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On May 7, the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee released its proposed Fiscal Year 2020 bill and accompanying report. PAA is very pleased with the outcome, especially inclusion of language praising population research programs at the National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as well as language urging support for the National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research.  View the complete report »

The NIA, NICHD, and OBSSR sections are cut and pasted below, as well as summary of the major funding recommendations. The bill will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee on May 8. PAA is very grateful to the chair of the subcommittee, Congresswoman Rosa Delauro (D-CT), for her leadership and support. 

National Institute on Aging

Population Research: The Committee applauds NIA for supporting an innovative and productive population aging research portfolio. The committee urges NIA to pursue its plans to renew and expand the Demography and Economics of Aging Centers Program and to reaffirm the Institute's Commitment to Supporting population aging research overall as part of its revised strategic directions document, Aging Well in the 21st Century: Strategic Directions for Research on Aging. 

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Population Research: Since the Institute's inception in 1962, NICHD has had a clear mandate to support a robust research portfolio focusing on maternal and child health, the social determinants of health, and human development across the lifespan. NICHD has supported innovative and influential population science initiatives, including numerous scientific research initiatives that have advanced our understanding of specific diseases and conditions, including obesity, autism, and maternal mortality, and further, how socioeconomic and biological factors jointly determine human health. The committee urges NICHD to reaffirm its commitment to supporting population research as part of its revised 2020-2024 strategic plan. 

NIH Office of behavioral and Social Science Research

Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research: The OBSSR was established to coordinate and promote basic, clinical, and translational research in the behavioral and social sciences in support of the NIH mission. The Committee supports OBSSR’s activities aimed at strengthening these sciences by enhancing trans-NIH investments in longitudinal datasets, technology in support of behavior change, innovative research methodologies, and promoting the inclusion of behavioral and social sciences in initiatives at the NIH Institutes and Centers. In partnership with other Institutes and Centers, OBSSR co-funds highly-rated grants that the ICs cannot fund alone. While the NIH budget has grown in recent years, OBSSR funding has remained stagnant. Therefore, the Committee encourages NIH to provide OBSSR funding commensurate with increases given to the ICs.

Key Funding Recommendations

• National Institutes of Health -$41 Billion, which is $2 Billion over the FY 2019 enacted level and $6.9 Billion more than the President's request. 
• National Center for Health Statistics -$160.4 Million, $5 Million more than the President's request and language directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a plan for spending $100 Million on data surveillance that includes NCHS
• Bureau of Labor Statistics -$675.8 Million, $60,68 Million more than the FY 2019 enacted level and $20.8 Million than the President's request. 
• Institute of Education Sciences -$650 Million, $34.5 Million over the FY 2019 enacted level and $128 Million over the President's request

There is a long way to go before these funding recommendations are finalized. However, these marks are an excellent first step towards making essential investments in agencies that the population sciences rely on to conduct their research and research training and to advance the health and well being of individuals worldwide.