Statements and Testimony - 1996

• December 19, 1996 - NIH and CDC Funding
  The ASM sent a letter to the President Clinton concerning NIH and CDC funding for Fiscal Year 1998.

• December 2, 1996 - Classification of Human Etiologic Agents on the Basis of Hazard
  ASM sent a letter to the NIH Office of Recombinant DNA Activities recommending revisions to Appendix B, Classification of Human Etiologic Agents on the Basis of Hazard, of the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules as published in the Federal Register on January 19, 1996.

• October 28, 1996 - Regulation of Microbial Products of Biotechnology Under TSCA
  Comments sent to EPA on the proposed rule (59 Federal Register 45526-85) for regulating microbial products of biotechnology.

• September 24, 1996 - Food and Drug Administration Reform
  The ASM sent a letter to members of the House Commerce and Senate Labor and Human Resources Committees regarding FDA reform.

• September 19, 1996 - NIH Funding
  The ASM sent a letter to the President and key Senate leaders regarding the status of funding for the National Institutes of Health.

• September 5, 1996 - Notice of Filing of Gentamicin Sulfate Petition
  The ASM sent a letter to EPA opposing a petition to allow gentamicin sulfate residue on apples. ASM is concerned about the potential for antibiotic resistance if gentamicin sulfate, an antibiotic used in human medicine, is used in agriculture.

• August 30, 1996 - Draft Treaty on Intellectual Property
  The ASM sent a letter to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks commenting on the Draft Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect to Databases.

• August 20, 1996 - EPA Plant Pesticide Proposal
  The ASM responded to EPA's request for comments on additional information it is considering regarding the treatment, as inert ingredients, of "substances introduced into the plant along with the active ingredient to confirm or ensure the present of the active ingredient." The ASM took the position that selectable markers in plants, which are not part of an active ingredient, do not fit the definition of inert ingredients as used in FIFRA or within the November 23, 1994 EPA proposed policy, exemptions and rules, which would regulate plants that have been genetically altered to produce their own pesticides under FIFRA and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

• August 1, 1996 - Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee
  The ASM sent comments on the Notice of Intent to Propose Amendments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules Regarding Enhanced Mechanisms for NIH Oversight for Recombinant DNA Activities.

• August 1, 1996 - Research Training is in Jeopardy
  A number of forces, including a flattening of reimbursement of clinical care, lower support by states, and a decline in sources of private funding all will affect funding for research training. Changes are needed in the mechanisms for support, in the nature of training, and in the emphasis on training from basic to more clinical for the research enterprise to prosper. Article written by Gail H. Cassell, Chair, PSAB for ASM News.

• July 31, 1996 - Extralabel Drug Use in Animals
  The ASM submitted comments in response to FDA's proposed rule - Extralabel Drug Use in Animals. The ASM recommended that antimicrobial drugs that are essential in human medicine, such as fluoroquinolones and glycopeptides, be added to a list of agents who extralabel use is prohibited in animals.

• July 19, 1996 - Safe Drinking Water Act
  Letter sent to conferees supporting provisions related to the safety of drinking water and microbial contaminants.

• July 9, 1996 - CDC Regulation on Transferring and Receiving Select Infectious Agents
  Comments submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for "Additional Requirements for Facilities Transferring and Receiving Select Infectious Agents," published in the June 10, 1996 Federal Register.

• June 27, 1996 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention FY 1997 Appropriations
  Letter written to Senator Arlen Spector and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies regarding CDC FY 1997 Appropriations.

• May 15, 1996 - Research Training Survey
  Letter sent to Congressional leaders describing the results of the 1995-1996 survey of employment needs in the microbiological sciences.

• February 29, 1996 - Reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act: The Need for Appropriate Inclusion of Microbial Contaminants
  Comments submitted on the Safe Drinking Water Reauthorization Act. Focuses on the dangers of Cryptosporidium, Salmonella and Shigella. The comments were developed by the Subcommittee on Drinking Water of the ASM's Public and Scientific Affairs Committee on Environmental microbiology.

• February 3, 1996 - Classification of Human Etiologic Agents on the Basis of Hazard
  The ASM sent a letter to the NIH Office of Recombinant DNA Activities recommending revisions to Appendix B, Classification of Human Etiologic Agents on the Basis of Hazard, of the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules as published in the Federal Register.