124 STAT. 585 PUBLIC LAW 111–148—MAR. 23, 2010 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Conference shall be to— (A) increase the recognition of pain as a significant public health problem in the United States; (B) evaluate the adequacy of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of acute and chronic pain in the general population, and in identified racial, ethnic, gender, age, and other demographic groups that may be disproportionately affected by inadequacies in the assess- ment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of pain; (C) identify barriers to appropriate pain care; (D) establish an agenda for action in both the public and private sectors that will reduce such barriers and significantly improve the state of pain care research, edu- cation, and clinical care in the United States. (3) OTHER APPROPRIATE ENTITY.—If the Institute of Medi- cine declines to enter into an agreement under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Health and Human Services may enter into such agreement with another appropriate entity. (4) REPORT.—A report summarizing the Conference’s findings and recommendations shall be submitted to the Con- gress not later than June 30, 2011. (5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of carrying out this subsection, there is authorized to be appro- priated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011. (b) PAIN RESEARCH AT NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.— Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘SEC. 409J. PAIN RESEARCH. ‘‘(a) RESEARCH INITIATIVES.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH is encouraged to continue and expand, through the Pain Consortium, an aggres- sive program of basic and clinical research on the causes of and potential treatments for pain. ‘‘(2) ANNUAL RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not less than annually, the Pain Consortium, in consultation with the Division of Pro- gram Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, shall develop and submit to the Director of NIH recommendations on appropriate pain research initiatives that could be under- taken with funds reserved under section 402A(c)(1) for the Common Fund or otherwise available for such initiatives. ‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term ‘Pain Consor- tium’ means the Pain Consortium of the National Institutes of Health or a similar trans-National Institutes of Health coordinating entity designated by the Secretary for purposes of this subsection. ‘‘(b) INTERAGENCY PAIN RESEARCH COORDINATING COM- MITTEE.— ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section and as necessary maintain a committee, to be known as the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (in this section referred to as the ‘Committee’), to coordinate all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services and other Federal agencies that relate to pain research. Deadline. 42 USC 284q.
