Congress passed legislation last night to promote the office of alernative
medicine(oam), at the national institutes of health, to a center.
The legislation, S.2420, was attached as an amendment to the LABOR/HHS/EDUCATION
appropriations bill that congress passed
last night as a part of omnibus reconcillation bill. Our congressional friend
who have supported legislation to help with the acceptance of alternitive
medicine: Senator Harkin(D-DA) introduced S.2420: Represenative Peter Defazio(D-OR)
introduced the companion bill in the house, H.R. 1055.
This legislation promotes OAM so it will be the center for the complementary and
alternative medicine with an intial appropriation of $50 million. As a center
it will be able to hire and fire its own staff and who shall serve on its advisory
panels. This was not possible as an office.
Dr. Ralph Miranda, MD., Pres. of the American Prevenitive Medicine Association
said: "Now finally, we will have a center at NIH that has the
authority it need to get the job done."
Candice Campbell, APMA Executive Director is one of our most powerful
allies in Washington D.C. She expects the center will help get the access to medical
treatment act (AMTA) S. 578/H.R. 746. and the next(106th) Congress. We helped
Rep DeFazio get 71 cosponsors on H.R. 746. and
Sen. Daschle get 13 cosponsors on S.578. These bills died at the end of this
congress. They will have to reintroduced early next year.