Bill Would Focus AIDS Plans

The federal government may appoint a "full time general" to oversee and coordinate its war on AIDS if a bill introduced in January becomes law, according to Senator Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.).

The coordination of all future AIDS research may full under the auspices of a newly strengthened Office of AIDS Research, said Kennedy, who introduced the bill.

"After a decade of an epidemic far from under control, we finally will have a comprehensive battle plan for AIDS research--and a long range strategy for its implementation," Kennedy said in a statement.

The National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 passed the Senate 93-4 on February 18 and is currently before the House of Representatives.

Secretary for Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala said the proposed reforms will provide an important framework for the improved planning and coordination of AIDS research.

Supporters believe the act will facilitate research by coordinating agendas and expediting funding of approved projects. The bill has been endorsed by the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

The act provides for a stronger Office of AIDS Research under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The office would have a full-time director appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and charged with developing "strategic plan for AIDS research throughout the NIH."

The bill would give the director of the new office powers similar to those of the director of the National Cancer Institute.

The new office would also set up a discretionary fund to be used for emergency research projects.

Dr. June E. Osborn, chair of the National Commission on AIDS expressed support for the bill in a press conference at Radcliffe Friday, saying it will create a newly centralized and organized command center to "direct and steer research in many institutions."

Osborn said the bill will enable researchers to respond quickly to new research findings because emergency funds will be able to support work that would otherwise need to wait for the next year's federal budget.

But critics say the bill just adds a layer of bureaucracy and hinders the fight against AIDS.