A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize funding for the establishment of a program on children and the media within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the role and impact of electronic media in the development of children.

Summary: Children and Media Research Advancement Act or the CAMRA Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Science or another appropriate entity to: (1) review, synthesize, and report on research regarding the roles and impact of electronic media and exposures to such media on youth in core areas of development; and (2) establish research priorities regarding such issues.

Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award grants for research concerning the role and impact of electronic media on the cognitive, physical, and socio-behavioral development of youth. Requires such research to: (1) focus on the impact of factors such as media content, format, length of exposure, age of youth, venue, and nature of parental involvement; and (2) include as electronic media television, motion pictures, DVDs, interactive video games, digital music, the Internet, and cell phones.

Sets forth reporting requirements.

Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Children and Media Research 
Advancement Act'' or the ``CAMRA Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    It is the purpose of this Act to enable the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention to--
            (1) examine the role and positive and negative impact of 
        electronic media in children's and adolescents' cognitive, 
        social, emotional, physical, and behavioral development; and
            (2) provide for a report to Congress containing the 
        empirical evidence and other results produced by the research 
        funded through grants under this Act.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH ON THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN THE 
              DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS.

    Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280g et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating the second section 399O (relating to 
        grants to foster public health responses to domestic violence, 
        dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking) as section 399P; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 399Q. RESEARCH ON THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN THE 
              DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (referred to in this section as the `Director'), 
shall enter into a contract with the National Academy of Science or 
another appropriate entity to review, synthesize, and report on 
research, and establish research priorities, regarding the roles and 
impact of electronic media (including television, motion pictures, 
DVD's, interactive video games, digital music, the Internet, and cell 
phones) and exposures to such media on youth in the following core 
areas of development:
            ``(1) Cognitive.--Cognitive areas such as language 
        development, attention span, problem solving skills (such as 
        the ability to conduct multiple tasks or `multitask'), visual 
        and spatial skills, reading, and other learning abilities.
            ``(2) Physical.--Physical areas such as physical 
        coordination, diet, exercise, sleeping and eating routines.
            ``(3) Socio-behavioral.--Socio-behavioral areas such as 
        family activities and peer relationships including indoor and 
        outdoor play time, interactions with parents, consumption 
        habits, social relationships, aggression, and positive social 
        behavior.
    ``(b) Research Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Taking into account the report provided 
        for under subsection (a), the Secretary, acting through the 
        Director and in coordination with the Director of the National 
        Institutes of Health, shall, subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, award grants for research concerning the role 
        and impact of electronic media on the cognitive, physical, and 
        socio-behavioral development of youth.
            ``(2) Requirements.--The research provided for under 
        paragraph (1) shall comply with the following requirements:
                    ``(A) Such research shall focus on the impact of 
                factors such as media content (whether direct or 
                indirect), format, length of exposure, age of youth, 
                venue, and nature of parental involvement.
                    ``(B) Such research shall not duplicate other 
                Federal research activities.
                    ``(C) For purposes of such research, electronic 
                media shall include television, motion pictures, DVD's, 
                interactive video games, digital music, the Internet, 
                and cell phones.
            ``(3) Eligible entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
        under this subsection, an entity shall--
                    ``(A) prepare and submit to the Director an 
                application at such time, in such manner, and 
                containing such information as the Director shall 
                require; and
                    ``(B) agree to use amounts received under the grant 
                to carry out activities as described in this 
                subsection.
    ``(c) Reports.--
            ``(1) Report to the director.--Not later than 15 months 
        after the date of the enactment of this section, the report 
        provided for under subsection (a) shall be submitted to the 
        Director and to the appropriate committees of Congress.
            ``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than December 31, 
        2012, the Secretary, acting through the Director, shall prepare 
        and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
        that--
                    ``(A) synthesizes the results of--
                            ``(i) research carried out under the grant 
                        program under subsection (b); and
                            ``(ii) other related research, including 
                        research conducted by the private or public 
                        sector and other Federal entities; and
                    ``(B) outlines existing research gaps in light of 
                the information described in subparagraph (A).
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2012.''.

            Passed the Senate September 13, 2006.

            Attest:

                                             EMILY J. REYNOLDS,

                                                             Secretary.