§ 285a-12. Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee
(a)
Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee
(1)
Establishment
Not later than 6 months after October 8, 2008, the Secretary shall establish a committee, to be known as the Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (in this section referred to as the “Committee”).
(2)
Duties
The Committee shall—
(A)
share and coordinate information on existing research activities, and make recommendations to the National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies regarding how to improve existing research programs, that are related to breast cancer research;
(B)
develop a comprehensive strategy and advise the National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies in the solicitation of proposals for collaborative, multidisciplinary research, including proposals to evaluate environmental and genomic factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer that would—
(i)
result in innovative approaches to study emerging scientific opportunities or eliminate knowledge gaps in research to improve the research portfolio;
(C)
develop a summary of advances in breast cancer research supported or conducted by Federal agencies relevant to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer and other diseases and disorders; and
(D)
not later than 2 years after the date of the establishment of the Committee, make recommendations to the Secretary—
(i)
regarding any appropriate changes to research activities, including recommendations to improve the research portfolio of the National Institutes of Health to ensure that scientifically-based strategic planning is implemented in support of research priorities that impact breast cancer research activities;
(ii)
to ensure that the activities of the National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, are free of unnecessary duplication of effort;
(3)
Rule of construction
For the purposes of the Committee, when focusing on research to evaluate environmental and genomic factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer, nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict the Secretary from including other forms of cancer, as appropriate, when doing so may advance research in breast cancer or advance research in other forms of cancer.
(4)
Membership
(A)
In general
The Committee shall be composed of the following voting members:
(i)
Not more than 7 voting Federal representatives as follows:
(II)
The Director of the National Institutes of Health and the directors of such national research institutes and national centers (which may include the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(III)
One representative from the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors, appointed by the Director of the National Cancer Institute.
(b)
Review
The Secretary shall review the necessity of the Committee in calendar year 2011 and, thereafter, at least once every 2 years.