House Resolution 1309
Expansion of the FGIMD Research Portfolio at NIH
FDA Guidance on IBS Treatments
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

Congressman Sensenbrenner introduced the bipartisan Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research and Treatment Act (H.R. 2239) in the U.S. House of Representatives. This landmark legislation seeks to expand the federal commitment to FGIMDs research while calling on regulators to improve the review, approval, and oversight of treatments for FGIMDs. It is only fitting that Congressman Sensenbrenner would take the lead on H.R. 2239, due to the fact that he has long been an active supporter of the FGIMDs community in Congress.

In 2010, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI-2^nd) and Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI-5^th) introduced a bipartisan congressional resolution to call attention to the need for increasing support for research into functional gastrointestinal disorders, House Resolution 1309 (H.Res. 1309). In addition to requesting that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) bolster research activities in this area, the Resolution also served as a means to raise awareness of functional gastrointestinal disorders amongst members of congress. Advocates from across the country urged their House Representatives to cosponsor H.Res. 1309 and in just a few short months the measure gained over a dozen cosponsors; sending a clear message to elected officials that these conditions must be a considered a federal priority moving forward.

Congresswoman Baldwin was one of the lead sponsors of House Resolution 1309 (H.Res. 1309), the bipartisan measure to raise awareness of FGIMDs on Capitol Hill in the 111^th Congress. H.Res. 1309 educated legislators about FGIMDs and encouraged NIH to bolster research in this area. Congresswoman Baldwin has also championed women’s health issues, including GI issues through her role on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee.

Each year advocates encourage Members of Congress to increase funding for NIH and to support bolstering NIH’s functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders (FGIMDs) research portfolio. In recent years the FGIMDs research portfolio at NIH has grown to roughly $20 million annually, facilitating many critical new research projects, like the multi-year multi-million dollar Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium. Much more can be done though as research portfolios of well over $100 million, which result from sustained advocacy and outreach, are common.

Senator Brown is the lead sponsor of the Pediatric Research Consortium Establishment Act in the Senate. Senator Brown represents the CoordinatingCenterof the nationwide DHAPediatric GI Research Consortium, Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. This bill would bolster pediatric medical research by establishing up to 20 federally supported pediatric research consortia and funding them at up to $2.5 million annually. In addition to his leadership on pediatric medical research, Senator Brown is also a constant champion of funding increases for NIH through his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

For years, industry has been reluctant to develop new treatment options for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) due to unclear regulatory standards and policies surrounding these products. Advocates encouraged lawmakers, particularly lawmakers with jurisdiction over FDA, to request that the agency clarify the regulatory framework around IBS so that new products can be brought to market. Recently, FDA initiated a comprehensive effort in coordination with patient advocacy organizations to address this issue and improve approval and oversight of innovative treatments for IBS.

In 2008, congress passed and the president signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The enactment of this legislation was the culmination of nearly a decade of continuous advocacy by the broad public health community. This landmark piece of legislation improves health outcomes by making it illegal for employers and insurers to use the results of genetic testing to discriminate against the individual who received the test.

As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Agriculture and Rural Development Subcommittee, Senator Kohl has championed the effort to increase funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additional resources for the FDA mean the agency can more quickly and effectively approve and regulate innovative treatment options. In addition, Senator Kohl is Chair of the Special Committee on Aging and through this position has worked to improve health outcomes for individuals with bowel incontinence.