ATA : Congressional Action

Action at the U.S. Congress

Colloquy Script between U.S. Reps. Regula and Istook

During the presentation of H.R 5006, the fiscal year 2005 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill to the full House, as recorded in the September 8 Congressional Record, a colloquy took place between two Appropriations Committee members, the Honorable Ralph Regula (R-OH) and the Honorable Ernest Istook (R-OK). Regula is chair of the subcommittee and Istook helped draft the language in favor of taxpayer access to NIH-funded biomedical research. This language made it through deliberations by the House without amendment. The colloquy follows:

Mr. Istook: I move to strike the last word for the purpose of engaging in a colloquy with the chairman.

Mr. Chairman, the committee report on the Labor-HHS bill includes language encouraging the National Institutes of Health to adopt a policy that would make available to the public without charge the scientific journal articles that report the results of research that has been supported with NIH funding. As you know, Mr. Chairman, I have been very concerned for a number of years that the public is not always able to access the results of that research, federally funded research, unless they had a university library nearby or could pay often very large subscription fees of the journals, costs that are beyond most family's budgets.

The NIH, in response to language in the bill, has acted quickly to respond to our guidance. It posted the draft policy last Friday, September 3. Dr. Zerhouni, the Director of NIH, took care to seek comment from the various stakeholders involved in this issue—seeking comment from publishers, both for-profit and nonprofit groups, from scientists, and from advocates for curing different diseases; and he has held three public meetings. Dr. Zerhouni heard some powerful stories from patients and family members who were struggling to learn as much as they could about treatment for serious diseases that affect them and their loved ones and had previously been unable to access some of the key information that could help them.

Dr. Zerhouni has produced a draft proposal from NIH that carefully balances the interests of these groups; and, most importantly, Mr. Chairman, it moves NIH in the direction of making more research available to the people who financed it, namely the American taxpayers.

Mr. Chairman, I see the action by the NIH to date as being consistent with the language in our bill, and I would appreciate the chairman's thoughts on this.

Mr. Regula: Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Istook: I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. Regula: Mr. Chairman, I have been very pleased to see that NIH has responded so quickly and thoughtfully to the House report language. I think it is a very simple proposition: NIH, or the taxpayer, pays for the research, even pays for the journals, and should be able to share the results with the taxpaying public. Our investment in research is not well served by a process that limits taxpayer access instead of expanding it, and I should add public access.

I encourage NIH to move expeditiously to finalize its proposal after considering the comments it receives on its policy. The public deserves nothing less.

Mr. Istook: Reclaming my time, Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his comments.

Posted: 09.10.04

Action

News

Action at the U.S. Congress

Colloquy Script between U.S. Reps. Regula and Istook