Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 117.djvu/2080

 PUBLIC LAW 108–170—DEC. 6, 2003

117 STAT. 2061

‘‘(3) The Director shall investigate allegations of research impropriety and misconduct in medical research projects of the Department. ‘‘(4) The Director shall submit to the Under Secretary for Health, the Secretary, and the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on any suspected lapse, from whatever cause or causes, in protecting safety of human subjects and others, including employees, in medical research programs of the Department. ‘‘(5) The Director shall carry out such other duties as the Under Secretary for Health may require. ‘‘(e) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—Amounts for the activities of the Office, including its regional offices, shall be derived from amounts appropriated for the Veterans Health Administration for Medical Care. ‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than March 15 each year, the Director shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the activities of the Office during the preceding calendar year. Each such report shall include, with respect to that year, the following: ‘‘(1) A summary of reviews of individual medical research programs of the Department completed by the Office. ‘‘(2) Directives and other communications issued by the Office to field activities of the Department. ‘‘(3) Results of any investigations undertaken by the Office during the reporting period consonant with the purposes of this section. ‘‘(4) Other information that would be of interest to those committees in oversight of the Department medical research program. ‘‘(g) MEDICAL RESEARCH.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘medical research’ means medical research described in section 7303(a)(2) of this title.’’. (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7306 the following new item:

Reports.

Deadline.

‘‘7307. Office of Research Oversight.’’.

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 7303 is amended by striking subsection (e). SEC. 402. ENHANCEMENT OF AUTHORITIES RELATING TO NONPROFIT RESEARCH CORPORATIONS.

(a) COVERAGE OF PERSONNEL UNDER TORT CLAIMS LAWS.— (1) Subchapter IV of chapter 73 is amended by inserting after section 7364 the following new section: ‘‘§ 7364A. Coverage of employees under certain Federal tort claims laws ‘‘(a) An employee of a corporation established under this subchapter who is described by subsection (b) shall be considered an employee of the Government, or a medical care employee of the Veterans Health Administration, for purposes of the following provisions of law: ‘‘(1) Section 1346(b) of title 28. ‘‘(2) Chapter 171 of title 28. ‘‘(3) Section 7316 of this title. ‘‘(b) An employee described in this subsection is an employee who—

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