FASEB Washington Update - Nov. 20, 2009

QUESTIONS CONTINUE ABOUT FUNDING FOR NIH GRANTS
Congressional interest in specific grants funded by NIH intensified last month when Representatives Joe Barton (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Greg Walden (R-OR), Ranking Member of the committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, sent a second letter to the Director, Dr. Francis Collins, questioning specific grants funded by the agency. The latest communication concerns projects studying gun violence, alcohol use and suicide in late life and requests similar information (including scores and the number of reviewers at the primary and secondary levels of review) as a letter Barton and Walden sent to NIH in September.
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Inside (The Beltway) Scoop - Jennifer Zeitzer The Senate achieved another milestone this week when the chamber completed action on the fiscal year (FY) 2010 Military Construction/Veteran’s Affairs (Mil-Con/VA) Appropriations bill (S 1407/ HR 3082). Completion of the veteran’s measure means the Senate is just three bills short of completing floor action on all 12 appropriations bills with approximately one month until the current “continuing resolution” (CR) expires on December 12th. The Senate passed the Mil-Con/VA bill by a vote of 100 to 0 on November 17th after reaching agreement on several amendments. The Veterans Administration Medical and Prosthetics Research Program received $580 million (the same level as was provided by the House Appropriations Committee), an increase of $70 million over the 2009 funding level and five million above FASEB’s recommendation. The Medical and Prosthetics Research Program supports research in a number of areas, including mental health, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, burn injury, polytrauma injuries, and sensory loss.
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NIH Council of Councils Receives Updates From Agency Leadership
The NIH Council of Councils (CC) met this week to receive a number of updates from the NIH leadership. Among the items on the agenda were an update from the new Director, discussion of ARRA funding, a presentation on peer review of the transformative R01 (T-R01) awards, and a briefing on NIH portfolio analysis. The discussion returned time and time again to what the purpose of the Common Fund really should be, and whether it is being used as it was intended.
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AAU, APLU, and TSC Launch Science Works For US Website to Track ARRA Research
On Tuesday, November 17th, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joined other Members of Congress, university leaders, and researchers in holding a launch event for a new initiative, ScienceWorksForUS, sponsored by the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), and The Science Coalition (TSC). The centerpiece of ScienceWorksForUS is a website that highlights American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) sponsored research in all 50 states and includes stories of the research and the researchers contributing to America’s recovery.
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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/