,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eaia  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #g1 #bjah,mr4 
,coffman 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,sessions1  
and ,mrs4 ,mc,morris ,rodgers7          
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 
to direct the ,secretary of ,veterans   
,affairs to establish ,alzheimer's      
,disease research1 education1 and       
clinical centers4  #a4 ,establishment of
 ,alzheimer's ,disease research1        
education1 and clinical centers  7a7 ,in
 general ,chapter #gc of title #ch1     
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
inserting after section #gccj;,b the    
following new section3  #gccj;,c4       
,alzheimer's ,disease research1         
education1 and clinical centers4  7a7   
,establishment of centers  7#a7 ,the    
,secretary1 upon the recommendation of  
the ,under ,secretary for ,health1 shall
 designate not less than three          

,department health-care facilities as   
the locations for centers of            
,alzheimer's ,disease research1         
education1 and clinical activities4     
7#b7 ,subject to the availability of    
appropriations for such purpose1 the    
,secretary shall establish and operate  
centers of ,alzheimer's ,disease        
research1 education1 and clinical       
activities centers at the locations     
designated pursuant to paragraph 7#a74  
7b7 ,requirements for designation  7#a7 
,the ,secretary may not designate a     
,department health-care facility as a   
location for a center under subsection  
7a7 unless the peer review panel        
established under subsection 7c7 has    
determined under that subsection that   
the proposal submitted by such facility 
as a location for a new center under    
subsection 7a7 is among those proposals 
that meet the highest competitive       
standards of scientific and clinical    
merit4  7#b7 ,the ,secretary may not    
designate a ,department health-care     

facility as a location for a center     
under subsection 7a7 unless the         
,secretary 7upon the recommendation of  
the ,under ,secretary for ,health7      
determines that the facility has 7or may
 reasonably be anticipated to develop7  
each of the following3  7,a7 ,an        
arrangement with an accredited medical  
school that provides education and      
training in neurology and with which the
 ,department health-care facility is    
affiliated under which residents receive
 education and training in innovative   
diagnosis and treatment of chronic      
neurodegenerative diseases and forms of 
dementia1 including ,alzheimer's        
,disease4  7,b7 ,the ability to attract 
the participation of scientists who are 
capable of ingenuity and creativity in  
health-care research efforts4  7,c7 ,an 
advisory committee composed of veterans 
and appropriate health-care and research
 representatives of the ,department     
health-care facility and of the         
affiliated school or schools to advise  

the directors of such facility and such 
center on policy matters pertaining to  
the activities of the center during the 
period of the operation of such center4 
7,d7 ,the capability to conduct         
effectively evaluations of the          
activities of such center4  7,e7 ,the   
capability to coordinate 7as part of an 
integrated national system7 education1  
clinical1 and research activities within
 all facilities with such centers4  7,f7
 ,the capability to jointly develop a   
consortium of providers with interest in
 treating ,alzheimer's ,disease and     
other forms of dementia1 at facilities  
without centers established under       
subsection 7a7 in order to ensure better
 access to state-of-the-art diagnosis1  
care1 and education for                 
neurodegenerative disorders throughout  
the health-care system of the           
,department4  7,g7 ,the capability to   
develop a national repository in the    
health-care system of the ,department   
for the collection of data on health    

services delivered to veterans seeking  
care for neurodegenerative diseases1    
including ,alzheimer's ,disease and     
dementia4  7,h7 ,a scientific           
specialization in a field of research   
likely to be transformative to the      
development of a cure or treatment for  
,alzheimer's ,disease1 including the    
capability to study the connection      
between ,alzheimer's ,disease and ,down 
,syndrome4  7c7 ,peer review panel  7#a7
 ,the ,under ,secretary for ,health     
shall establish a panel to assess the   
scientific and clinical merit of        
proposals that are submitted to the     
,secretary for the establishment of     
centers under this section4  7#b7  7,a7 
,the membership of the panel shall      
consist of experts in neurodegenerative 
diseases1 including ,alzheimer's        
,disease and forms of dementia4 ,at     
least one member of the panel shall     
include an expert on the connection     
between ,down ,syndrome and ,alzheimer's
 ,disease4  7,b7 ,members of the panel  

shall serve for a period of no longer   
than two years1 except as specified in  
subparagraph 7,c74  7,c7 ,of the members
 first appointed to the panel1 one-half 
shall be appointed for a period of three
 years and one-half shall be appointed  
for a period of two years1 as designated
 by the ,under ,secretary at the time of
 appointment4  7#c7 ,the panel shall    
review each proposal submitted to the   
panel by the ,under ,secretary and shall
 submit its views on the relative       
scientific and clinical merit of each   
such proposal to the ,under ,secretary4 
7#d7 ,the panel shall not be subject to 
the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act4 
7d7 ,priority of funding ,before        
providing funds for the operation of a  
center designated under this section at 
a ,department health-care facility1 the 
,secretary shall ensure that each       
,alzheimer's ,disease center at a       
facility so designated is receiving     
adequate funding to enable that center  
to function effectively in the areas of 

,alzheimer's ,disease research1         
education1 and clinical activities4  7e7
 ,authorization of appropriations ,there
 are authorized to be appropriated such 
sums as may be necessary for the support
 of the research and education          
activities of the centers established   
pursuant to subsection 7a74 ,the ,under 
,secretary for ,health shall allocate to
 such centers from other funds          
appropriated generally for the          
,department medical services account and
 medical and prosthetics research       
account1 as appropriate1 such amounts as
 the ,under ,secretary for ,health      
determines appropriate4  7f7 ,award     
competitions ,activities of clinical and
 scientific investigation at each center
 established under subsection 7a7 shall 
be eligible to compete for the award of 
funding from funds appropriated for the 
,department medical and prosthetics     
research account4 ,such activities shall
 receive priority in the award of       
funding from such account insofar as    

funds are awarded to projects for       
research in ,alzheimer's ,disease and   
other forms of dementia4  4  7b7        
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of such       
chapter is amended by inserting after   
the item relating to section #gccj;,b   
the following new item3  #gccj;,c4      
,alzheimer's ,disease research1         
education1 and clinical centers4  4