Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5041 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5041

            To advance population research for chronic pain.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 21, 2026

Mr. Kaine (for himself, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Daines) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
               on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

            To advance population research for chronic pain.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing Research for Chronic Pain
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL CHRONIC PAIN INFORMATION SYSTEM.

    Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 399V-8. CHRONIC PAIN RESEARCH.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Director
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the
National Institutes of Health, and other agencies as the Secretary
determines appropriate, shall--
            ``(1) utilize available Federal research data to clarify
        the incidence and prevalence of chronic pain from any source,
        including injuries, operations, and diseases and conditions;
            ``(2) identify gaps in the available research data and
        collect deidentified population research data using medical
        claims and survey data to fill gaps in available research data,
        such as information concerning, to the maximum extent
        practicable--
                    ``(A) incidence and prevalence of specific pain
                conditions;
                    ``(B) demographics and other information, such as
                age, race, ethnicity, gender, and geographic location;
                    ``(C) the incidence and prevalence of known chronic
                pain conditions, as well as of diseases and conditions
                that include or lead to pain;
                    ``(D) risk factors that may be associated with
                chronic pain conditions, such as genetic and
                environmental risk factors and other information, as
                appropriate;
                    ``(E) diagnosis and progression markers;
                    ``(F) both direct and indirect costs of illness;
                    ``(G) the epidemiology of the conditions;
                    ``(H) the detection, management, and treatment of
                the conditions;
                    ``(I) the epidemiology, detection, management, and
                treatment of frequent secondary or co-occurring
                conditions, such as depressive, anxiety, and substance
                use disorders;
                    ``(J) the utilization of medical and social
                services by patients with chronic pain conditions,
                including the direct health care costs of pain
                treatment, both traditional and alternative, and the
                indirect costs (such as missed work, public and private
                disability, and reduction in productivity);
                    ``(K) the effectiveness of evidence-based treatment
                approaches on chronic pain conditions; and
                    ``(L) the utilization, effectiveness, and outcomes
                associated with non-opioid and opioid sparing treatment
                approaches used in combination in a multidisciplinary,
                multimodal manner for chronic pain, and the
                identification of remaining research gaps in this area;
            ``(3) develop, in collaboration with individuals and
        organizations with appropriate chronic pain expertise,
        including patients or patient advocates, epidemiologists,
        representatives of national voluntary health associations,
        health information technology experts, clinicians, and research
        scientists, recommendations for standard definitions and
        approaches for population research on chronic pain to
        efficiently promote greater comparability of data; and
            ``(4) disseminate, pursuant to the public web page under
        subsection (b), and, as appropriate, to the public and to other
        Federal departments and agencies, any findings, developed
        population research standards, and available Federal data
        sources related to chronic pain.
    ``(b) Dissemination.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish a
public web page, to be known as the Chronic Pain Information Hub,
that--
            ``(1) aggregates and summarizes available Federal data
        sources, indicators, and peer-reviewed research related to
        chronic pain;
            ``(2) includes an up-to-date summary of complete, underway,
        and planned data collection and analysis related to chronic
        pain that is conducted and supported by the Centers for Disease
        Control and Prevention; and
            ``(3) translates research findings into clinical tools and
        resources, recommendations for closing research gaps, and
        recommendations for population research standards for
        researchers, with recommendations updated annually to
        incorporate research findings from the prior year.
    ``(c) Conflicts of Interest.--If an individual or organization that
collaborates with the Secretary in carrying out subsection (a) receives
a payment or other transfer of value of a type described in section
1128G(a)(1)(A)(vi) of the Social Security Act from a manufacturer of a
drug (including a biological product) or device that would be required
to be disclosed pursuant to section 1128G(a)(1) of the Social Security
Act, if the individual or organization were a covered recipient or if
such disclosure were required upon request of or by designation on
behalf of a covered recipient pursuant to such section, the individual
or organization shall disclose to the Secretary information regarding
such payment or other transfer of value. The Secretary shall make such
disclosures publicly available.
    ``(d) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of the Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act of 2026, the
Secretary shall submit a report to Congress concerning the
implementation of this section. Such report shall include information
on--
            ``(1) the development and maintenance of the Chronic Pain
        Information Hub;
            ``(2) the information made available through the Chronic
        Pain Information Hub;
            ``(3) the data gaps identified, and planned efforts to
        address such gaps;
            ``(4) the process established for soliciting feedback from
        collaborators; and
            ``(5) feedback received from collaborators.
    ``(e) Definition.--In this section, the term `chronic pain' means
persistent or recurrent pain lasting longer than 3 months.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.''.
                                 <all>