Congress Adjourns Without Passing Bills Aimed At Allocating Funding For Breast Cancer Research

Congress adjourned earlier this month without the Senate or House passing bills aimed at allocating funding for research into the environmental causes of breast cancer, CQ HealthBeat reports. The Senate version (S 757), sponsored by Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), would allocate $30 million annually for fiscal years 2007 through 2012 for the research. The House version (HR 2231), sponsored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), would allocate the same funding levels for FY 2006 through 2011. The Senate version has 66 bipartisan co-sponsors and was scheduled for floor consideration before the August recess, but Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) objected to the measure. According to Coburn, Congress should focus on reforming NIH rather than passing bills aimed at allocating funding for specific diseases or illnesses, CQ HealthBeat reports. The House version has 255 bipartisan co-sponsors but was stalled when Reps. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) during a House Committee on Energy and Commerce meeting attempted to add HR 2231 to legislation (HR 6164) that aims to overhaul NIH, according to CQ HealthBeat. The National Breast Cancer Coalition, which has advocated in support of the measures, plans to continue its goal by working to get the legislation passed when Congress returns in November, according to coalition head Fran Visco (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 10/6).

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