Senate Must Act in Lame Duck Session
Unfortunately, Senator Alexander's prediction proved overly optimistic. No action was taken in September, and with the Senate expected to adjourn shortly and not return until after the election, there is little likelihood that it will be considered before adjournment. All legislation dies if it is not passed before the Congressional session ends in January 2017, so the bill must pass in the lame duck session or be re-introduced in the 115th Congressional session, which will run from January 2017 to January 2019.
Disagreement over funding of the Act, specifically the mandatory funding for research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is responsible for the delay. Democrats support increased funding that will make up for years of budget cuts, while Republicans say that a restructuring of the NIH budget is required before they support additional funding.
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