June 2007 Advocacy Update

House Passes Stem Cell Bill; Presidential Veto Expected; Advocacy Needed
As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate version of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 5) by a vote of 247 to 176. The Society thanks all those who participated in recent ASH advocacy campaigns on this issue.

Earlier this year, the House and Senate each passed their respective versions of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 3 and S. 5). Slight differences between the two bills necessitated reconsideration of S. 5 by the House.

S. 5 will now be sent to the White House for President Bush's consideration. The President has reiterated his intention to once again veto this legislation. If vetoed, the Senate will try to override the President's veto of this bill. Sixty-seven votes are necessary in the Senate to override a presidential veto. A 67-vote majority in the Senate appears very close and it is not clear how or if the recent death of Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) will affect this vote. With such a close margin, continued grassroots advocacy in support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act will be critical.

Please visit the ASH Advocacy Center for continued opportunities to contact President Bush and Congress on this important issue.

Additionally, ASH's policy in support of all avenues of stem cell research and the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISCCR) Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, which ASH has endorsed, are available online.

FY 2008 NIH Funding Update; Continued Grassroots Efforts Needed
Congress is continuing the process of drafting the bills that will fund federal departments, agencies, and programs for fiscal year (FY) 2008. The House Labor, Health, and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee began drafting its version of the FY 2008 Labor-HHS spending bill on Thursday, June 7. The bill provides $29.65 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an increase of $750 million (2.6 percent) above the FY 2007 funding level and $1.029 billion (3.6 percent) above the President's FY 2008 request. Taking into account the proposed transfer of $300 million from NIH in FY 2008 to the Global HIV/AIDS Fund, the net increase proposed for the NIH budget in the draft House bill is $549 million (1.9 percent) over FY 2007. However, it is important to note that the House Subcommittee's proposed funding for NIH in FY 2008 essentially represents a cut in NIH funding since the small increase provided for by the Subcommittee does not keep pace with the projected 3.7 percent increase in biomedical inflation for 2008.

These proposed levels still must be approved by the full House Appropriations Committee, which may consider the bill as soon as June 14, before sending the bill to the full House for consideration. Congressional leaders in the House remain hopeful that the House will be able to consider all 12 of the annual spending bills by the end of June. The Senate hopes to complete action on its versions of the bill prior to the month-long August congressional recess, though no schedule has yet been set for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittees to begin drafting their versions of the funding bills.

Additionally, as in previous years, it is likely that congressional appropriators may try to insert report language into one of these bills concerning open access. ASH will continue to closely monitor this issue and will alert you to any changes to the current policy.

ASH, along with the biomedical research community, continues to advocate for an increase of 6.7 percent for FY 2008 over the final FY 2007 levels. Grassroots advocacy by researchers around the country remains crucial to ensure hematologic research is adequately funded at NIH. For more information about FY 2008 NIH funding and to participate in ASH's most recent online advocacy campaign on this issue, please visit the ASH Advocacy Center.

ASH Opposes Medicare's Proposed National Coverage Policy on Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs)
ASH believes Medicare's proposed coverage policy for ESAs would have significant adverse consequences for patients with hematologic malignancies, particularly myelodysplastic syndromes. ASH has met with Congress, will be commenting on the policy, and is planning a meeting with Medicare and FDA to discuss concerns. View ASH's statement on Medicare Proposed National Coverage Policy on Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents for more information.

Practice Update
ASH continues to follow issues of interest to the practicing community. For the latest information concerning physician reimbursement issues and other issues of importance to practicing physicians, please see the latest ASH Practice Update.

NIH News and Information
View the latest issues of the "NIH Public Bulletin" and "NIH News in Health" for information on the latest news, public events, and activities at the Institutes.