The Senate on December 10, 2009, approved an omnibus spending bill (H.R. 3288) funding the Department of Health and Human Services and several other federal agencies through fiscal year 2010. The bill, which was passed by the House on December 10, includes increases for most health-related agencies and programs, providing enhanced funding for biomedical research, health profession workforce programs, and several other initiatives affecting the transfusion and cellular therapy medicine communities.  A continuing resolution funding the agencies since October is set to expire Dec. 18.  President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law before then.  Bill and report language and summaries of each of the bill are available on the House Appropriations Web site.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The bill includes approximately $31 billion in funding for NIH, a 691.8 million (2.3 percent) increase over FY 2009 funding, and $250 million more than the President’s FY 2010 budget request.  The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will receive $3.097 billion in funding, $81 million more than in 2009. 

The conference agreement includes legislative language requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to amend regulations by May 1, 2010, regarding financial conflict of interest among NIH extramural investigators and institutions. The conferees expressed concern "that occurrences of conflict of interest among extramural grantees are investigated only when a complaint is received by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity. The conferees encourage NIH to develop a system for periodic review of conflict of interest documentation at extramural institutions to give some assurance that the new conflict of interest regulations have an effect."

Health Professions
The bill also includes $498 million for health professions workforce programs.  Title VII health professions program funding will increase by $32 million (14.4 percent) to $254 million in FY 2010.   The bill also provides $244 million for Title VIII nursing education programs, a $73 million (42.6 percent) increase over FY 2009.

National Cord Blood Inventory
Funding for the National Cord Blood Inventory will remain unchanged from its FY 2009 level of almost $12 million.  The bone marrow program will also receive no change in funding – approximately $23.5 million.  

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
In FY 2010, AHRQ funding will increase by 6.3 percent to $397 million.  Within that total, the bill provides $25 million under "Patient Safety Research and Health" for healthcare-associated infections prevention activities and $25 million for patient safety and medical liability reform demonstrations. According to the accompanying report, the funding will support "a three-pronged initiative consisting of demonstration grants to States and health systems to test implementation and evaluation of evidence-based patient safety and medical liability projects, grants to States and health systems to plan for implementation and evaluation of evidence-based patient safety and medical liability demonstrations, and a rapid and comprehensive review of initiatives that improve health care quality and reduce liability."

As part of the effort to fund comparative effectiveness research, the bill also includes $24 million for "investigator-initiated research" and $21 million for "Patient-Centered Health Research."

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The bill provides $6.8 billion for CDC, a $128 million (1.9 percent) increase over FY 2009.  Included in this sum are almost $20 million for blood disorders related programs (including hemophilia, thallasemia, diamond blackfan anemia and hemachromatosis) and approximately $15 million for the National Healthcare Safety Network.

Blood Center Funding
A few individual blood centers were also successful in obtaining funding specifically directed at their efforts.  These projects include: $200,000 for the America Red Cross’ Michigan Southeastern Michigan Blood Services Region for blood donation programs; $400,000 for American Red Cross, Puerto Rico for testing the Puerto Rico blood supply for the dengue virus; $200,000 for Florida Blood Services  for equipment purchase; and $300,000 for Mississippi Blood Services for facilities and equipment.