IC 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 849 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

AN ACT 

To support programs for mosquito-borne and other vectorborne disease surveillance and control. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

S 849 RFH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Mos3 quito Abatement for Safety and Health Act’’ or the 

4 ‘‘SMASH Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF MOSQUITO ABATEMENT FOR 

6 SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM. 

7 Section 317S of the Public Health Service Act (42 

8 U.S.C. 247b–21) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B)— 

10 (A) by inserting ‘‘including programs to 

11 address emerging infectious mosquito-borne dis12 eases,’’ after ‘‘control programs,’’; and 

13 (B) by inserting ‘‘or improving existing 

14 control programs’’ before the period at the end; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, in17 cluding improvement,’’ after ‘‘operation’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

20 (I) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

21 at the end; 

22 (II) in clause (iii), by striking the 

23 semicolon at the end and inserting ‘‘, 

24 including an emerging infectious mos25 quito-borne disease that presents a se26 rious public health threat; or’’; and 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

S 849 RFH

1 (III) by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(iv) a public health emergency due to 

4 the incidence or prevalence of a mosquito5 borne disease that presents a serious pub6 lic health threat.’’; and 

7 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 

8 ‘‘or that demonstrates to the Secretary 

9 that the control program is consistent with 

10 existing State mosquito control plans or 

11 policies, or other applicable State pre12 paredness plans’’ before the period at the 

13 end; 

14 (C) in paragraph (4)(C), by striking ‘‘that 

15 extraordinary’’ and all that follows through the 

16 period at the end and inserting ‘‘that— 

17 ‘‘(i) extraordinary economic conditions 

18 in the political subdivision or consortium of 

19 political subdivisions involved justify the 

20 waiver; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) the geographical area covered by 

22 a political subdivision or consortium for a 

23 grant under paragraph (1) has an extreme 

24 mosquito control need due to— 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

S 849 RFH

1 ‘‘(I) the size or density of the po2 tentially impacted human population; 

3 ‘‘(II) the size or density of a 

4 mosquito population that requires 

5 heightened control; or 

6 ‘‘(III) the severity of the mos7 quito-borne disease, such that ex8 pected serious adverse health out9 comes for the human population jus10 tify the waiver.’’; and 

11 (D) by amending paragraph (6) to read as 

12 follows: 

13 ‘‘(6) NUMBER OF GRANTS.—A political subdivi14 sion or a consortium of political subdivisions may 

15 not receive more than one grant under paragraph 

16 (1).’’; and 

17 (3) in subsection (f)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘for fis19 cal year 2003, and such sums as may be nec20 essary for each of fiscal years 2004 through 

21 2007’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of fiscal years 

22 2018 through 2022’’; 

23 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the 

24 Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Pre25 paredness and Response Act of 2002’’ and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 Sep 08, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S849.RFH S849

lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

S 849 RFH

1 serting ‘‘other medical and public health pre2 paredness and response laws’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

4 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2004’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘2018’’; and 

6 (ii) by striking ‘‘2004’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘2018’’. 

8 SEC. 3. EPIDEMIOLOGY-LABORATORY CAPACITY GRANTS. 

9 Section 2821 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

10 U.S.C. 300hh–31) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ‘‘, includ12 ing mosquito and other vector-borne diseases,’’ after 

13 ‘‘infectious diseases’’; and 

14 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2010 through 

15 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘2018 through 2022’’. 

16 SEC. 4. GAO STUDY. 

17 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

18 States shall conduct a study on the state of surveillance 

19 and control of mosquito-borne infectious diseases in the 

20 United States and territories, including the state of pre21 paredness for conducting such surveillance and control. 

22 The study shall include— 

23 (1) a description of the infrastructure and pro24 grams for mosquito control in the United States, in25 cluding— 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
6 

S 849 RFH

1 (A) how such infrastructure and programs 

2 are organized and implemented at the Federal, 

3 State and local levels, including with respect to 

4 departments and agencies of the States, and 

5 local organizations (including special districts) 

6 involved in such control programs; 

7 (B) the role of the private sector in such 

8 activities; 

9 (C) how the authority for mosquito control 

10 impacts such activities; and 

11 (D) the resources for such infrastructure 

12 and programs, including Federal, State, and 

13 local funding sources; 

14 (2) how mosquito and other vector-borne dis15 ease surveillance and control is integrated into Fed16 eral, State, and local preparedness plans and ac17 tions, including how zoonotic surveillance is inte18 grated into infectious disease surveillance to support 

19 real-time situational surveillance and awareness; 

20 (3) Federal, State, and local laboratory capacity 

21 for emerging vector-borne diseases, including mos22 quito-borne and other zoonotic diseases; and 

23 (4) any regulatory challenges for developing and 

24 utilizing vector-control technologies and platforms as 

25 part of mosquito control strategies. 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
7 

S 849 RFH

1 (b) CONSULTATIONS.—In conducting the study under 

2 subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United 

3 States shall consult with— 

4 (1) State and local public health officials in5 volved in mosquito and other vector-borne disease 

6 surveillance and control efforts; 

7 (2) researchers and manufacturers of mosquito 

8 control products; 

9 (3) stakeholders involved in mosquito abate10 ment activities; 

11 (4) infectious disease experts; and 

12 (5) entomologists involved in mosquito-borne 

13 disease surveillance and control efforts. 

14 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

15 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

16 of the United States shall submit to the Committee on 

17 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 

18 the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 

19 of Representatives a report containing the results of the 

20 study conducted under subsection (a) and relevant 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
8 

S 849 RFH

1 recommendations for Zika virus and other mosquito-borne 

2 diseases preparedness and response efforts. 

Passed the Senate September 6, 2017. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS