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[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1225 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]

103d CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 1225

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

To authorize and encourage the President to conclude an agreement with 
  Mexico to establish a United States-Mexico Border Health Commission.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1225

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
To authorize and encourage the President to conclude an agreement with 
  Mexico to establish a United States-Mexico Border Health Commission.

    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 ``United States-Mexico Border Health 
Commission Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF BORDER HEALTH COMMISSION.

    The President is authorized and encouraged to conclude an agreement 
with Mexico to establish a binational commission to be known as the 
United States-Mexico Border Health Commission.

SEC. 3. DUTIES.

    It should be the duty of the Commission--
            (1) to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment in the 
        United States-Mexico Border Area for the purposes of 
        identifying, evaluating, preventing, and resolving health 
        problems and potential health problems that affect the general 
        population of the area;
            (2) to implement the actions recommended by the needs 
        assessment through--
                    (A) assisting in the coordination and 
                implementation of the efforts of public and private 
                entities to prevent and resolve such health problems, 
                and
                    (B) assisting in the coordination and 
                implementation of efforts of public and private 
                entities to educate such population, in a culturally 
                competent manner, concerning such health problems; and
            (3) to formulate recommendations to the Governments of the 
        United States and Mexico concerning a fair and reasonable 
        method by which the government of one country could reimburse a 
        public or private entity in the other country for the cost of a 
        health care service that the entity furnishes to a citizen of 
        the first country who is unable, through insurance or 
        otherwise, to pay for the service.

SEC. 4. OTHER AUTHORIZED FUNCTIONS.

    In addition to the duties described in section 3, the Commission 
should be authorized to perform the following functions as the 
Commission determines to be appropriate--
            (1) to conduct or support investigations, research, or 
        studies designed to identify, study, and monitor, on an on-
        going basis, health problems that affect the general population 
        in the United States-Mexico Border Area;
            (2) to conduct or support a binational, public-private 
        effort to establish a comprehensive and coordinated system, 
        which uses advanced technologies to the maximum extent 
        possible, for gathering health-related data and monitoring 
        health problems in the United States-Mexico Border Area; and
            (3) to provide financial, technical, or administrative 
        assistance to public or private nonprofit entities who act to 
        prevent or resolve such problems or who educate the population 
        concerning such health problems.

SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) Number and Appointment of United States Section.--The United 
States section of the Commission should be composed of 13 members. The 
section should consist of the following members:
            (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services or the 
        Secretary's delegate.
            (2) The commissioners of health or chief health officer 
        from the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California 
        or such commissioners' delegates.
            (3) Two individuals residing in United States-Mexico Border 
        Area in each of the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and 
        California who are nominated by the chief executive officer of 
        the respective States and appointed by the President from among 
        individual who have demonstrated ties to community-based 
        organizations and have demonstrated interest and expertise in 
        health issues of the United States-Mexico Border Area.
    (b) Commissioner.--The Commissioner of the United States section of 
the Commission should be the Secretary of Health and Human Services or 
such individual's delegate to the Commission. The Commissioner should 
be the leader of the section.
    (c) Compensation.--Members of the United States section of the 
Commission who are not employees of the United States or any State--
            (1) shall each receive compensation at a rate of not to 
        exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay 
        payable for positions at GS-15 of the General Schedule under 
        section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, for each day such 
        member is engaged in the actual performance of the duties of 
        the Commission; and
            (2) shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in 
        lieu of subsistence at rates authorized for employees of 
        agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 
        States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of 
        business in the performance of services of the Commission.

SEC. 6. REGIONAL OFFICES.

    The Commission may designate or establish one border health office 
in each of the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. 
Such office should be located within the United States-Mexico Border 
Area, and should be coordinated with--
            (1) State border health offices; and
            (2) local nonprofit organizations designated by the State's 
        chief executive officer and directly involved in border health 
        issues.
If feasible to avoid duplicative efforts, the Commission offices should 
be located in existing State or local nonprofit offices. The Commission 
should provide adequate compensation for cooperative efforts and 
resources.

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    Not later than February 1 of each year that occurs more than 1 year 
after the date of the establishment of the Commission, the Commission 
should submit an annual report to both the United States Government and 
the Government of Mexico regarding all activities of the Commission 
during the preceding calendar year.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the United 
        States-Mexico Border Health Commission.
            (2) Health problem.--The term ``health problem'' means a 
        disease or medical ailment or an environmental condition that 
        poses the risk of disease or medical ailment. The term includes 
        diseases, ailments, or risks of disease or ailment caused by or 
        related to environmental factors, control of animals and 
        rabies, control of insect and rodent vectors, disposal of solid 
        and hazardous waste, and control and monitoring of air quality.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.
            (4) United states-mexico border area.--The term ``United 
        States-Mexico Border Area'' means the area located in the 
        United States and Mexico within 100 kilometers of the border 
        between the United States and Mexico.

            Passed the Senate September 30 (legislative day, September 
      12), 1994.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
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