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2009 SESSION

094014268
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 292
Offered January 14, 2009
Prefiled December 30, 2008
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study the benefits to the Commonwealth of appropriating additional funds for cancer research. Report.
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Patron-- Martin
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States; and

WHEREAS, men have a one in two chance of developing cancer in their lifetimes, and women have a one in three chance; and

WHEREAS, research advances in the last decade have provided new methods of detecting, treating and preventing cancer, greatly increasing survival rates for many types of cancer; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is home to two National Cancer Institute designated cancer research centers, Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center and the University of Virginia Cancer Center; and

WHEREAS, both the Massey Cancer Center and the University of Virginia Cancer Center rely on federal, state, and private funds to finance their fight against cancer; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study the benefits to the Commonwealth of appropriating additional funds for cancer research. The joint subcommittee shall have a total membership of 13 members that shall consist of eight legislative members, four nonlegislative citizen members, and one ex officio member. Members shall be appointed as follows:  three members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; five members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; one nonlegislative citizen member who shall be a representative of the Massey Cancer Center to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; and three nonlegislative citizen members one of whom shall be a representative of the University of Virginia Cancer Center, one of whom shall be a licensed oncologist, and one of whom shall be a cancer survivor to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates. The Secretary of Health and Human Services or her designee shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the joint subcommittee shall be citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective clerk, nonlegislative citizen members shall only be reimbursed for travel originating and ending within the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of attending meetings.  If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both clerks shall be required. The joint subcommittee shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership, who shall be members of the General Assembly.

In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall (i) examine the sufficiency of current funding sources for both the Massey Cancer Center and the University of Virginia Cancer Center; (ii) review history and successes of cancer research at each center; (iii) explore benefits to the Commonwealth of expanding state support of both centers; and (iv) research additional funding opportunities for both centers.

Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the Senate. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the joint subcommittee shall be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee for this study, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2009 interim and four meetings for the 2010 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $8,800 for each year without approval as set out in this resolution. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember-related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required.

No recommendation of the joint subcommittee shall be adopted if a majority of the Senate members or a majority of the House members appointed to the joint subcommittee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the joint subcommittee.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2009, and for the second year by November 30, 2010, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year. Each executive summary shall state whether the joint subcommittee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2009 and 2010 interims.