Senate Committee Directs HHS to Include More DCs

By Editorial Staff

The Senate Appropriations Committee has directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other related agencies covered by Appropriations Act (H.R. 2707) to "include a significantly larger number of chiropractors and other health care providers on all current and future advisory boards, commissions, and peer review panels."

The report language appears in Title II of H.R.

2702 under the "National Institutes of Health" section. H.R. 2707 is the appropriations bill which funds HHS. The HHS fiscal 1991 budget was $486 billion; the 1992 budget is projected at $525 billion.

The introduction of this language in the Senate Appropriations Committee's report is the "direct result of our work with Senator Harkin (D-Iowa) and key members of his appropriations committee staff," said Richard Miller, director of governmental relations for the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

"While not having the force of law, the report language is a clear directive to the department to take action in response to the committee's desires," Richard Miller said.

"If the department is unresponsive to this directive, we will be able to return to the committee next year and make a good case to have the directive included as statutory language having the full force of law," Mr. Miller concluded.