108th Congress

Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2003

S. 239

Background

Trauma is the leading cause of death of Americans between the ages of 1 and 44 years and is the third leading cause of death in the general population of the United States. On January 29, 2003, Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) introduced S. 239, the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2003. This legislation would have provided grants through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the purpose of planning, implementing, and developing statewide trauma care systems.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

Although most of the provisions in S. 239 were directed to HRSA trauma care programs, the following provisions were relevant to the National Institutes of Health (NIH):

• Institute of Medicine (IOM) Study: The bill would have required the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into a contract with IOM to conduct a study on the state of trauma care and research.
• Interagency Program for Trauma Research: The bill would have required the Director of NIH to establish and implement a plan for conducting basic and clinical research on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of trauma-related injuries. The Director of NIH would have been required to take into consideration the recommendations contained in the report by the NIH Trauma Research Task Force.

Status and Outlook

S. 239 was introduced by Senator Frist on January 29, 2003, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). On February 12, the Senate HELP Committee reported out S. 239 favorably without amendment, and on June 23, S. 239 was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent. On June 24, S. 239 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and on July 1, S. 239 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. No further action occurred on this legislation during the 108th Congress.