Fiscal Year 2007
(October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2007)

(Approved in Committee; pending passage of L/HHS appropriations bill)

House of Representatives	Senate
Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Secretary
	Chronic Fatigue.—The Committee appreciates the work of the Department’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee [CFSAC]. However, the Committee is concerned that it took the Department almost one year to appoint new members to replace in March 2006 the five CFSAC appointees whose terms expired in September 2005. The Committee directs the Department to ensure a timely nomination and appointment process to replace the remaining CFSAC members whose terms will expire in 2006, and to ensure that the appointment process does not disrupt the committee’s schedule of meetings.
Heathcare Resources and Services Administration
	The most crucial need for individuals suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [CFS] is for effective, compassionate medical care. Through its demonstration grants program, HRSA has piloted effective ways of delivering health care services to those with emerging illnesses. The Committee encourages HRSA to provide demonstration grants to develop model CFS clinical centers with the goal of delivering effective, multidisciplinary clinical care to persons with CFS.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
	Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.—With the full restoration of $12,900,000 to the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [CFS] research program in response to a report from the Inspector General dated May 12, 1999, the Committee commends CDC for developing a comprehensive CFS program that now leads CFS research efforts worldwide. The Committee is encouraged by the commitment of the CFS research team and the exciting progress it is making in understanding the pathophysiology of CFS. The Committee encourages CDC to provide sufficient resources to sustain this leadership and to protect the progress made and has provided an additional $1,000,000 over the budget request level to aid these efforts. The Committee is also concerned that the CDC restructuring not undermine this momentum. The Committee requests a report by May 1, 2007 that outlines how the restored funding was used and how the CDC restructuring will affect CFS research. The Committee commends CDC on the joint CDC/CFIDS Association of America national public education and awareness campaign. The Committee is disappointed by the postponement of the campaign and expects CDC to expedite the campaign and ensure that the intent and objectives of the overall campaign, as originally envisioned, are achieved. The Committee understands that emerging evidence indicates that human herpesvirus 6A and Epstein-Barr virus may play a role in CFS. The Committee encourages CDC to investigate the role that these viruses may play, including as possible causative agents.
National Institutes of Health
	Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.—The Committee commends the NIH for the July 14, 2005, request for applications [RFA] on CFS. The Committee supports the CFS Advisory Committee’s recommendation to “establish five Centers of Excellence within theUnited States that would effectively utilize state of the art knowledge concerning the diagnosis, clinical management, treatment and clinical research of persons with CFS.” The Committee notes that the recommendation includes modeling the CFS centers after the existing Centers of Excellence program, with funding in the range of $1,500,000 per center per year for 5 years. The Committee has reviewed the Director’s July 2006 report on NIH Research Activities on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The coding instructions for grants appear insufficient and overly broad, allowing the inclusion of non-CFS-specific studies. Thus, the Committee remains concerned that funds for CFS are not reported appropriately. It is imperative that NIH improve its methods of accounting for disease-specific research, consistent with recommendations from the NIH’s Council of Public Representatives and the Institute of Medicine’s 2003 report, ‘‘Enhancing the Vitality of the NIH: Organizational Changes to Meet New Challenges.’’ Within 60 days of passage of this bill, the Committee requests the NIH to work with the CFS Advisory Committee to refine its coding instructions and revise its report to the Committee accordingly.
Social Security Administration
	The Committee encourages SSA officials to educate adjudicators at all levels about the functional impact of CFS and the application of the April 1999 CFS ruling (99–2p) to ensure that adjudicators remain up to date on the evaluation of disability that results from this condition. The Committee encourages SSA to examine obstacles to benefits for persons with CFS and to keep medical information updated throughout all levels of the application and review process.
Department of Education
	The Committee recommends $106,705,000 for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research [NIDRR]. The comparable fiscal year 2006 funding level and the budget request both are $106,705,000 for authorized activities. NIDRR develops and implements a comprehensive and coordinated approach to the conduct of research, demonstration projects, and related activities that enable persons with disabilities to better function at work and in the community, including the training of persons who provide rehabilitation services or who conduct rehabilitation research. The Institute awards competitive grants to support research in federally designated priority areas, including rehabilitation research and training centers, rehabilitation engineering research centers, research and demonstration projects, and dissemination and utilization projects. NIDRR also supports field-initiated research projects, research training, and fellowships. The Committee commends NIDRR for recognizing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [CFS] as an unmet area of research. The Committee encourages NIDRR to continue to pursue CFS-related research proposals through its investigator-initiated and other grants programs.