Government Affairs Committee Update

February 11, 2005

President Bush Releases FY 2006 Federal Budget; NIH Funding is Insufficient

President Bush released his fiscal year (FY) 2006 Federal Budget proposal on Monday, February 7. For the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the President recommends spending $28.845 billion in FY 2006, a $196 million or 0.7 percent increase over last year. As a member of the Committee, we thought you would be interested in reading ASH’s summary. Dr. Silverstein and ASH staff strongly encourage all Committee members to participate in our advocacy effort to increase the NIH budget by 6 percent over last year. Sending the pre-written email to your members of Congress takes only a few moments and three clicks of your computer mouse.

Dr. Nabel Appointed NHLBI Director

On January 26, 2005, Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., was appointed Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Dr. Nabel joined NHLBI in 1999, serving as Scientific Director of Clinical Research. She is a leading researcher in molecular cardiology as well as vascular biology. An ASH press release on Dr. Nabel’s appointment is available online.

Policy Statement Approved on a Federally Funded National Cord Blood Bank Program

The ASH Executive Committee approved the policy statement developed by the Government Affairs Committee on cord blood banking during its January meeting. Last year, ASH testified before the Institute of Medicine and included a special point-counterpoint discussion in The Hematologist on this topic.

Public Access of NIH Research Information Proposal Published

NIH published its Public Access policy on Thursday, February 3. The plan calls on scientists to release to the public manuscripts from research supported by NIH within 12 months of final publication, not the six-month deadline that was originally recommended. A statement by ASH and other Not-for-Profit publishers in response to the policy is available online, in addition to the final NIH policy on this issue and ASH’s original comment letter. This is one of the issues that will be on the Committee’s agenda for its March 11 Capitol Hill Day.

NIH Announces New Ethics Rules for Institute Employees

NIH issued tough new restrictions for its 18,000 employees on all outside activities, financial holdings, and awards with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and related companies. The new ban on outside work covers all pharmaceutical interests, health care providers, insurers, trade or professional associations, and supported educational institutions. More information is available online.

If you have questions, or need more information, please contact Government Affairs Manager Jeff Coughlin at (202) 776-0544.