One Hundred Eleventh Congress of the United States of America
2d Session
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, the fifth day of January, two thousand and ten
S. 3036
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
AN ACT
To establish the National Alzheimer's Project.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
National Alzheimer's Project
Act
.
The National Alzheimer's Project
Definition of Alzheimer's
In this Act, the term
Alzheimer's
means Alzheimer's disease and related
dementias.
Establishment
There is established in the Office of the
Secretary of Health and Human Services the National Alzheimer's Project
(referred to in this Act as the Project
).
Purpose of the Project
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Secretary's designee, shall—
be responsible for the creation and maintenance of an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's;
provide information and coordination of Alzheimer’s research and services across all Federal agencies;
accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer's;
improve the—
early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease; and
coordination of the care and treatment of citizens with Alzheimer’s;
ensure the inclusion of ethnic and racial populations at higher risk for Alzheimer's or least likely to receive care, in clinical, research, and service efforts with the purpose of decreasing health disparities in Alzheimer's; and
coordinate with international bodies to integrate and inform the fight against Alzheimer’s globally.
Duties of the secretary
In general
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Secretary's designee, shall—
oversee the creation and updating of the national plan described in paragraph (2); and
use discretionary authority to evaluate all Federal programs around Alzheimer's, including budget requests and approvals.
National plan
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Secretary's designee, shall carry out an annual assessment of the Nation’s progress in preparing for the escalating burden of Alzheimer's, including both implementation steps and recommendations for priority actions based on the assessment.
Advisory Council
In general
There is established an Advisory Council on
Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services (referred to in this Act as the
Advisory Council
).
Membership
Federal members
The Advisory Council shall be comprised of the following experts:
A designee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A designee of the Administration on Aging.
A designee of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
A designee of the Indian Health Service.
A designee of the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health.
The Surgeon General.
A designee of the National Science Foundation.
A designee of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A designee of the Food and Drug Administration.
A designee of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Non-Federal members
In addition to the members outlined in subparagraph (A), the Advisory Council shall include 12 expert members from outside the Federal Government, which shall include—
2 Alzheimer's patient advocates;
2 Alzheimer's caregivers;
2 health care providers;
2 representatives of State health departments;
2 researchers with Alzheimer's-related expertise in basic, translational, clinical, or drug development science; and
2 voluntary health association representatives, including a national Alzheimer’s disease organization that has demonstrated experience in research, care, and patient services, and a State-based advocacy organization that provides services to families and professionals, including information and referral, support groups, care consultation, education, and safety services.
Meetings
The Advisory Council shall meet quarterly and such meetings shall be open to the public.
Advice
The Advisory Council shall advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Secretary's designee.
Annual report
The Advisory Council shall provide to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Secretary's designee and Congress—
an initial evaluation of all federally
funded
efforts in Alzheimer's research, clinical care, and
institutional-, home-, and community-based programs and their outcomes;
initial recommendations for priority actions to expand, eliminate, coordinate, or condense programs based on the program's performance, mission, and purpose;
initial recommendations to—
reduce the financial impact of Alzheimer's on—
Medicare and other federally funded programs; and
families living with Alzheimer's disease; and
improve health outcomes; and
annually thereafter, an evaluation of the implementation, including outcomes, of the recommendations, including priorities if necessary, through an updated national plan under subsection (d)(2).
Termination
The Advisory Council shall terminate on December 31, 2025.
Data sharing
Agencies both within the Department of Health and Human Services and outside of the Department that have data relating to Alzheimer’s shall share such data with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Secretary's designee, to enable the Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, to complete the report described in subsection (g).
Annual report
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Secretary's designee, shall submit to Congress—
an annual report that includes an evaluation of all federally funded efforts in Alzheimer's research, clinical care, and institutional-, home-, and community-based programs and their outcomes;
an evaluation of all federally funded programs based on program performance, mission, and purpose related to Alzheimer's disease;
recommendations for—
priority actions based on the evaluation conducted by the Secretary and the Advisory Council to—
reduce the financial impact of Alzheimer's on—
Medicare and other federally funded programs; and
families living with Alzheimer's disease; and
improve health outcomes;
implementation steps; and
priority actions to improve the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, institutional-, home-, and community-based programs of Alzheimer's disease for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers; and
an annually updated national plan.
Sunset
The Project shall expire on December 31, 2025.
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate
