To provide for a limitation on availability of funds for Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health for fiscal year 2024.
Impact
The implications of HB1994 could be significant for the stakeholders involved in health services, especially those advocating for alternative medicine and health practices. By limiting the funding to NCCIH, the bill potentially alters the landscape of research in complementary health, potentially stifling advancements in areas that fall outside of conventional medicine. This could lead to reduced support for studies that explore alternative treatment methodologies and their efficacy, limiting public access to a broader range of health options.
Summary
House Bill 1994 is a legislative proposal aimed at placing a funding cap on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the fiscal year 2024. The proposed limitation restricts the funding to a total of $146,473,000, a figure which may influence the operations and research capabilities of the NCCIH, given its focus on overseeing research related to complementary and integrative health practices.
Contention
This bill has sparked discussions around the appropriateness of government spending on health research, particularly in the realm of complementary and integrative therapies. Proponents of HB1994 argue for fiscal restraint and a focused allocation of taxpayer dollars, suggesting that not all forms of health research yield substantial public benefit. Conversely, opponents argue that limiting funds could hinder important scientific advancements and deprive patients of evidence-based complementary options, arguing for the importance of continued investment in diverse health research initiatives.
No Pro-Abortion Task Force Act This bill prohibits federal funding of the Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force. The Department of Health and Human Services launched the task force on January 21, 2022, to identify and coordinate departmental activities related to accessing sexual and reproductive health care.
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2023 This bill requires research and education activities related to triple-negative breast cancer. The cells of these breast cancers are negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and excess HER2 protein, so they do not respond to hormonal therapy medicines or medicines that target the HER2 protein receptors. Specifically, the National Institutes of Health must conduct and support research into the disease. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration must develop information about triple-negative breast cancer, including information regarding the elevated risk for minority women, for the public and for health care providers.
Appropriations: department of health and human services; appropriations for fiscal year 2026-2027 for human services; provide for. Creates appropriation act.
Appropriations: department of health and human services; appropriations for fiscal year 2026-2027 for public health; provide for. Creates appropriation act.
World Deserves To Know Act This bill requires sanctions on certain members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and officials of Chinese health agencies. It also addresses related issues. The President must impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person who is a CCP official and who is knowingly responsible for or complicit in (1) the disappearances of whistleblowers and citizen journalists in China relating to COVID-19, or (2) limiting free speech and academic freedom in China relating to COVID-19. The President must also impose such sanctions on specified individuals who have leadership positions in China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention and China's National Health Commission (NHC). The authority to impose such sanctions shall end when the President certifies to Congress that an independent and unimpeded investigation into the potential origin of COVID-19 from the Wuhan Institute of Virology has taken place. The bill also bars federal funds and certain federal student assistance from going to institutions of higher education that enter into a contract with any element or China-based affiliate of the NHC. Federal funding to the National Academy of Sciences may not be used to enter into a contract with any element or China-based affiliate of the NHC. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress a review of all funds that the National Institutes of Health have made available to the NHC since FY2010. This report must also be publicly available.
Advanced Aviation Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to redesignate the Office of NextGen as the Office of Advanced Aviation within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The new office duties include the coordination of rulemaking and approval processes on matters relating to advanced aviation systems (e.g., drones, supersonic aircraft technologies, counter-unmanned aircraft systems). The bill also establishes an Office of Advanced Integration within the Office of Advanced Aviation. Additionally, DOT must establish an Advanced Aviation Coordination Unit within the FAA whose responsibilities shall include the promotion of the safe and responsible integration of advanced aviation systems into the national airspace system. Further, DOT must redesignate the William J. Hughes Technical Center as the William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aviation. The center must establish and manage a program to evaluate new aviation-related technologies proposed to be used in the national airspace system and facilitate the integration of such technologies into the national airspace system.
Recognizing the significance of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and the need for robust funding of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health.