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Category: Federal Agency Developments

New NIH Office of Emergency Care Research

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To help improve health outcomes of patients who require emergency care, the National Institutes of Health has created a new Office of Emergency Care Research (OECR). The office is a focal point for basic, clinical and translational emergency care research and training across NIH. Although OECR will not fund grants, it will foster innovation and improvement in emergency care and in the training of future researchers in this field by:

  • Coordinating funding opportunities that involve multiple NIH institutes and centers.
  • Working closely with the NIH Emergency Care Research Working Group, which includes representatives from most NIH institutes and centers.
  • Organizing scientific meetings to identify new research and training opportunities in the emergency setting.
  • Catalyzing the development of new funding opportunities.
  • Informing investigators about funding opportunities in their areas of interest.
  • Fostering career development for trainees in emergency care research.
  • Representing NIH in government-wide efforts to improve the nation’s emergency care system.

The creation of OECR is the culmination of more than five years of discussions between NIH and the emergency medicine community. OECR also responds to reports about the nation’s emergency medical system issued in 2006 by the Institute of Medicine.

Read more here.

The Aftermath…

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Both the House and Senate are in recess this week for the Fourth of July holiday.  Late last week, both chambers demonstrated that they can advance legislation by reauthorizing federal highway and transit programs for two years and preventing Stafford student loan interest rate increases.  Also last week, the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Republicans vow to continue to cut or restrict funds to implement the Act, and Democrats encouraged states to move forward on implantation. While some features of the ACA have already been adopted – no denying coverage for pre-existing conditions and adult children can remain on their parents’ plans until the age of 26 – the main feature that mandates that all Americans must purchase some form of health coverage takes effect in 2014.

But the BIG news from last week is the major storm that hit the DC area late Friday night. Winds reached 80 MPH with intense thunder and lightning, leaving massive power outages and other storm damage throughout the region – mostly downed trees and power lines. Hundreds of traffic lights are still out and a half-million homes are still without power with outages expected to continue in some areas through the end of the week. This might not be so bad if the temperature wasn’t expected to be in the 90s all week!  Federal workers have the option to take unscheduled leave due to this mess, but if I were without power I would make my way into my air conditioned office post haste!

You’ll be happy to know that the dedicated Office of Federal Relations Team made it through the storm unscathed – all our homes had power over the weekend – and we all made our way into the office this morning. Happy Monday!

Senate Bill Requires Reports on Impact of Sequestration

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Yesterday, the Senate passed a five-year reauthorization of farm legislation (S 3240) that includes a bipartisan amendment requiring detailed reports on the effects of the pending budget sequestration on both defense and nondefense discretionary spending. The amendment would require three reports: one from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on the overall budget figures under sequestration; one from the Pentagon on the impact on defense spending; and one from the President explaining how he would implement a sequester and what the effects would be across the board, including impacts to nondefense spending.

Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and John McCain (R-AZ) lead the effort to get this language included in the farm bill.  The Pentagon report would be due August 15, the OMB report would be due within 30 days of enactment of the farm bill, and the President would be required to issue his report within 60 days of enactment.

Commerce Secretary to Resign

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Commerce Secretary John Bryson informed the department’s employees Thursday that he has given the president a letter of resignation. “I have come to the conclusion that I need to step down to prevent distractions from this critical mission,” Bryson said. Bryson had been on a medical leave of absence since June 11, following a seizure that resulted in his involvement in two car accidents.  Read Politico for more information.

“DREAM Act” Closer to Reality

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President Obama took executive action today to end the deportation of people who would be eligible for the DREAM Act if it were enacted. The new policy, effective immediately, will grant the people eligible for the program renewable, deferred action on their immigration status and the ability to apply for work authorization. The DREAM Act would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant children who go to college or join the military, but it has been blocked in Congress. This will certainly become a big issue in the presidential campaign.