This week, Congress cleared an omnibus health research bill (H.R. 2498), sending it to the President. The underlying legislation, which establishes procedures to place defibrillators in federal buildings to aid heart attack victims, was approved, 415-2, by the House on May 9. However, on October 26, the Senate amended the bill to include a number of other health research-related bills and approved the measure by unanimous consent. On October 27, the House agreed to the Senate amendment by a vote of 384-2.
One of the bills included in the final version pertains to research on lupus. Sponsored by Rep. Carrie Meek (D-FL), H.R. 762 authorizes an unspecified amount of funding to expand and intensify research on lupus at the National Institutes of Health. The bill also authorizes an unspecified amount of funding for programs that deliver services to individuals afflicted by lupus and their families. One of the legislative priorities of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, H.R. 762 was approved by the House on October 10 (see The Source, 10/13/00, p. 5).
