Why is the NIH Reform Act significant?
Reauthorization is the process by which Congress prescribes revisions, additions, and deletions to NIH’s statutory authority. Through this process, legislation is developed that adjusts NIH’s programs to meet changing research needs. The last NIH reauthorization, the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act, was enacted on June 10, 1993. Many of the authorization of appropriations sections expired in 1996. Although some of these authorizations of appropriations sections were renewed and disease-specific mandates enacted in separate legislation, NIH had not been reviewed organizationally as a whole since 1993. The NIH Reform Act furthers NIH’s ability to focus on how research cuts across many disciplines and requires collaboration among many specialties.
