FASEB Washington Update - June 11, 2010
FASEB Presents Dr. Raynard Kington With the 2010 FASEB Public Service Award
On June 7th, FASEB honored National Institutes of Health (NIH) Principal Deputy Director, Raynard Kington, M.D., Ph.D., with its annual Public Service Award, in recognition of his distinguished career and many contributions to the overall policy direction of the agency. In presenting the award, FASEB President, Mark Lively, Ph.D., noted that Kington earned the profound gratitude of the research community for the leadership he provided during the development, initiation, and implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) programs. More Details >
Inside (The Beltway) Scoop - Jennifer Zeitzer
A week-long Memorial Day break seemed to do little to improve Congress’s mood as lawmakers returned to Washington and promptly engaged in a fresh round of partisan squabbling about the national debt and the fiscal year (FY) 2011 federal budget. The fight over fiscal matters took place at the same time that congressional leaders identified a long list of items on which they hoped to complete action by the end of June, including passing legislation to extend expiring tax credits and unemployment benefits, reconciling the differences between the House and Senate-passed financial reform bills, and finishing a supplemental appropriations bill to fund ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. More Details >
FASEB Responds to Request for Information on HIPAA Privacy Rule Accounting of Disclosures
In a May 18th letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights, FASEB recommended that research be excluded from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule accounting of disclosures provision. FASEB believes that researchers and research institutions have an obligation to protect the privacy and confidentiality of study participants and their clinical data. However, the federation also expressed concern about the adverse impact that the Privacy Rule has had on health research. Under the accounting of disclosures provision, for example, institutions covered under HIPAA must provide individuals, upon request, a comprehensive list of the disclosures made of their protected health information in the three years preceding the request. The accounting must include the date the disclosure was made, the identity of the individual receiving the information, a description of the information disclosed, and a statement of the purpose of the disclosure. More Details >
FASEB President Speaks at USDA Meeting on AFRI Research Priorities
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) held a public meeting to solicit stakeholder input regarding the fiscal year (FY) 2011 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) request for applications (RFA’s). Over the course of the day-long meeting, approximately 30 speakers, including FASEB President, Dr. Mark Lively, provided five-minute oral statements. More Details >
Pubmed Central Advisory Committee Meets
On June 4, 2010, the Pubmed Central National (PMC) Advisory Committee held its annual meeting which was chaired by Gary Ward of the University of Vermont and included the MPC 10th anniversary commemoration. More Details >
FASEB’s Washington Update is brought to you bi-monthly by the FASEB Office of Public Affairs. We welcome your questions and comments – please contact Carrie Wolinetz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 301-634-7650. For more information about how to get involved in research advocacy, visit: http://capwiz.com/faseb/home/