Statements and Testimony - 2004

• December 20, 2004 - ASM Letter to Senator Specter
  The ASM sent a letter to Senator Arlen Specter, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, thanking him for his support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• October 26, 2004 - ASM Comments on the Department of Health and Human Services Pandemic Influenza Plan
  On October 26, the ASM sent comments to the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on the Draft Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan, which was announced in the Federal Register on August 27, 2004.

• October 25, 2004 - ASM Comments on NIH Proposal to Facilitate Enhanced Public Access to Research Information
  The ASM submitted comments in response to the September 17, 2004 Federal Register notice from the National Institutes of Health, "Enhanced Public Access to National Institutes of Health Research Information."

• October 12, 2004 - ASM Submits Comments to CDC on Vaccine Safety
  On October 12, the ASM submitted comments to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in response to a request for comments that was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) regarding the current state of CDC’s Vaccine Safety Program.

• August 16, 2004 - ASM Letter to Congress Requesting Increased Funding for NSF
  The ASM sent a letter to each member of Congress urging them to increase funding above the House Appropriations Committee’s level for the National Science Foundation. The House Appropriations Committee’s mark would provide $5.47 billion for the NSF in FY 2005, a decrease of $111 million, or 2 percent, below the FY 2004 funding level, and a decrease of $278 million, or 5 percent, below the President’s FY 2005 budget request.

• August 13, 2004 - Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings 2004
  On August 13, the ASM submitted comments to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its draft Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings 2004.

• August 9, 2004 - ASM Comments to NIH on Open Access to Research Data
  The ASM sent a letter to Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director of the National Institutes of Health Regarding Access to Research Data.

• August 4, 2004 - Establishing a regulatory limit on Listeria monocytogenes
  The ASM submitted a statement in response to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notice requesting comments on the petition asking that theFDA amend the current regulations in 21 CFR part 109, “Unavoidable Contaminants in Food for Human Consumption and Food-Packaging Material,” to establish a regulatory limit on Listeria monocytogenes of 100 colony forming units per gram in foods that do not support growth of the microorganism.

• August 4, 2004 - Water Quality Criteria for Bacteria for Coastal and Great Lakes Waters
  The ASM submitted comments in response to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notice requesting comments on the proposed rule to establish water quality criteria for bacteria for coastal and Great Lakes waters that specific States and Territories have designated for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar water contact activities and for which the State or Territory does not have in place EPA-approved bacteria criteria that are as protective of human health as EPA’s 1986 recommended bacteria criteria.

• August 4, 2004 – Center for Food Safety and Nutrition FY 2005 Program Priorities
  The ASM is responding to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notice requesting comments concerning the establishment of program priorities in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) for fiscal year 2005.

• July 30, 2004 – ASM Comments on 2004 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule
  On July 30, ASM submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to Publication 100-20, Change Request 2959, 2004 Annual [Changes] for Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule and Laboratory Services Subject to Reasonable Charge Payment Methodology.

• July 30, 2004 - ASM Comments on FDA's Critical Path Initiative
  On July 30, 2004 ASM submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration regarding the Critical Path Initiative that was published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2004.

• July 26, 2004 – Payment Determinations for Calendar Year 2005 for New Clinical Laboratory Tests
  PSAB Professional Affairs Committee Member, Vickie Baselski, presented comments before the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at its public meeting regarding payment methodology for new laboratory tests which will be included in the 2005 Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule.

• June 29, 2004 - ASM Comments on the WFCC Proposal to revise the UN Model Regulations for the Transport Conditions for Shipping Risk Group 2 Organisms
  The ASM submitted comments to the United Nations Subcommittee of Experts for the Transport of Dangerous Goods on the WFCC Proposal to revise the UN Model Regulations for the Transport Conditions for Shipping Risk Group 2 Organisms

• June 15, 2004 - ASM Comments on Public Health Service Policies on Research Misconduct
  The ASM submitted comments in response to the April 16, 2004 Federal Register proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services, "Public Health Service Policies on Research Misconduct.

• April 1, 2004 - National Institutes of Health - FY 2005 Testimony
  Appropriations statement regarding NIH funding for FY 2005.

• April 1, 2004 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - FY 2005 Testimony
  Appropriations statement regarding CDC funding for FY 2005.

• April 1, 2004 - National Science Foundation - FY 2005 Testimony
  Appropriations statement regarding NSF funding for FY 2005.

• April 1, 2004 - Food and Drug Administration - FY 2005 Testimony
  Appropriations statement regarding FDA funding for FY 2005.

• April 1, 2004 - U.S. Department of Agriculture - FY 2005 Testimony
  Appropriations statement regarding USDA funding for FY 2005.

• April 1, 2004 - Environmental Protection Agency - FY 2005 Testimony
  Appropriations statement regarding EPA funding for FY 2005.

• April 1, 2004 - Department of Energy - FY 2005 Testimony
  Appropriations statement regarding DOE funding for FY 2005.

• February 9, 2004 - ASM Comments on EPA's Proposed Policy for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems Permit Requirements for Wastewater Treatment Discharges During Wet Weather
  PSAB's Committee on Environmental Microbiology responded to a request for comments from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding policy to prevent the overflow of raw sewage into homes and waterways caused by heavy rainfall or snowmelt.

• January 5, 2004 - ASM Comments on NIH Strategic Plan and Budget to Reduce and Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities, Fiscal Years 2002 - 2006
  The ASM submitted comments on the National Institutes of Health's Strategic Plan and Budget to Reduce and Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities, Fiscal Years 2002 - 2006.  The PSAB/Committee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities (CMIIM) prepared ASM's comments.