II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1807 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national 

strategic action plan and program to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate change, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. SCHATZ, and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 

develop a national strategic action plan and program 

to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate change, 

and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Climate Change Health 

5 Protection and Promotion Act of 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND CLI2 MATE CHANGE. 

3 (a) FINDINGS.—The U.S. Global Change Research 

4 Program Climate and Health Assessment states that— 

5 (1) the impacts of human-induced climate 

6 change are increasing nationwide; 

7 (2) rising greenhouse gas concentrations result 

8 in increases in temperature, changes in precipitation, 

9 increases in the frequency and intensity of some ex10 treme weather events, and rising sea levels; 

11 (3) these climate change impacts endanger our 

12 health by affecting our food and water sources, the 

13 air we breathe, the weather we experience, and our 

14 interactions with the built and natural environments; 

15 and 

16 (4) as the climate continues to change, the risks 

17 to human health continue to grow. 

18 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that— 

20 (1) climate change is real; 

21 (2) human activity significantly contributes to 

22 climate change; 

23 (3) climate change negatively impacts health. 

24 (4) the Federal Government, in cooperation 

25 with international, State, tribal, and local govern26 ments, concerned public, private and Native AmerVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:00 Sep 19, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1807.IS S1807

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1 ican organizations, and citizens, should use all prac2 ticable means and measures— 

3 (A) to assist the efforts of public health 

4 and health care professionals, first responders, 

5 States, tribes, municipalities, and Native Amer6 ican and local communities to incorporate meas7 ures to prepare public health and health care 

8 systems to respond to the impacts of climate 

9 change; 

10 (B) to ensure— 

11 (i) that the Nation’s public health and 

12 health care professionals have sufficient in13 formation to prepare for and respond to 

14 the adverse health impacts of climate 

15 change; 

16 (ii) the utility and value of scientific 

17 research in advancing understanding of— 

18 (I) the health impacts of climate 

19 change; and 

20 (II) strategies to prepare for and 

21 respond to the health impacts of cli22 mate change; 

23 (iii) the identification of communities 

24 and populations vulnerable to the health 

25 impacts of climate change, including inVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:00 Sep 19, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1807.IS S1807

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1 fants, children, pregnant women, the elder2 ly, individuals with disabilities or pre-exist3 ing illnesses, and low-income populations, 

4 the development of strategic response plans 

5 to be carried out by public health and 

6 health care professionals for those commu7 nities; 

8 (iv) the improvement of health status 

9 and health equity through efforts to pre10 pare for and respond to climate change; 

11 and 

12 (v) the inclusion of health impacts in 

13 the development of climate change re14 sponses; 

15 (C) to encourage further research, inter16 disciplinary partnership, and collaboration 

17 among stakeholders in order to— 

18 (i) understand and monitor the health 

19 impacts of climate change; 

20 (ii) improve public health knowledge 

21 and response strategies to climate change; 

22 and 

23 (iii) identify actions and policies that 

24 are beneficial to health and contribute to 

25 climate solutions; 


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1 (D) to enhance preparedness activities, and 

2 health care and public health infrastructure, re3 lating to climate change and health; 

4 (E) to encourage each and every American 

5 to learn about the impacts of climate change on 

6 health; and 

7 (F) to assist the efforts of developing Na8 tions to incorporate measures to prepare public 

9 health and health care systems to respond to 

10 the impacts of climate change. 

11 SEC. 3. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS. 

12 Nothing in this Act limits the authority provided to 

13 or responsibility conferred on any Federal department or 

14 agency by any provision of any law (including regulations) 

15 or authorizes any violation of any provision of any law (in16 cluding regulations), including any health, energy, envi17 ronmental, transportation, or any other law or regulation. 

18 SEC. 4. NATIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN AND PRO19 GRAM. 

20 (a) REQUIREMENT.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

22 Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec23 retary’’), on the basis of the best available science, 

24 and in consultation pursuant to paragraph (2), shall 

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1 gram to ensure the public health and health care 

2 systems are prepared for and can respond to the im3 pacts of climate change on health in the United 

4 States and other Nations. 

5 (2) CONSULTATION.—In developing or making 

6 any revision to the national strategic action plan and 

7 program, the Secretary shall— 

8 (A) consult with the Director of the Cen9 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

10 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

11 Agency, the Director of the National Institutes 

12 of Health, the Undersecretary of Commerce for 

13 Oceans & Atmosphere, the Administrator of the 

14 National Aeronautics and Space Administra15 tion, the Director of the Indian Health Service, 

16 the Secretary of Energy, other appropriate Fed17 eral agencies, Indian tribes, State and local gov18 ernments, public health organizations, and sci19 entists, and other interested stakeholders; and 

20 (B) provide opportunity for public input 

21 and consultation with tribes and Native Amer22 ican organizations. 

23 (b) ACTIVITIES.— 

24 (1) NATIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN.—Not 

25 later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 


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1 this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director 

2 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

3 and in collaboration with other Federal agencies as 

4 appropriate, shall, on the basis of the best available 

5 science, and in consultation with the entities de6 scribed in subsection (a)(2), publish a national stra7 tegic action plan under paragraph (2) to guide the 

8 climate and health program and assist public health 

9 and health care professionals in preparing for and 

10 responding to the impacts of climate change on pub11 lic health in the United States and other nations, 

12 particularly developing nations. 

13 (2) NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN.—The national 

14 strategic plan shall include an assessment of the 

15 health system capacity of the United States to ad16 dress climate change including— 

17 (A) the identification and prioritization of 

18 communities and populations vulnerable to the 

19 health impacts of climate change; 

20 (B) providing outreach and communication 

21 aimed at public health and health care profes22 sionals and the public to promote preparedness 

23 and response strategies; 


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1 (C) providing for programs across Federal 

2 agencies to advance research related to the im3 pacts of climate change on health; 

4 (D) the identification and assessment of 

5 existing preparedness and response strategies 

6 for the health impacts of climate change; 

7 (E) the prioritization of critical public 

8 health and health care infrastructure projects; 

9 (F) providing modeling and forecasting 

10 tools of climate change health impacts; 

11 (G) establishing academic and regional 

12 centers of excellence; 

13 (H) providing technical assistance and sup14 port for preparedness and response plans for 

15 the health threats of climate change in States 

16 and developing nations; and 

17 (I) developing, improving, integrating, and 

18 maintaining domestic and international disease 

19 surveillance systems and monitoring capacity to 

20 respond to health-related impacts of climate 

21 change, including on topics addressing— 

22 (i) water-, food-, and vector-borne in23 fectious diseases and climate change; 

24 (ii) pulmonary effects, including re25 sponses to aeroallergens; 


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1 (iii) cardiovascular effects, including 

2 impacts of temperature extremes; 

3 (iv) air pollution health effects, includ4 ing heightened sensitivity to air pollution; 

5 (v) harmful algal blooms; 

6 (vi) mental and behavioral health im7 pacts of climate change; 

8 (vii) the health of migrants, refugees, 

9 displaced persons, and vulnerable commu10 nities; 

11 (viii) the implications for communities 

12 and populations vulnerable to the health 

13 effects of climate change, as well as strate14 gies for responding to climate change with15 in these communities; and 

16 (ix) tribal, local and community-based 

17 health interventions for climate-related 

18 health impacts; and 

19 (x) extreme heat and weather events; 

20 (3) CLIMATE AND HEALTH PROGRAM.—The 

21 Secretary, acting through the Director of the Cen22 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, and in col23 laboration with other Federal agencies, as appro24 priate, shall ensure that the climate and health proVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:00 Sep 19, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1807.IS S1807

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1 gram established under this section addresses pri2 ority health actions including the following: 

3 (A) Serve as a credible source of informa4 tion on the physical, mental and behavioral 

5 health consequences of climate change for the 

6 United States population and globally. 

7 (B) Track data on environmental condi8 tions, disease risks, and disease occurrence re9 lated to climate change. 

10 (C) Expand capacity for modeling and 

11 forecasting health effects that may be climate12 related. 

13 (D) Enhance the science base to better un14 derstand the relationship between climate 

15 change and health outcomes. 

16 (E) Identify locations and population 

17 groups at greatest risk for specific health 

18 threats, such as increased heat stress, degraded 

19 air and water quality, food or water-related in20 fections, vector-borne illnesses, pulmonary and 

21 cardiovascular effects, mental and behavioral 

22 health effects and food, water and nutrient in23 security. 

24 (F) Communicate the health-related as25 pects of climate change, including risks and 


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1 ways to reduce them, to the public, decision 

2 makers, public health professionals, and health 

3 care providers. 

4 (G) Develop partnerships with other gov5 ernment agencies, the private sector, non6 governmental organizations, universities, and 

7 international organizations to more effectively 

8 address United States and global health aspects 

9 of climate change. 

10 (H) Provide leadership to State and local 

11 governments, community leaders, health care 

12 professionals, nongovernmental organizations, 

13 the faith-based communities, the private sector 

14 and the public, domestically and internationally, 

15 regarding health protection from climate change 

16 effects. 

17 (I) Develop and implement preparedness 

18 and response plans for health threats such as 

19 heat waves, severe weather events, and infec20 tious diseases. 

21 (J) Provide technical advice and support to 

22 State and local health departments, the private 

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1 ures related to the health effects of climate 

2 change. 

3 (K) Promote workforce development by 

4 helping to ensure the training of a new genera5 tion of competent, experienced public health 

6 and health care professionals to respond to the 

7 health threats posed by climate change. 

8 (c) PERIODIC ASSESSMENT AND REVISION.—Not 

9 later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, 

10 and every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary shall periodi11 cally assess, and revise as necessary, the national strategic 

12 action plan under subsection (b)(1) and the climate and 

13 health program under subsection (b)(2), to reflect new in14 formation collected pursuant to the implementation of the 

15 national strategic action plan and program and otherwise, 

16 including information on— 

17 (1) the status of critical environmental health 

18 parameters and related human health impacts; 

19 (2) the impacts of climate change on public 

20 health; and 

21 (3) advances in the development of strategies 

22 for preparing for and responding to the impacts of 

23 climate change on public health. 

24 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.— 


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1 (1) IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH HHS.—The 

2 Secretary shall exercise the Secretary’s authority 

3 under this Act and other Federal statutes to achieve 

4 the goals and measures of the national strategic ac5 tion plan and climate and health program. 

6 (2) OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS AND

7 INITIATIVES.—The Secretary and Federal officials of 

8 other relevant Federal agencies shall administer 

9 public health programs and initiatives authorized by 

10 laws other than this Act, subject to the requirements 

11 of such laws, in a manner designed to achieve the 

12 goals of the national strategic action plan and cli13 mate and health program. 

14 SEC. 5. ADVISORY BOARD. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall, pursuant 

16 to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92– 

17 463), establish a permanent science advisory board to be 

18 comprised of not less than 10 and not more than 20 mem19 bers. 

20 (b) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—The Secretary 

21 shall appoint the members of the science advisory board 

22 (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Board’’) from 

23 among individuals who— 


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1 (1) are recommended by the President of the 

2 National Academy of Sciences and the President of 

3 the National Academy of Medicine; and 

4 (2) have expertise in essential public health and 

5 health care services, including those related to vul6 nerable populations, climate change, and other rel7 evant disciplines. 

8 (c) FUNCTIONS.—The science advisory board shall— 

9 (1) provide scientific and technical advice and 

10 recommendations to the Secretary on the domestic 

11 and international impacts of climate change on pub12 lic health, populations and regions particularly vul13 nerable to the effects of climate change, and strate14 gies and mechanisms to prepare for and respond to 

15 the impacts of climate change on public health; and 

16 (2) advise the Secretary regarding the best 

17 science available for purposes of issuing the national 

18 strategic action plan and conducting the climate and 

19 health program. 

20 SEC. 6. CLIMATE CHANGE HEALTH PROTECTION AND PRO21 MOTION REPORTS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall offer to enter 

23 into an agreement with the National Research Council, 

24 under which the National Research Council will prepare 

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1 fessionals in preparing for and responding to the adverse 

2 health effects of climate change that— 

3 (1) review scientific developments on health im4 pacts of climate change; and 

5 (2) recommend changes to the national stra6 tegic action plan and climate and health program. 

7 (b) SUBMISSION.—The agreement under subsection 

8 (a) shall require a report to be submitted to Congress and 

9 the Secretary and made publicly available not later than 

10 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 

11 4 years thereafter. 

Æ 


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