Bill Text: NJ ACR225 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Urges Congress to pass legislation funding personalized medicine.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2015-06-15 - Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [ACR225 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2014-ACR225-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 225

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

216th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 16, 2015

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  LOUIS D. GREENWALD

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Assemblyman  GARY S. SCHAER

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

Assemblyman  GILBERT "WHIP" L. WILSON

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

Assemblyman  ANGEL FUENTES

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Urges Congress to pass legislation funding personalized medicine.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee on May 7, 2015, with amendments.

 

A Concurrent Resolution urging Congress to pass legislation funding personalized medicine.

 

Whereas, The completion of the Human Genome Project--the research effort to determine the DNA sequence of the human genome--in 2003 paved the way for a more sophisticated understanding of disease causation, which has contributed to the advent of "personalized medicine": and

Whereas, Personalized medicine, also referred to as "precision medicine," is a medical model that proposes the customization of healthcare with medical decisions, practices, and products being tailored to a patient's unique genetic makeup, taking into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person; and

Whereas, Personalized medicine ¹[has demonstrated success in] is dependent upon laboratories rapidly developing unique tests that include genetic sequencing and can be brought to patients without delay.  These tests, called Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs), have led to¹ recently developed treatments for cancer, cystic fibrosis, and other areas with unmet medical need; and

Whereas, In some patients with cystic fibrosis--a disease which clogs the lungs with thick, sticky mucus--this approach has reversed a disease once thought unstoppable, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving a drug for patients with a genetic mutation responsible for some cases of the disease; and

Whereas, On January 30, 2015, President Obama outlined the "Precision Medicine Initiative," a $215 million research effort to collect genetic information from at least one million Americans--one of the largest research populations ever--with the hope of developing personalized treatments to prevent and treat disease; and

Whereas, The initiative includes $130 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a nationwide pool of volunteers so that researchers can study their genes, lifestyles and environments; and

Whereas, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) would receive $70 million to identify genes that cause different types of cancer, and then use that information to develop new treatments to target those abnormal genes; and

Whereas, $10 million would be allotted for the FDA to develop new methods for evaluating next-generation genetic tests; and

Whereas, Recognizing the key role that new technology, data capture, and transparency will play in the progression of medicine, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) would receive $5 million to ensure that data is exchanged securely and privately; and

Whereas, By engaging the NIH, the FDA, and the ONC, this initiative represents a significant interagency collaboration ¹that can move science forward rapidly and effectively to better serve the health care needs of patients¹; and

Whereas, This initiative is a major step toward building a stronger public-private partnership to leverage health data and technology to accelerate the discovery and development of tailored treatments for patients; and

¹Whereas, Nurturing pathways for innovation and new discoveries, effectively driven by clinical laboratories, is essential for patients to receive the latest precision medicine that holds the best promise for effective treatment; and

Whereas, Precision medicine requires additional and ongoing research to ensure that health care decisions are based on and supported by the best available evidence; and¹

Whereas, Funding of the initiative, which is part of the President's budget request for the 2016 fiscal year, is subject to congressional approval; now, therefore,

 

     Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):

 

     1.    The Congress of the United States is urged to pass legislation funding personalized medicine.

 

     2.    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly ¹[,] or the Secretary of the Senate¹ to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the United States Congress elected from this State.