a National Arthritis Advisory Board; 4) provided for a
National Diabetes Board; and 5) established a
National Commission on Digestive Diseases to develop a long-range plan for research.
(P.L. 94-562.)
October 21, 1976--The Emergency Medical Services Amendments of 1976 extended
the National Commission on Arthritis; extended the Commission for the Protection of
Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research; and authorized research
and demonstration programs on burn injuries under Title XII of the PHS act. (P.L.
94-573.)
August 1, 1977--Health Planning and
Health Services Research and Statistics Extension, Biomedical Research Extension, and
Health Services Extension Acts of 1977 continued the following programs through
September 30, 1978: the Medical Library
Assistance Program; cancer research and control programs; heart, blood vessel, lung and
blood disease research, prevention and control programs; national research service
awards; population research and voluntary family planning programs; and sudden infant
death syndrome information and counseling programs. It also extended various
health
service programs. (P.L. 95-83.)
August 7, 1977--The Clean Air Act Amendments established a
coordinating committee to review and comment on
plans, execution, and results of research relating
to the stratosphere. NCI and NIEHS are members. It also established a Task Force
on Environmental Cancer and Heart and Lung Disease, with NCI, NHLBI, and
NIEHS among the members. (P.L. 95-95.)
September 29, 1977--The Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 designated
the Department of Agriculture as the lead agency of the Federal Government for
agricultural research (except with respect to the
biomedical aspects of human nutrition concerned with diagnosis or treatment of disease).
The act also required establishment of procedures for coordinating nutrition research in areas
of mutual interest between DHEW and Department of Agriculture. (P.L. 95-113.)
November 9, 1977--The Federal Mine
Safety and Health Amendments of 1977 gave the HEW secretary authority to appoint
an advisory committee on coal or other mine health research. One member of
this committee is to be the director of the NIH or delegate. (P.L. 95-164.)
November 23, 1977--The Saccharin Study and Labeling Act extended the
Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects
until November 1, 1978. (P.L. 95-203.)
November 9, 1978--The Family Planning, Population Research and SIDS
Amendments authorized a 3-year extension for the aforementioned programs through FY 1981.
This was the only authority for population research programs in NICHD, the Center
for Population Research. (P.L. 95-613.)
Amendments to the Community Mental Health Centers Act authorized a
3-year extension for NLM programs, and NRSA's expiring September 30, 1981, and a
2-year extension for each of the following: Community Mental Health Centers, NHLBI,
and NCI. This legislation also authorized the secretary, HEW, to: 1) conduct studies
and tests of substances for carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity and
other harmful biological effects; 2) establish and conduct a comprehensive research
program on the biological effects of low-level radiation; 3) conduct and support
research and studies on human nutrition; and 4) publish an annual report which lists
all substances known to be carcinogenic and to which a significant number of Americans
are exposed. (P.L. 95-622.)
Other important provisions of this act included the authority given to the director
of NIH to appoint 200 experts and consultants for the use of NIH components other
than NCI and NHLBI and the establishment of the President's Commission for the Study
of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research.
The Health Services Research,
Health Statistics, and Health Care Technology Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-623) established in
the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, the National Center for Health Care
Technology, and reauthorized for 3 years the National Center for Health Statistics and
the National Center for Health Services Research.
The legislation also established the National Council on Health Care
Technology on which the director, NIH, serves as an
ex officio member. The director, NIH, is required annually to submit to the center
a listing of all technologies under development which appear likely to be used in the
practice of medicine.
NLM is required to disseminate, publish, and make available all standards, norms,
and criteria developed by the council concerning the use of particular health care technologies.
(P.L. 95-623.)
October 17, 1979--The Department of Education Organization Act established
a Department of Education and renamed the DHEW the Department of Health and
Human Services. (P.L. 96-88.)
December 12, 1979--The Emergency Medical Services Systems Amendments
and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Amendments of 1979 required the NICHD to assure
that "adequate amounts" of its
appropriated dollars are used for research into
identification of infants at risk of SIDS and for prevention of SIDS. In addition, the
NICHD is required to provide information on expenditure of funds for these purposes,
the number of SIDS grant applications received and approved, the latest research findings
on SIDS, and estimate of needs for funds in succeeding years. (P.L. 96-142.)
December 29, 1979--Public Law 96-167 extended the tax exemption for NRSA's for
1 year.
Public Law 96-171 required that the NIH director, in consultation with the secretary
of transportation, conduct a study to determine the effect of aging on the ability of
individuals to perform the duties of pilots. The
report on the study was to be submitted to
Congress within 1 year after enactment.
September 26, 1980--P.L. 96-359 requires the HHS secretary to conduct a study
to determine the long-term effects of hypochloremic metabolic ankylosis resulting
from chloride-deficient formulas. The responsibility for the study was assigned to NICHD.
December 12, 1980--P.L. 96-517 revised
the patent and trademark laws and in particular awarded title to the patent rights for
inventions made with Federal assistance to nonprofit organizations and small businesses.
The Clinical Center was redesignated as the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical
Center of NIH. (P.L. 96-518.)
December 17, 1980--P.L. 96-538 reauthorized for 2 years programs for NHLBI
and NCI; changed the name of the NIAMDD to the National Institute of Arthritis,
Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, extensively revised its authorities,
and reauthorized its programs for 3 years; and required the NINCDS to conduct a study
and submit a report on spinal cord regeneration and other neurological research.
P.L. 96-541 extended for 1 year the tax exemption on NRSA's.
August 13, 1981--P.L. 97-35, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981,
reauthorized NRSA's for 2 years through FY 1983, reauthorized the Medical Libraries
Assistance program for 1 year, and repealed the prohibition in Title X against using
other PHS authority to fund population research, thus eliminating the need for
reauthorizations for this program located in the NICHD.
July 22, 1982--The Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 requires
that each Federal agency with an annual research and development budget exceeding
$100 million set aside a certain portion of its extramural R&D budget for a Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program as follows: 0.2 percent in FY 1983; 0.6
percent in FY 1984; 1.0 percent in FY 1985; and 1.25 percent in FY 1986 and all
subsequent years. (P.L. 97-219.)
September 3, 1982--The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982
included among its provisions an extension of the partial exclusion of NRSA's from
taxable gross income. This extension will expire
at the end of calendar year 1983; during this time, the Treasury Department will
complete a study of the taxability of NRSA's and
other government educational grants which, like NRSA's, have payback or service
requirements. (P.L. 97-248.)
January 4, 1983--The Orphan Drug Act made changes in the law to
encourage development and marketing of orphan
drugs (drugs for rare diseases or conditions which are not economically feasible for
private industry to develop and market). The act included a requirement to
prepare radioepidemiological tables relating radiation-related cancer to specific radiation
doses, and a report on the risks of thyroid cancer associated with doses of
I131. These responsibilities were assigned to NIH and
NCI respectively. The act further provided that NHLBI help develop and support not
less than 10 comprehensive sickle cell centers.
(P.L. 97-414.)
July 30, 1983--The supplemental
appropriations for FY 1983 provided funds for PHS AIDS activities, $9.375 million of which
was earmarked for NIH. This marked the first time the Congress directly
appropriated money for AIDS research for NIH. The supplemental also provided $5.9 million
for NLM and development of a Biomedical Information Communication Center
in Portland, Oreg. (P.L. 98-63.).
October 1 and November 17, 1983--Continuing resolutions supported
unauthorized NIH programs including NRSA and Medical Library Assistance. (P.L.
98-107 and P.L. 98-151.)
May 24, 1984--P.L. 98-297 designated the convent and surrounding land as the
Mary Woodard Lasker Center for Health Research and Education.
October 12 and November 8, 1984--Appropriations legislation
reauthorized NRSA's, provided construction funds
for NIH, and medical library funding. (P.L. 98-473, P.L. 98-619.)
October 19, 1984--The National Organ Transplant Act authorized the secretary
to establish a Task Force on Organ Procurement and Transplantation to examine
relevant issues and report to the Congress within
12 months. Its membership included the director, NIH, ex officio. OMAR
will sponsor the required conference on bone marrow transplantation. (P.L. 98-507.)
October 24, 1984--The Veterans' Dioxin
and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act required the director, NIH, to conduct
a study of devices and techniques for determining previous radiation exposure and submit
a report; to enter into an interagency agreement with the VA administrator to
identify agencies capable of furnishing such
services; and to provide an independent expert who could prepare radiation dose estimates for
use by VA administrator in adjudicating claims. (P.L. 98-542.)
October 30, 1984--The Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Amendments of
1984 amended the PHS act to extend provisions relating to health promotion and
disease prevention and to establish centers for research and demonstration in those areas.
It required that the director, NIH, be consulted as to procedures for peer review of
applications; that NCHSR cooperate with NIH in its responsibilities pertaining to health
care technologies; and that the director, NIH, serve on the newly established
National Advisory Council on Health Care Technology Assessment. (P.L. 98-551.)
The Human Services Reauthorization Act, Title V, ordered the secretary, through
NCI, to establish or support at least one facility
for cancer screening and research in St. George, Utah, to be affiliated with a health
science center and accessible to most residents of
the areas that received greatest fallout from Nevada nuclear tests. (P.L. 98-558.)
August 15, 1985--The Orphan Drug Act was amended, establishing a 20-member
National Commission on Orphan Diseases, to be appointed by the secretary (including
NIH representative), to assess the activities of
NIH and other entities in connection with research and dissemination of knowledge related
to rare diseases. NIH was required to allocate
to the commission $1 million from its FY 1986 appropriation. (P.L. 99-91.)
November 20, 1985--The Health Research Extension Act of 1985 reauthorized
NIH programs for 3 years; established the National Institute ofArthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, renaming the remaining component the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; created a new National Center
for Nursing Research; established positions of associate director for prevention in OD,
NCI, NHLBI, and NICHD; and required the development of guidelines for the care
and use of laboratory animals. Additional provisions included establishment
of committees to develop a plan for research into methods that reduce animal use
or animal pain, to study research on lupus erythematosus, to study the NRSA
program, to plan and develop Federal initiatives
in spinal cord injury research, to study personnel for health needs of the elderly through
the year 2020, to review research activities in learning disabilities, and to review
the research programs of NIDDK. The act also established NIH and all of its ICD's in
law and consolidated and made uniform many authorities and responsibilities of
institute directors and advisory councils. (P.L.
99-158.)
December 12, 1985--Under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control
Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings), aimed at reducing the Federal deficit to zero
within 5 years, starting in FY 1986, budget
authority was reduced in accordance with the
deficit targets. For NIH this reduction amounted
to $236 million. The revised total NIH appropriation after "sequestration"
became $5.3 billion, 4.3 percent below the
original FY 1986 appropriation. The mandated across-the-board reduction was applied
again to the total amount appropriated to each NIH institute, to each research mechanism, and
to each identified program, project, or activity. (P.L. 99-177.)
In the FY 1986 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriation bill, the number of new
and competing renewal research project grants to be supported by NIH (6,100) was specified
in law for the first time. The act, which included $5.498 billion for NIH,
provided that $4.5 million of this amount be transferred to the departmental
management account for construction of the Mary
Babb Randolph Cancer Center in West Virginia and that $70 million for AIDS research
be added to the account of the Office of the Director. (P.L . 99-178.)
December 23, 1985--The Food Security
Act, title XVII, subtitle F, amended the Animal Welfare Act, requiring the secretary
of agriculture to promulgate standards including exercise of dogs and consideration of
the
psychological well-being of
primates, minimization of pain and distress, use
of anesthetics, and consideration of alternatives; formation of an institutional animal
committee at each research facility; and provision
of annual training for those involved in animal care and treatment. An information
service was established at the National
Agricultural Library, in cooperation with NLM.
Title XIV, subtitle B, required an assessment of existing scientific literature relating to
dietary cholesterol and calcium to be conducted by the secretaries of agriculture and HHS.
(P.L. 99-198.)
December 28, 1985--P.L. 99-231
designated 1986 as the "Sesquicentennial Year of
the National Library of Medicine."
July 2, 1986--The Urgent Supplemental Appropriations Act provided an additional
$6 million for NCI cancer research and demonstration centers and specified that funds
for the Clinical Center should be available for payment of nurses at rates of pay
authorized for VA nurses. (P.L. 99-349.)
October 6, 1986--P.L. 99-443 amended the Small Business Act to extend by 5 years
the Small Business Innovation Research Program.
October 16, 1986--P.L. 99-489 designated the period from October 1, 1986,
through September 30, 1987, as "National
Institutes of Health Centennial Year" and requested
the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States
to observe the year with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
October 18, 1986--P.L. 99-500 and P.L.
99-591 (October 31, corrected version), making continuing appropriations for FY
1987, included $6.18 billion for NIH, a
requirement to support 6,200 research project
grants, funding for 10,700 research trainees and
559 centers; and $247.7 million in AIDS money for components.
October 20, 1986--The Federal Technology Transfer Act amended the
Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of
1980, authorizing directors of government-operated Federal laboratories to enter into
collaborative R&D agreements with other
government agencies, universities, and private
organizations; established a Federal Laboratory Consortium in the National Bureau
of Standards; and mandated that royalties received by a Federal agency be shared
with the inventor. (P.L. 99-502.)
November 14, 1986--Title IX, the Alzheimer's Disease and Related
Dementias Services Research Act, of P.L. 99-660 established an interagency council and
an advisory panel on Alzheimer's disease (AD). It authorized the director, NIA, to
make awards for distinguished research on AD, to plan for and conduct research, to establish
an AD clearinghouse, to make a grant to or enter into a contract with a national
organization
representing Alzheimer's patients,
to establish an information system and national toll-free telephone line, and to
provide information to caregivers of Alzheimer's patients and to safety and
transportation personnel. Title III--Vaccine
Compensation--named the director, NIH, as an ex
officio member of the newly established Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines.
July 11, 1987--The FY 1987 Supplemental Appropriations bill, P.L. 100-71,
allocated funds to NIA for clinical trials, to NCNR
and HRSA for studies related to the nurse shortage and nurse retention, and to
OD/NIH for costs associated with pay raises and
the new Federal Employees Retirement System.
September 29, 1987--The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control
Reaffirmation Act of 1987
("Gramm-Rudman-Hollings II") adjusted the original deficit
target reduction in FY 1988 appropriations, including Labor-HHS-Education. (P.L.
100-119.)
October 8, 1987--P.L. 100-126 designated October 1, 1987, as "National
Medical Research Day," acknowledging 100 years
of contributions by NIH and other federally supported research institutions to
improving the health and well-being of Americans
and all humankind.
November 29, 1987--The Older Americans Act Amendments, Title
III--Alzheimer's Disease Research, authorized the
director, NIA, to provide for conduct of clinical
trials on therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's
disease recommended for further analysis by NIA and FDA. It also authorized the President
to call a White House Conference on Aging in 1991. (P.L. 100-175.)
December 22, 1987--P.L. 100-202, making further continuing appropriations for
the fiscal year ending September 30, 1988, provided $6.667 billion to NIH,
including $448 million to be allocated among the institutes for AIDS. It also restricted
forward or multiyear funding, required expeditious testing of experimental drugs for AIDS,
and included $3.8 million for a National Center on Biotechnology Information within NLM.
September 20, 1988--The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act,
1989, provided $7,152,207,000 for NIH (which included a 1.2 percent
across-the-board reduction and a $6.8 million reduction
for procurement reform). Of the amount appropriated for NINCDS, up to
$96,100,000 was to go to the new National Institute
on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, following enactment of
authorizing legislation. The pay rate for NIH
nurses and allied health specialists having direct patient care responsibilities was equated
to that of nurses at the Veterans Administration. Fifteen million dollars was appropriated
to develop specifications and design for a consolidated office building at NIH,
$14
million for the new Building 49, and
$5 million for renovation of AIDS facilities. In addition, a biotechnology training
program was established, as well as human genome and biotechnology panels.
Funds were authorized to support no less than 13,252 FTEs, including an
additional 200 for AIDS and 150 for non-AIDS. Funding was also authorized for
new magnetic resonance imaging equipment at the cardiac energetic laboratory and for
a National Bone Marrow Registry at NHLBI; $8.7 million was earmarked for AIDS
clinical trials. Building 31 was renamed the
Claude Denson Pepper Building. (P.L. 100-436.)
September 22, 1988--The Treasury, Postal Service and General Government
Appropriations Act, 1989, provided that no Federal agency could receive funds appropriated
for FY 1989 unless it had in place a written policy ensuring that its workplaces were
free from illegal use, possession, or distribution
of controlled substances. This restriction also applied to grant recipients, contractors,
and parties to other agreements. (Subsequent legislation required implementation of
this law in January 1989.) (P.L . 100-440.)
September 29, 1988--The National Defense Authorization Act, FY 1989, provided
a special pay retention bonus for medical officers below grade O-7 who met
certain criteria. Although officers of the commissioned corps were not specifically
mentioned, 42 U.S.C. 210(a) states that they shall
receive special pay received by commissioned medical and dental officers of the
Armed Forces. (P.L. 100-456.)
October 4, 1988--P.L. 100-471 amended
the PHS act to authorize the secretary, HHS, to make grants to the states to provide
drugs determined to prolong the life of
individuals suffering from AIDS; $15 million was authorized to be appropriated through
March 31, 1989. (Funds appropriated for FY 1989 were transferred from NIH and other
PHS agencies to pay for this program, according to transfer authority contained in P.L.
100-436.)
October 28, 1988--The National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Act
of 1988 established that institute at NIH and renamed NINCDS the National Institute
of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The legislation included a program, a data
system and information clearinghouse, centers, and an advisory board, as well as a Deafness
and Other Communication Disorders Interagency Coordinating Committee, to be chaired by
the director of NIH or designee. (P.L. 100-553.)
November 4, 1988--Title I of the Health Omnibus Programs Extension of
1988 (HOPE), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
and Health Research Extension Act of 1988, established the NIDCD and
reauthorized expiring programs of NIH for 2 years.
Since
the new institute had already been
established by P.L. 100-553, the provision in this bill
is not valid. (P.L. 100-607)
A National Center for Biotechnology Information was established in the
National Library of Medicine; the provision for VA pay for nurses and allied health
professionals was reiterated; NCI, NHLBI, and NRSA programs were reauthorized;
responsibility for the primary care training program
was shifted to HRSA; the Interagency Technical Committee was abolished; the
Alzheimer's disease provisions of P.L. 99-660 were shifted to the NIA section of the PHS act;
the moratorium on fetal research was extended through November 4, 1990; funds
were appropriated for the Biomedical Ethics Advisory Board and a report specified;
the secretary was directed to consult with the director, NIH, on establishment of a
National Commission on Sleep Disorders, which would include among the ex officio
members the directors of NINCDS, NHLBI, NIMH, NIA, and NICHD, with a report and a
plan required. Finally, the bill extended
confidentiality provisions to subjects of all
biomedical, behavioral, clinical, or other
research, including research on mental health.
Title II, "Programs with Respect to Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome," laid the foundation for a Federal policy
on AIDS. In addition to provisions for AIDS research, the bill included provisions
for information dissemination, education, prevention, anonymous testing, and
establishment of a National Commission on AIDS. The review process for AIDS-related
grants was expedited, provision was made for priority requests for personnel and
administrative support, a clinical research review committee was established within NIAID,
the AIDS outpatient capacity at the Clinical Center was doubled,
community-based clinical trials were mandated, awards
for international clinical research were authorized, research centers were supported,
and information services were expanded. An Office of AIDS Research was
established within OD. Title VI, the Health
Professions Reauthorization Act of 1988, established
a loan repayment program for scientists who agree to conduct AIDS research
while employed at NIH. (P.L. 100-607.)
November 21, 1989--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and
Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 1990, provided for the purchase of an advanced design supercomputer and
named four NIH buildings for members of Congress. (P. L. 101-166)
November 29, 1989--An act to provide
for the construction of biomedical facilities in order to ensure a continued supply
of specialized strains of mice essential to biomedical research in the United States,
and for other purposes, provided authority to
make construction grants for this
purpose. (P.L. 100-190)
August 18, 1990--Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act
of 1990, authorized NIH to make demonstration grants to community health centers and
other entities providing primary health care
and servicing a significant number of pediatric patients and pregnant women with
HIV disease. Awardees were to provide clinical data to NIH for evaluation. (P.L. 101-381)
November 5, 1990--Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (under
which NIEHS operates some programs) and called on the secretary, with NCI, to
review periodically the appropriate frequency for performing screening mammography.
Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act,
1991, established the PHS senior biomedical research service. (P.L. 101-509)
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1991, provided for the first time, a 1 percent
NIH director's transfer authority for
high-priority activities and capped the NIH
contribution for salaries for individuals
receiving extramural funding. (P.L. 101-517)
November 15, 1990--Clean Air Act Amend-ments of 1990, required NIEHS to conduct
a study of mercury exposure; to be available, with NCI, for membership on a panel for
the Mickey Leland Urban Air Toxics Research Center and an interagency task force on
air pollution; and authorized an NIEHS program of basic research on human health risks
from air pollutants. (P.L. 101-549)
Home Health Care and Alzheimer's Disease Amendments of 1990,
broadened the authority for Alzheimer's disease
research centers and authorized Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence
Centers grants. (P.L. 101-557)
November 16, 1990--The NIH Amendments of 1990, had two purposes: it authorized
a nonprofit organization the National Foundation for Biomedical Research
(membership amended by P.L. 102-170) and created NICHD's National Center for
Medical Rehabilitation Research. (P.L. 101-613)
Hazardous Materials Transportation Uniform Safety Act of 1990,
authorized NIEHS to provide grants for the training
and education of workers who are or may be engaged in activities related to
hazardous waste removal, containment or emergency response. (P.L. 101-615)
Transplant Amendments of 1990, reauthorized and amended the PHS act as
it concerns the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry in the NHLBI and called for
the establishment of national standards and procedures. (P.L. 101-616)
August 14, 1991--Terry Beirn Community-Based AIDS Research Initiative Act of 1991,
authorized this initiative in the PHS act and NIAID. (P.L. 102-96)
November 26, 1991--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and
Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 1992, established NCI's Matsunaga-Conte Prostate Cancer Research Center, a
women's health study, and provided authority to transfer funds to emergency activities.
(P.L. 102-170)
December 9, 1991--The High Performance Computing Act of 1991, authorized
Federal agencies such as NIH to allow recipients
of research grant funds to pay for computer networking expenses. (P.L. 102-194)
February 4, 1992--The American Technology Preeminence Act of 1991 gave
authority to the directors of Federal laboratories
(NIH) to give research equipment that is excess to the needs of the laboratory to an
educational institution or nonprofit organization for
the conduct of technical and scientific education and research activities (P.L. 102-245)
July 10, 1992--The Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health (ADAMHA)
Reorganization Act, amended by the PHS act to
provide for the incorporation of the three ADAMHA research institutes--NIMH, NIAAA,
and NIDA--into the NIH as of October 1, 1992. A new PHS act section 409 was added
and defined "health services research" as
research endeavors that study the impact of
organization, financing, and management of health services of the quality, cost, access to
and outcomes of care. This is an entirely new programmatic undertaking for NIH and
these three new institutes. Of particular interest
are provisions that authorize a bypass budget for these three institutes for FY 1994 and
1995. (P.L. 102-321)
October 13, 1992--The DES Education and Research Amendments of 1992, require
the director, NIH, to establish a program for the conduct and support of research and
training, dissemination of health information, and other programs with respect to the
diagnosis and treatment of conditions associated
with exposure to DES. (P.L. 102-409)
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Reauthorization Act of 1992,
requires that the NLM establish an information center on health service research, and
on selected technology assessments and clinical practice guidelines produced by AHCPR
and other public and private sources. The AHCPR administrator, in consultation
with the NLM director, is required to develop and publish criteria for the inclusion of
practice guidelines and technology assessments in
the information center database. (P.L. 102-410)
October 24, 1992--The Cancer Registries Act requires the establishment of a
national program of cancer registries, with the
overall goal being the assurance of minimal standards for quality and completeness
of (cancer) case information. Provisions
also require the DHHS secretary, acting through the NCI director, to conduct a study for
the purpose of determining the factors contributing to the fact that breast cancer
mortality rates in 9 states and the District of
Columbia are elevated compared to rates in the other
43 states. (P.L. 102-515)
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 authorizes electric and magnetic fields research
and public information activities by the NIEHS director. (P.L. 102-486)
October 26, 1992--The Preventive Health Amendments of 1992 provide
authorities regarding the coordination of Federal programs related to preventable cases
of infertility arising as a result of sexually
trans-mitted diseases; also delineates
coordination between the director, CDC, and
director, NIH. (P.L. 102-531)
October 28, 1992--The Small Business Innovation Research and Development
and Enhancement Act of 1992 reauthorizes the SBIR program through September 30,
2000, and increases set aside percentages for each Federal agency with an extramural budget
for research and development in excess of $100 million in FY 1992 (1.25 percent) upward
to 2.5 percent by 1997 and onward. Legislation also requires enhancement of
agency outreach efforts to increase participation
of women-owned and socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns,
and tracking of awards to document their participation in the program. (P.L. 102-564)
The Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 requires the
secretary, HHS, acting through the director, CDC,
and director, NIEHS, to jointly conduct a study of the sources of lead exposure in children
who have elevated blood lead levels (or other indicators of elevated lead body burden)
as defined by the director, CDC. (P.L. 102-550)
November 4, 1992--The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) Authorization Act includes provisions offered as an amendment requiring NIH
and NASA to jointly establish a working group, with equal representation from NASA
and NIH, to coordinate biomedical research activities in areas where
microgravity environment may contribute to
significant progress in the understanding and
treatment of diseases and other medical
conditions; establishment of a joint program of
biomedical research grants in the above described areas, where such research requires access
to a microgravity environment, and annual issuance of joint research
opportunity announcements; creation of a joint
program of graduate research fellowships in
biomedical research; and establishment and submission of a plan for the "conduct of
joint biomedical research activities by the republics of the former Soviet Union and
the United States." (P.L. 102-588)
June 10, 1993--The NIH Revitalization
Act of 1993 reauthorized certain expiring authorities of the NIH; mandated
establishment of the Office of Research Integrity
in DHHS; lifted the moratorium on human fetal tissue transplantation research;
mandated inclusion of women and minorities in
clinical research protocols; created in statute
the Office of Alternative Medicine, the Office of Research on Women's Health, the Office
of Research on Minority Health, the Office of Biobehavioral and Social Sciences
Research, and the National Center for Human Genome Research; mandated establishment of
an intramural laboratory and clinical research program on obstetrics and gynecology
within NICHD and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in NHLBI; codified
in statute the establishment of the Office of AIDS Research, and strengthened
and expanded its authorities, including authorizing OAR receipt of all appropriated
AIDS funds for distribution to the ICDs;
authorized the establishment of an NIH director's discretionary fund; provided the
director, NIH, with extramural construction
authority; required from extramural construction
funds a $5 million set aside for Centers of Excellence; mandated establishment of the
IDeA program; required the NCI to conduct the Long Island breast cancer study;
authorized establishment of scholarship and loan repayment programs for individuals
from disadvantaged backgrounds; changed the designation from center to institute for
NINR and from division to center for the Division of Blood Resources, NHLBI; and
provided other new NIH authorities and directives. (P.L. 103-43)
August 3, 1993--The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 seeks to
curb fraud, wast and mismanagement in the operation of the Federal Government
by establishing performance standards. (P.L. 103-62)
December 14, 1993--The Preventive Health Amendments of 1993 required the
director, NIAID, to conduct or support research
and research training regarding the cause, early detection, prevention and treatment
of tuberculosis, and authorized to be appropriated $50 million for FY 1994 and such
sums as necessary for FYs 1995-98. (P.L. 103-183)
September 30, 1994--The Department of Labor, HHS, and Education
Appropriations Act , 1995, provided for the first time
a consolidated appropriation for NIH AIDS research to the Office of AIDS
Research. (P.L. 103-333)
October 25, 1994--The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1993
mandated establihsment of an Office of Dietary Supplements within NIH to conduct
and coordinate NIH research relating to dietary supplements and the extent to which their
use reduces the risk of certain diseases. (P.L. 103-417)
May 22, 1995--The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 amends the U.S. Code to
reduce by 5 percent the Federal paperwork burdens imposed on individuals, small
businesses, state and local governments, education
and nonprofit institutions and Federal
contractors; also had the effect of establishing in
statute the NIH Office of Information Resources Management. (P.L. 104-13)
December 21, 1995--—The Federal
Reports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995
provides for improvement of the efficiency of
agency operations by reducing staff time and resources spent on producing
"unnecessary" reports to Congress. (P.L. 104-66)
November 1, 1995--The Biotechnology Process Patents Protection Act of
1995 strengthens patent protection and clarifies
the circumstances under which a patent using biotechnological processes can be
issued; allows U.S. researchers to enforce their patents claiming a certain starting
material against the unfair importation of
products made overseas using such material; and
stops international theft of intellectual
property; and makes U.S. patent law consistent
with that of the Europeans and the Japanese.
(P.L. 104-41)
January 26, 1996--The Balanced Budget Downpayment Act I, a continuing
resolution, contained an amendment prohibiting the
use of NIH funds for human embryo research; and cited NIH's FY 1996 funding in
P.L. 104-91, such that the prohibition would continue for the duration of the FY
1996 funding year. (P.L. 104-99)
March 7, 1996--The National Technolgy Transfer and Advancement act of
1995 amended the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 with respect
to reinvention made under Cooperative Research and Development
Agreements; addressed the assignment of
intellectual property rights and the use and
deregulation of royalty income. (P.L. 104-113)
April 24, 1996—--The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
required that the Secretary, HHS, establish
safety procedures for use of biological agents, training in handling and proper
laboratory containment, safeguards to prevent their
use for criminal purposes, and procedures to protect the public safety. The act
provided, however, that the Secretary must ensure availability of biological agents for
research purposes. (P.L. 104-132)
May 20, 1996—The Ryan White
CARE Reauthorization Act revised and extended authorization of the 1990 act, which
provided for care and services for persons living
with HIV/AIDS. Title IV provisions require the administrator, HRSA, to consult with
the director, NIH, in carrying out a grants program to provide health care and
opportunities for women, infants, children, and
youth to participate as voluntary subjects of clinical research on HIV disease that is of
potential benefit to them. (P.L. 104-146)
July 29, 1996—The Traumatic Brain
Injury Act amended the PHS Act to provide for the conduct of expanded studies and
establishment of innovative programs with respect
to traumatic brain injury. The act authorizes the Secretary, acting through the director,
NIH, to award grants or contracts for the conduct of basic and applied research
regarding traumatic brain injury. (P.L. 104-166)
August 6, 1996--—The Safe Drinking
Water Act amendments reauthorized the Safe Drinking Water Act, toughened
standards and required the Environmental
Protection Agency to consult with NIH and the CDC
in announcing an interim national primary drinking water regulation for a
contaminant in the case of an urgent threat to
public health. (P.L. 104-182)
October 2, 1996—The Electronic
Freedom of Information Act established the right
of the public to obtain access to Agency records, including electronically
stored documents, and requires Federal agencies to make available certain Agency information
to the public for inspection and copying. (P.L. 104-231)
October 18, 1996—The General
Accounting Office Management Reform Act amended
the PHS Act to limit the amount NIH may obligate for administrative expenses
each fiscal year and repealed a requirement that the U.S. Comptroller General conduct,
audit, and report to the Congress regarding the National Foundation for
Biomedical Research. (P.L. 104-316)
September 30, 1996—The FY 1997
Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Act continued the prohibition on the use of
NIH funds for human embryo research and provided for the NIH clinical research
center, which is to be named the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center. (P.L. 104-208)
July 3, 1997—The Electric and
Magnetic Fields Research and Public Information Dissemination Program extended the
Electric and Magnetic Fields Research and Public Information Dissemination Program, a
joint Department of Energy and NIEHS venture, for 1 year. (P.L. 105-23)
August 5, 1997—The Balanced Budget
Act authorized a $150 million increase for research on the prevention and care of
type-1 diabetes, and increased Federal agency and employee contributions to retirement plans.
(P.L.105-33)
