[Congressional Bills 103th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office] [S. 1203 Engrossed in Senate (ES)] 103d CONGRESS 2d Session S. 1203 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To establish a Center for Rare Disease Research in the National Institutes of Health, and for other purposes. 103d CONGRESS 2d Session S. 1203 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To establish a Center for Rare Disease Research in the National Institutes of Health, and for other purposes. 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 ``Office for Rare Disease Research Act of 1994''. SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE FOR RARE DISEASE RESEARCH. Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section: ``SEC. 404F. OFFICE FOR RARE DISEASE RESEARCH. ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health an office to be known as the Office for Rare Disease Research (in this section referred to as the `Office'). The Office shall be headed by a director, who shall be appointed by the Director of the National Institutes of Health. ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Office is to promote and coordinate the conduct of research on rare diseases through a strategic research plan and to establish and manage a rare disease research clinical database. ``(c) Advisory Council.--The Secretary shall establish an advisory council for the purpose of providing advice to the director of the Office concerning carrying out the strategic research plan and other duties under this section. Section 222 shall apply to such council to the same extent and in the same manner as such section applies to committees or councils established under such section. ``(d) Duties.--In carrying out subsection (b), the director of the Office shall-- ``(1) develop a comprehensive plan for the conduct and support of research on rare diseases; ``(2) coordinate and disseminate information among the institutes and the public on rare diseases; ``(3) support research training and encourage the participation of a diversity of individuals in the conduct of rare disease research; ``(4) identify projects or research on rare diseases that should be conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health; ``(5) develop and maintain a central database on current government sponsored clinical research projects for rare diseases; ``(6) determine the need for registries of research subjects and epidemiological studies of rare disease populations; and ``(7) prepare biennial reports on the activities carried out or to be carried out by the Office and submit such reports to the Secretary and the Congress.''. Passed the Senate October 8 (legislative day, September 12), 1994. Attest: Secretary.