A bill to amend the Public Health Act to create a Center for Bioterrorism Preparedness within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Summary: Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a National Center for Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response.Requires the Director of such Center to: (1) administer grants to State and local public health entities to upgrade public health core capacities including surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory diagnosis, the workforce, and information systems; (2) manage and deploy when necessary the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile; (3) ensure States have Stockpile use plans; (4) establish and revise a list of biological, chemical, and radiological agents and toxins that could pose a severe threat to public health and safety; (5) regulate and track listed agents and toxins; (6) train and equip bioterrorism emergency response teams; (7) expand and improve the Laboratory Response Network; (8) organize and carry out simulation exercises; (9) develop and implement disease surveillance measures which include a nationwide electronic network; and (10) develop contingency response plans.

SECTION 1. NATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOTERRORISM PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

  ``PART R--NATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOTERRORISM PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

``SEC. 399Z-1. NATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOTERRORISM PREPAREDNESS AND 
              RESPONSE.

    ``(a) In General.--There is established within the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention a center to be known as the National 
Center for Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response (referred to in this 
section as the `Center') that shall be headed by a director appointed 
by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    ``(b) Duties.--The Director of the Center shall--
            ``(1) administer grants to State and local public health 
        entities, such as health departments, academic institutions, 
        and other public health partners to upgrade public health core 
        capacities, including--
                    ``(A) improving surveillance and epidemiology;
                    ``(B) increasing the speed of laboratory diagnosis;
                    ``(C) ensuring a well-trained public health 
                workforce; and
                    ``(D) providing timely, secure communications and 
                information systems (such as the Health Alert Network);
            ``(2) maintain, manage, and in a public health emergency 
        deploy, the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile administered by 
        the Centers for Disease Control;
            ``(3) ensure that all States have functional plans in place 
        for effective management and use of the National Pharmaceutical 
        Stockpile should it be deployed;
            ``(4) establish, in consultation with the Department of 
        Justice, the Department of Energy, and the Department of 
        Defense, a list of biological, chemical, and radiological 
        agents and toxins that could pose a severe threat to public 
        health and safety;
            ``(5) at least every 6 months review, and if necessary 
        revise, in consultation with the Department of Justice, the 
        Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense, the list 
        established in paragraph (4);
            ``(6) regulate and track the agents and toxins listed 
        pursuant to paragraph (4) by--
                    ``(A) in consultation and coordination with the 
                Department of Justice, the Department of Energy, and 
                the Department of Defense--
                            ``(i) establishing procedures for access to 
                        listed agents and toxins, including a screening 
                        protocol to ensure that individual access to 
                        listed agents and toxins is limited; and
                            ``(ii) establishing safety standards and 
                        procedures for the possession, use, and 
                        transfer of listed agents and toxins, including 
                        reasonable security requirements for persons 
                        possessing, using, or transferring listed 
                        agents, so as to protect public health and 
                        safety; and
                    ``(B) requiring registration for the possession, 
                use, and transfer of listed agents and toxins and 
                maintaining a national database of the location of such 
                agents and toxins; and
            ``(7) train, prepare, and equip bioterrorism emergency 
        response teams, composed of members of the Epidemic 
        Intelligence Service, who will be dispatched immediately in the 
        event of a suspected terrorist attack involving biological, 
        chemical, or radiological weapons;
            ``(8) expand and improve the Laboratory Response Network;
            ``(9) organize and carry out simulation exercises with 
        respect to terrorist attacks involving biological, chemical, or 
        radiological weapons, in coordination with State and local 
        governments for the purpose of assessing preparedness;
            ``(10) develop and implement disease surveillance measures, 
        including a nationwide electronic network linking doctors, 
        hospitals, public health departments, and the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention, for the early detection, 
        identification, collection, and monitoring of terrorist attacks 
        involving biological, chemical, or radiological weapons;
            ``(11) develop response plans for all conceivable 
        contingencies involving terrorist attacks with biological, 
        chemical, or radiological weapons, that specify protocols of 
        communication and coordination between Federal, State, and 
        local actors, as well as between different Federal actors, and 
        ensure that resources required to carry out the plans are 
        obtained and put into place; and
            ``(12) perform any other relevant responsibilities the 
        Secretary deems appropriate.
    ``(c) Transfers.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, on the date described in paragraph (4), each program and 
        function described in paragraph (3) shall be transferred to, 
        and administered by the Center.
            ``(2) Related transfers.--Personnel employed in connection 
        with the programs and functions described in paragraph (3), and 
        amounts available for carrying out such programs and functions 
        shall be transferred to the Center. Such transfer of amounts 
        does not affect the availability of the amounts with respect to 
        the purposes for which the amounts may be expended.
            ``(3) Programs and functions described.--The programs and 
        functions described in this paragraph are all programs and 
        functions that--
                    ``(A) relate to bioterrorism preparedness and 
                response; and
                    ``(B) were previously dispersed among the various 
                centers that comprise the Centers for Disease Control 
                and Prevention.
            ``(4) Date described.--The date described in this paragraph 
        is the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of 
        this section.''.