Assigned to HEA & APPROP                                                                                     AS PASSED BY THE SENATE

 

 


ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Phoenix, Arizona

 

REVISED

FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2595

 

education 2000; revisions

(NOW:  disease control research commission; grants)

 

Purpose

 

Expands the uses of health research fund monies to include research for nontobacco related diseases and appropriates monies from the health research fund and disease control research fund for Alzheimer's disease research, Parkinson's research and research on diseases of the brain.

 

Background

 

In 1984 the Legislature established the Arizona Disease Control Research Commission (ADCRC) to protect public health and safety by contracting with individuals and organizations to advance research into the causes and prevention of diseases.  The ADCRC currently supports a wide range of tobacco-related research through financial grants to groups studying a variety of issues, including the role of genetics in tobacco-related cancer and the effectiveness of acupuncture in smoking cessation programs.  In each of the last two fiscal years the ADCRC supported 85 research projects, 11 of which pertained to anticancer research. 

 

Prior to 1996, the ADCRC was funded exclusively with appropriations from the general fund, and was consequently authorized to support unrestricted medical research.  Beginning in 1996, only existing contracts were completed with general fund monies while tobacco tax and health care fund monies supported new research.  Beginning in FY 1996-1997, the source of funding for the ADCRC shifted solely to the health research account. 

 

Pursuant to statute, the ADCRC is only able to support research on prevention and treatment of tobacco-related disease and addiction (A.R.S. §36-275).  As a result, the ADCRC has had to reject research proposals on a wide range of medical issues, including the effects of environmental pollutants, childhood diseases, various developmental disorders, neurological and childhood cancers and spinal cord injuries.  H.B. 2595 eliminates the current restriction by allowing the ADCRC to support unrestricted medical research. 

 

Provisions

 

1.      Allows the ADCRC to use health research fund monies for research into the causes, the epidemiology and diagnosis, the formulation of cures, the medically accepted treatment and the prevention of diseases, including new drug discovery and development. 

 

2.      Appropriates $1 million from the health research fund and $1 million from the disease control research fund in FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 to the Department of Health Services (DHS) for Alzheimer’s research, recruitment and retention efforts.  Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.

 


3.      Requires grants applicants to apply directly to the DHS Director.

 

4.      Requires the Director to only consider applicants who are part of a statewide collaborative program consisting of universities, hospitals and research centers.

 

5.      Authorizes a recipient to use a maximum of $150,000 of the grant for administrative costs.

 

6.      Appropriates $500,000 in FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the disease control research fund to the ADCRC for Parkinson's disease research.

 

7.      Requires grant recipients to commission an audit, conduct an evaluation of expenditures and submit a report to DHS by October 1, 2002.

 

8.      Prohibits the use of appropriated Alzheimer's or Parkinson's research monies on research using human fetal tissue, cells or organs obtained from a living or dead embryo or fetus during or after an induced abortion.  Excludes, from the prohibition, human fetal tissue, cells or organs obtained from a spontaneous abortion or an ectopic pregnancy.

 

9.      Exempts, for one year from the effective date of this act, DHS from the procurement code requirements for purposes of distributing the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's grant monies.

 

10.  Requires grant recipients to commission an audit, conduct an evaluation of expenditures and submit a report to DHS by October 1, 2002.

 

11.  Allows monies not used for recruitment and retention efforts to be used for additional Alzheimer’s disease research.

 

12.  Appropriates $1,000,000 in FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the disease control research fund to the ADCRC for research on diseases of the brain.

 

13.  Subjects the health research account and the disease control research fund to legislative appropriations.

 

14.  Requires the Auditor General to conduct a special review of the disease control research fund and the health research account.

 

15.  Makes technical changes.

 

16.  Contains a Proposition 105 clause, requiring a three-fourths affirmative vote of each chamber.

 

17.  Provides for a general effective date.   

 

Amendments Adopted by Health Committee

 

Makes technical changes.

 

 

Amendments Adopted by Appropriations Committee

 

Adds the Alzheimer’s research grant appropriation.

 

Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole

 

1.      Subjects the health research account and the disease control research fund to legislative appropriations.

 

2.      Appropriates $500,000 of tobacco settlement monies in the disease control research fund for Parkinson's disease research.

 

3.      Appropriates $500,000 of tobacco settlement monies in the disease control research fund for Alzheimer's disease research

 

4.      Appropriates $1,000,000 of tobacco settlement monies in the disease control research fund for research on diseases of the brain.

 

5.      Requires the Auditor General to conduct a special review of the disease control research fund and the health research account.

 

6.      Adds a Proposition 105 clause.

 

 

House Action                                                               Senate Action

 

HEA                3/05/01            DPA    9-0-0-1                        HEA                3/27/01            DPA    5-1-2-0

3rd Read           3/14/01            DPA    54-0-6-0          APPROP         4/3/01              DPA    10-0-2

                                                                                    3rd Read           4/2/7/01                       23-5-2

 

 

Prepared by Senate Staff

May 18, 2001