1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders (FGIMDs) are chronic conditions associated with increased sensitivity of the GI tract, abnormal motor functioning, and brain-gut dysfunction. (2) FGIMDs are characterized by chronic or recurring symptoms in the GI tract including pain or discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, incontinence, problems in the passage of food or feces, or a combination of these symptoms. (3) FGIMDs include conditions such as functional dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, dyspepsia, cyclic vomiting syndrome, gallbladder and bile duct dysfunction, gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Hirschsprung’s disease, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, bowel incontinence, and many others, which affect the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, small and large intestine, and anorectal areas of the body. (4) The severity of FGIMDs ranges from mildly uncomfortable to debilitating and in some cases life-threatening. (5) Effective treatments for the multiple symptoms of FGIMDs are lacking, and while sufferers frequently use a variety of medications and therapies for symptoms, few patients report satisfaction with available treatments. (6) Physicians are not sufficiently educated on the proper diagnosis and up-to-date treatments for FGIMDs. This leads to excess health care costs due to unneeded diagnostic procedures and errors in treatments. (7) Patients with FGIMDs frequently suffer for years before receiving an accurate diagnosis, exposing them to unnecessary and costly tests and procedures including surgeries, as well as needless suffering and expense. (8) The economic impact of FGIMDs is high. The annual cost in the United States for IBS alone is estimated to be between $1.7 billion and $10 billion in direct medical costs (excluding prescription and over-the-counter medications) and $20 billion