Capitol Hill News In Brief
Executive Summary
FDA budget in limbo: The 109th congress failed to pass FY 2007 appropriations for FDA, instead settling on a continuing resolution that expires Feb. 15. Incoming Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairmen in the Senate and House - Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) and Rep. Dave Obey (Wis.) - plan to scrap the current Republican-designed appropriations bills in favor of a year-long continuing resolution. The move would effectively freeze the agency's spending at FY 2006 levels until FY 2008. FDA said "a full-year continuing resolution presents difficult challenges" and added that between now and Feb. 15, it "will be working with the administration to analyze the impacts of a continuing resolution"...
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FDA budget hearing
Senate Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee will hold a hearing in late February to address FDA's FY 2007 budget, according to the office of new chairman, Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wisc. The agency is now being funded by a continuing resolution that runs through Feb. 15, freezing spending at 2006 levels (1"The Pink Sheet" Dec. 18, 2006, In Brief)...
FDA budget hearing
Senate Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee will hold a hearing in late February to address FDA's FY 2007 budget, according to the office of new chairman, Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wisc. The agency is now being funded by a continuing resolution that runs through Feb. 15, freezing spending at 2006 levels (1"The Pink Sheet" Dec. 18, 2006, In Brief)...
Health Legislation
Legislation (HR 6111) that applies the R&D tax credit retroactively for 2006 and extends it through 2007 was signed into law by President George Bush Dec. 20. New law also directs HHS to develop quality of care measures, including for medication errors, for hospital outpatient services (1"The Pink Sheet" Dec. 18, 2006, p. 22). In Medicare, the law requires physicians to submit "quality indicators," specifically hemoglobin or hematocrit levels, when providing anemia treatments to cancer patients, starting Jan. 1, 2008...