Stepping up the pace of research is one aspect of a proposal to provide "new resources and new mechanisms to put the nightmare of AIDS behind us," declared Kennedy, who is chairman of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee that oversees most federal health programs. His bill also targets education and prevention, care and treatment, and voluntary testing and counseling.
"This is a $900-million bill, with some adjustments for research," Kennedy said at a press conference. He noted that the Senate 1988 budget resolution authorizes an additional $400 million for AIDS efforts for a total of $900 million, or more than double the amount being spent this year.
The bill would require the appointment of an AIDS coordinator—one of the institute directors at NIH—to promote cooperation throughout the government. The coordinator would draw up a plan to shorten grant approval time to six months, and oversee annual status reports ...
