ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CENTER ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES.

SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CENTER ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES. (a) In General.—Part E of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 287 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following subpart: “Subpart 6—National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities “SEC. 485E. PURPOSE OF CENTER. “(a) In General.—The general purpose of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (in this subpart referred to as the ‘Center’) is the conduct and support of research, training, dissemination of information, and other programs with respect to minority health conditions and other populations with health disparities. “(b) Priorities.—The Director of the Center shall in expending amounts appropriated under this subpart give priority to conducting and supporting minority health disparities research. “(c) Minority Health Disparities Research.—For purposes of this subpart: “(1) The term ‘minority health disparities research’ means basic, clinical, and behavioral research on minority health conditions (as defined in paragraph (2)), including research to prevent, diagnose, and treat such conditions. “(2) The term ‘minority health conditions’, with respect to individuals who are members of minority groups, means all diseases, disorders, and conditions (including with respect to mental health and substance abuse)— “(A) unique to, more serious, or more prevalent in such individuals; “(B) for which the factors of medical risk or types of medical intervention may be different for such individuals, or for which it is unknown whether such factors or types are different for such individuals; or “(C) with respect to which there has been insufficient research involving such individuals as subjects or insufficient data on such individuals.114 STAT. 2498 “(3) The term ‘minority group’ has the meaning given the term ‘racial and ethnic minority group’ in section 1707. “(4) The terms ‘minority’ and ‘minorities’ refer to individuals from a minority group. “(d) Health Disparity Populations.—For purposes of this subpart: “(1) A population is a health disparity population if, as determined by the Director of the Center after consultation with the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, there is a significant disparity in the overall rate of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rates in the population as compared to the health status of the general population. “(2) The Director shall give priority consideration to determining whether minority groups qualify as health disparity populations under paragraph (1). “(3) The term ‘health disparities research’ means basic, clinical, and behavioral research on health disparity populations (including individual members and communities of such populations) that relates to health disparities as defined under paragraph (1), including the causes of such disparities and methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat such disparities. “(e) Coordination of Activities.—The Director of the Center shall act as the primary Federal official with responsibility for coordinating all minority health disparities research and other health disparities research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health, and— “(1) shall represent the health disparities research program of the National Institutes of Health, including the minority health disparities research program, at all relevant Executive branch task forces, committees and planning activities; and “(2) shall maintain communications with all relevant Public Health Service agencies, including the Indian Health Service, and various other departments of the Federal Government to ensure the timely transmission of information concerning advances in minority health disparities research and other health disparities research between these various agencies for dissemination to affected communities and health care providers. “(f) Collaborative Comprehensive Plan and Budget.— “(1) In general.—Subject to the provisions of this section and other applicable law, the Director of NIH, the Director of the Center, and the directors of the other agencies of the National Institutes of Health in collaboration (and in consultation with the advisory council for the Center) shall— “(A) establish a comprehensive plan and budget for the conduct and support of all minority health disparities research and other health disparities research activities of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health (which plan and budget shall be first established under this subsection not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this subpart); “(B) ensure that the plan and budget establish priorities among the health disparities research activities that such agencies are authorized to carry out; “(C) ensure that the plan and budget establish objectives regarding such activities, describes the means for 114 STAT. 2499achieving the objectives, and designates the date by which the objectives are expected to be achieved; “(D) ensure that, with respect to amounts appropriated for activities of the Center, the plan and budget give priority in the expenditure of funds to conducting and supporting minority health disparities research; “(E) ensure that all amounts appropriated for such activities are expended in accordance with the plan and budget; “(F) review the plan and budget not less than annually, and revise the plan and budget as appropriate; “(G) ensure that the plan and budget serve as a broad, binding statement of policies regarding minority health disparities research and other health disparities research activities of the agencies, but do not remove the responsibility of the heads of the agencies for the approval of specific programs or projects, or for other details of the daily administration of such activities, in accordance with the plan and budget; and “(H) promote coordination and collaboration among the agencies conducting or supporting minority health or other health disparities research. “(2) Certain Components of Plan and Budget.—With respect to health disparities research activities of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health, the Director of the Center shall ensure that the plan and budget under paragraph (1) provide for— “(A) basic research and applied research, including research and development with respect to products; “(B) research that is conducted by the agencies; “(C) research that is supported by the agencies; “(D) proposals developed pursuant to solicitations by the agencies and for proposals developed independently of such solicitations; and “(E) behavioral research and social sciences research, which may include cultural and linguistic research in each of the agencies. “(3) Minority health disparities research.—The plan and budget under paragraph (1) shall include a separate statement of the plan and budget for minority health disparities research. “(g) Participation in Clinical Research.—The Director of the Center shall work with the Director of NIH and the directors of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health to carry out the provisions of section 492B that relate to minority groups. “(h) Research Endowments.— “(1) In general.—The Director of the Center may carry out a program to facilitate minority health disparities research and other health disparities research by providing for research endowments at centers of excellence under section 736. “(2) Eligibility.—The Director of the Center may provide for a research endowment under paragraph (1) only if the institution involved meets the following conditions: “(A) The institution does not have an endowment that is worth in excess of an amount equal to 50 percent of the national average of endowment funds at institutions 114 STAT. 2500that conduct similar biomedical research or training of health professionals. “(B) The application of the institution under paragraph (1) regarding a research endowment has been recommended pursuant to technical and scientific peer review and has been approved by the advisory council under subsection (j). “(i) Certain Activities.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Director of the Center— “(1) shall assist the Director of the National Center for Research Resources in carrying out section 481(c)(3) and in committing resources for construction at Institutions of Emerging Excellence; “(2) shall establish projects to promote cooperation among Federal agencies, State, local, tribal, and regional public health agencies, and private entities in health disparities research; and “(3) may utilize information from previous health initiatives concerning minorities and other health disparity populations. “(j) Advisory Council.— “(1) In general.—The Secretary shall, in accordance with section 406, establish an advisory council to advise, assist, consult with, and make recommendations to the Director of the Center on matters relating to the activities described in subsection (a), and with respect to such activities to carry out any other functions described in section 406 for advisory councils under such section. Functions under the preceding sentence shall include making recommendations on budgetary allocations made in the plan under subsection (f), and shall include reviewing reports under subsection (k) before the reports are submitted under such subsection. “(2) Membership.—With respect to the membership of the advisory council under paragraph (1), a majority of the members shall be individuals with demonstrated expertise regarding minority health disparity and other health disparity issues; representatives of communities impacted by minority and other health disparities shall be included; and a diversity of health professionals shall be represented. The membership shall in addition include a representative of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research under section 404A. “(k) Annual Report.—The Director of the Center shall prepare an annual report on the activities carried out or to be carried out by the Center, and shall submit each such report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee on Commerce of the House of Representatives, the Secretary, and the Director of NIH. With respect to the fiscal year involved, the report shall— “(1) describe and evaluate the progress made in health disparities research conducted or supported by the national research institutes; “(2) summarize and analyze expenditures made for activities with respect to health disparities research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health; “(3) include a separate statement applying the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) specifically to minority health disparities research; and 114 STAT. 2501 “(4) contain such recommendations as the Director considers appropriate. “(l) Authorization of Appropriations.—For the purpose of carrying out this subpart, there are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2002 through 2005. Such authorization of appropriations is in addition to other authorizations of appropriations that are available for the conduct and support of minority health disparities research or other health disparities research by the agencies of the National Institutes of Health.”. (b) Conforming Amendment.—Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended— (1) in section 401(b)(2)— (A) in subparagraph (F), by moving the subparagraph two ems to the left; and (B) by adding at the end the following subparagraph: “(G) The National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.”; and (2) by striking section 404.