[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1555 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1555
To establish the Office of the National Alzheimer's Project.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 31, 2009
Mr. Martinez (for himself, Mr. Bayh, Ms. Collins, Mr. Bennet, Mr.
Feingold, and Mr. Tester) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Office of the National Alzheimer's Project.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Office of the
National Alzheimer's Project Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds that according to the 2009
Alzheimer's Study Group National Strategic Plan and the 2009
Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report of the Alzheimer's
Association--
(1) Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, debilitating,
terminal disease with no known cure;
(2) Alzheimer's disease was the sixth leading cause of
death in the United States for all ages in 2006 and the fifth
leading cause of death for people age 65 and older;
(3) currently, an estimated 5,300,000 Americans of all ages
have Alzheimer's disease, and 13 percent of people age 65 and
older have Alzheimer's disease;
(4) of those with Alzheimer's disease some minority
populations are disproportionately suffering from the disease;
(5) there are 78,000,000 people in the baby boom
generation, and in 2011, the first baby boomers will turn 65,
and by 2029, all baby boomers will be at least 65 years old;
(6) the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer's
disease is estimated to reach 7,700,000 in 2030, more than a 50
percent increase from the 5,100,000 aged 65 and older who are
currently affected;
(7) the 85 years and older population currently comprises
nearly 50 percent of the individuals with Alzheimer's disease,
or about 2,700,000 people, and by the time the first wave of
baby boomers reaches age 85 years (2031), there will be an
estimated 3,500,000 people aged 85 and older with Alzheimer's;
(8) in 2008, 9,900,000 unpaid caregivers provided care
valued at $94,000,000,000 for a person with Alzheimer's disease
or other dementia;
(9) total per-person payments from all sources for health
and long-term care were three times higher for Medicare
beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease: $33,007 compared to
$10,603;
(10) in 2009 the Federal Government will spend more than
$100,000,000,000 through Medicare and Medicaid to care for
those with Alzheimer's disease;
(11) if the United States follows current trends the
Federal Government will spend more than $1,000,000,000,000 per
year by 2050 on Alzheimer's disease care; and
(12) between 2010 and 2050 Medicare and Medicaid programs
are projected to spend $20,000,000,000,000 for Alzheimer's
disease care.
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT.
(a) Establishment of Office.--There is established in the Office of
the President the Office of the National Alzheimer's Project (referred
to in this Act as the ``Office'').
(b) Purpose of the Office.--The Office shall--
(1) accelerate the development of treatments that would
prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer's;
(2) be responsible for the creation and maintenance of an
integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's;
(3) help to coordinate the health care and treatment of
citizens with Alzheimer's;
(4) 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
(5) coordinate with international bodies to integrate and
inform the fight against Alzheimer's globally.
(c) Director of the Office.--
(1) Appointment.--The President by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate shall appoint a Director of the Office.
(2) Duties of the director.--
(A) In general.--The Director of the Office shall--
(i) oversee the creation and updating of
the national plan described in subparagraph
(B);
(ii) use discretionary authority to
evaluate all Federal programs around
Alzheimer's, including budget requests and
approvals; and
(iii) prepare and submit to the President
the annual budget estimate for the Office.
(B) National plan.--The Director of the Office
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.
(3) Service by director.--The Director of the Office shall
serve--
(A) on the advisory board of the Office of Science
and Technology to promote research efforts into
mechanisms to slow and stop the development of
Alzheimer's for those at risk of developing the
disease, or may appoint a designee to sit on such
board; and
(B) on the Domestic Policy Council to represent
those who have or will develop Alzheimer's, including
on matters of housing, transportation, and education.
(d) Advisory Council.--
(1) In general.--There is established in the Office an
Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research and Treatment
(referred to in this Act as the ``Advisory Council'').
(2) Membership.--
(A) In general.--The Advisory Council shall be
comprised of the following:
(i) A designee of the Office of Science of
the Department of Energy.
(ii) A designee of the Office of the
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services.
(iii) A designee of the Administration on
Aging.
(iv) A designee of the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services.
(v) A designee of the Indian Health
Service.
(vi) A designee of the Office of the
Director of the National Institutes of Health.
(vii) The Surgeon General.
(viii) A designee of the National Science
Foundation.
(ix) A designee of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
(B) Non-federal members.--
(i) In general.--In addition to the members
outlined in subparagraph (A), the Advisory
Council shall include 12 members from outside
the Federal Government, including 2 members who
are patient advocate members and 2 members who
represent States, and members appointed
pursuant to clause (ii).
(ii) Congressional appointments.--
(I) In general.--In addition to the
members outlined in subparagraph (A)
and clause (i), the majority and
minority leaders of the Senate and the
Speaker and minority leader of the
House of Representatives shall each
appoint 2 members from the pool
described in clause (II) to the
Advisory Council for a 2-year term,
with each such member eligible to be
reappointed.
(II) Remaining non-federal
members.--The remaining non-Federal
members shall be representatives of
academia, research, health and elder
care delivery (both community-based and
institutional), technology, or other
related sectors.
(III) Vacancies.--Any member
appointed under this clause to fill a
vacancy occurring prior to the
expiration of the term for which the
member's predecessor was appointed
shall be appointed for the remainder of
such term. A member appointed under
this clause shall serve until the
member's replacement has been
appointed.
(3) Meetings.--The Advisory Council shall meet quarterly
and such meetings shall be open to the public.
(4) Advice.--The Advisory Council shall advise the Director
of the Office.
(5) Annual report.--The Advisory Council shall provide to
the Director of the Office--
(A) recommendations for information to be included
in the annual report to Congress by the Office; and
(B) an annually updated national plan.
(e) Annual Report.--The Director of the Office shall submit to
Congress--
(1) an annual report that includes an evaluation of all
nationally and federally funded efforts in Alzheimer's
research, clinical care, institutional, and home- and
community-based programs and their outcomes; and
(2) an annually updated national plan.
(f) Sunset.--The Office shall expire on December 31, 2025.
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