GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1995

S	1 

SENATE BILL 1056

Short Title:  Cancer/Heart Disease Research.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senators Martin of Guilford and Odom.

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Referred to:  Appropriations

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May 4, 1995

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A GRANT PROGRAM FOR RESEARCH ON CANCER AND HEART DISEASE, AND TO ALLOW TAXPAYERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO CANCER AND HEART DISEASE RESEARCH WHEN THEY FILE THEIR STATE INCOME TAX RETURNS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  (a)	The North Carolina Biotechnology Center shall establish a grant program for research in the areas of heart disease and cancer.  The Program shall be self-supporting and shall be funded from contributions, gifts, and other private sources.  In developing the grant program, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center shall establish criteria for awarding grants directed toward heart disease and cancer research that includes research in the areas of prevention, treatment and care, including pain control, rehabilitation, and identification and categorization of symptomology and syndromes.
(b)	The Center shall establish a committee to review competitive grant applications submitted by public and private medical institutions and institutions of higher education.  The committee shall have the authority to award grants to applicants who meet the criteria established by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.  The committee shall consist of 17 members appointed as follows:
(1)	The 13 public members of the Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control appointed to that Committee by the Governor pursuant to G.S. 130A-33.50(b);
(2)	The two public members of the Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control appointed to that Committee by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate pursuant to G.S. 130A-33.50(a);
(3)	Three public members of the Minority Health Advisory Council, appointed by the Governor as follows:
a.	One of the public members appointed to the Council by the Governor,
b.	One of the public members appointed to the Council by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and
c.	One of the public members appointed to the Council by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate;
(4)	One member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the North Carolina Medical Society who serves on a committee of the Medical Society related to heart disease.
(c)	The grant program established pursuant to this act shall include dissemination of information on heart disease and cancer to the general public and to health care professionals.
Sec. 2.  Article 9 of Chapter 105 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 105-269.7.  Contribution for research in the areas of heart disease and cancer when individual income tax return filed.
An individual who files an income tax return under Division II of Article 4 of this Chapter may elect to contribute all or part of a refund of income taxes to which the taxpayer is entitled, or may elect to make a contribution in excess of any refund due the taxpayer, or both, to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to be used for grant program administration and for research in the areas of heart disease and cancer. The amount contributed will be deducted first from any refund due the taxpayer pursuant to the return.  Contributions in excess of any refund due the taxpayer must be paid by the taxpayer with the return.
The Secretary shall provide appropriate language and space on the income tax form in which to make the election.  The Secretary shall include in the income tax instructions an explanation that the contributions will be used by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to administer a grant program providing funds to public and private medical institutions and institutions of higher education for heart disease and cancer research conducted by those institutions. The taxpayer's election becomes irrevocable upon filing the taxpayer's income tax return for the taxable year.  The Secretary shall transmit the contributions made pursuant to this section to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for administration of the Center's grant program for research in the areas of heart disease and cancer.  The North Carolina Biotechnology Center shall ensure that contributions are divided equally for research on heart disease and research on cancer, and that such research includes the areas of prevention, treatment and care, including pain control, rehabilitation, and identification and categorization of symptomology and syndromes."
Sec. 3.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 1995-96 fiscal year and the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 1996-97 fiscal year for start-up and implementation of the grant program established under Section 1 of this act.  The Secretary of Revenue shall transmit the first two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) in contributions collected pursuant to G.S. 105-269.7 to the State Treasurer to reimburse the General Fund for appropriations to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center pursuant to this section.
Sec. 4.  Section 3 of this act becomes effective July 1, 1995.  The remainder of this act is effective upon ratification and applies to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 1996.