Last week, the ACC endorsed the Accelerating Biomedical Research Act, legislation proposed by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) that would increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Because of funding restraints imposed on the NIH by the Budget Control Act of 2011, the NIH has been unable to predict or sustain growth. This legislation, which is expected to be introduced later in July, would allow for an adjustment for NIH above the cap and would essentially restore the purchasing power the NIH would have had if funding had kept pace with inflation since 2003. By endorsing the legislation through its participation in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Constituency Group, the ACC joined dozens of other organizations in supporting the legislation.

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