2009-09-17

Short-Term Funding Resolution Likely; Continued Grassroots Efforts Needed to Ensure Highest Possible Funding Level for NIH
Although congressional leaders made significant progress in advancing their respective versions of bills to fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in fiscal year (FY) 2010, none of the appropriations bills have yet been finalized. As in past years, Congress is not expected to finish appropriations before the end of the FY on September 30 and will likely need to pass a continuing resolution to fund federal programs, including NIH, at current levels into the beginning of FY 2010. Read more.

Chairman Baucus Releases Finance Committee Health Reform Proposal; Republican Support Unclear
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has released his long-awaited health reform proposal. Read more.

President Obama’s Speech to Congress Reignites Efforts to Pass a Bill This Year
On September 9, President Obama gave a speech to a special joint session of Congress outlining his plan for health reform and reigniting Democrats’ goal to pass comprehensive health reform this year. Read more.

White House Highlights Costs of Treating Hemophilia With Special Guest at Joint Congressional Session
On September 9, President and Mrs. Obama highlighted the costs associated with treating hemophilia by inviting Nathan Wilkes, father of a son with hemophilia, as a special guest to the Joint Congressional Session. Read more.

Harkin Named Chairman of Senate HELP Committee
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has been named Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Senator Harkin succeeds the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), who served as Chairman of the HELP Committee until his death on August 25. Read more.

House and Senate Defense Appropriations Bills Include Blood Cancer Research Funding
As Congress continues to work toward completion of fiscal year (FY) 2010 funding bills, the current versions of the Senate and House Defense Appropriations bills each contain funding to support blood cancer research. Read more.

September Is Sickle Cell Awareness Month
ASH continues to work with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other federal agencies toward the common goal of expanding sickle cell research and providing excellent care for patients with sickle cell disease. Read more.

NIH Office of Extramural Research Releases September 2009 Newsletter
The NIH Office of Extramural Research has released its September 2009 newsletter, which includes information on new NIH Director Francis Collins’ five key themes for NIH and a reminder for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grantees to register at FederalReporting.gov.

NCI Announces First International Workshop on the Biology, Prevention, and Treatment of Relapse After Allogeneic HSCT
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is planning a two-day workshop on the problem of relapse following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This workshop will take place November 2-3, 2009, on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. The goal of the workshop is to generate key research questions for a planned Request for Applications at NCI. The registration deadline is November 1.