S 118 IS

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide, with respect to research on breast cancer, for the increased involvement of advocates in decisionmaking at the National Cancer Institute.

January 19, 1999

Ms. SNOWE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide, with respect to research on breast cancer, for the increased involvement of advocates in decisionmaking at the National Cancer Institute.

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 `Consumer Involvement in Breast Cancer Research Act'.

SEC. 2. INCREASED INVOLVEMENT OF ADVOCATES IN DECISIONMAKING REGARDING RESEARCH ON BREAST CANCER.

Section 417(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285a-6(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following paragraph:

`(3) INVOLVEMENT OF ADVOCATES IN DECISIONMAKING-

`(A) The Director of the Institute shall, to the extent practicable, provide for the increased involvement (relative to fiscal year 1999) of advocates in decisionmaking at the Institute regarding research on breast cancer.

`(B) The Director of the Institute shall prepare a report on the manner in which subparagraph (A) has been carried out. The report shall be included in the first report under section 407 that the Director submits after the expiration of the one-year period beginning on the date of enactment of the Consumer Involvement in Breast Cancer Research Act.

`(C) For purposes of this paragraph, the term `advocate' means an individual who is accountable to, represents, and reports back to organizations that represent those affected by breast cancer.'.