II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3571 

To stimulate social policy and community environments to improve health 

by encouraging policies and programs to improve community health by 

policy and design, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Mr. MENENDEZ introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To stimulate social policy and community environments to 

improve health by encouraging policies and programs 

to improve community health by policy and design, 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 ‘‘Health Impact Assess5 ments Act of 2008’’ or the ‘‘HIA Act of 2008’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. STUDIES BY THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY 

2 OFFICE TO IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES OF AS3 SESSING THE PLANNING AND IMPACT OF 

4 LAND USE, BUILDING DESIGN, AND SOCIAL 

5 POLICY ON COMMUNITY HEALTH. 

6 (a) STUDY REGARDING HEALTH IMPACT ASSESS7 MENTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 

9 the United States shall conduct a study to determine 

10 the best practices, standardized tools, and models 

11 for using health impact assessments as a method to 

12 promote health and reduce health disparities 

13 through social policy, land use, the built environ14 ment, and other public policies and projects which 

15 have an impact on the public health. Such study 

16 shall specifically examine the potential use of health 

17 impact assessments to link social determinants of 

18 health to land use policies and social policies. 

19 (2) SUBMISSION OF REPORT.—Not later than 1 

20 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

21 Comptroller General of the United States shall sub22 mit to Congress a report that describes the results 

23 of the study conducted under paragraph (1). 

24 (b) REVIEW OF FEDERAL POLICIES AND PRO25 GRAMS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 

2 the United States shall conduct a study to review 

3 the positive and negative health consequences of 

4 Federal policies and programs, and how to consider 

5 health impact assessments for any Federal, State or 

6 local project that involves Federal funding or work 

7 performed by the Federal Government. In con8 ducting such study, the Comptroller General shall 

9 examine, and may use as a model, the environmental 

10 impact statements process required by the National 

11 Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 

12 et seq.). 

13 (2) SUBMISSION OF REPORT.—Not later than 1 

14 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

15 Comptroller General of the United States shall sub16 mit to Congress a report that describes the results 

17 of the study conducted under paragraph (1). 

18 SEC. 3. NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

19 (a) CENTER.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

21 through the Director of the Centers for Disease 

22 Control and Prevention, shall award a grant to an 

23 institution of higher education to— 

24 (A) provide technical assistance and grants 

25 for States and localities to provide to States or 


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1 local health departments or metropolitan plan2 ning organizations or local planning depart3 ments expertise on health impact assessments; 

4 (B) collect and disseminate best practices 

5 and provide technical assistance and training 

6 about the scope and uses of heath impact as7 sessments related to community planning and 

8 policy making; 

9 (C) develop necessary data and evidence to 

10 inform health impact assessments and land use 

11 and community design and other broad policy 

12 decisions; and 

13 (D) administer the demonstration grant 

14 program described in subsection (b). 

15 (2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the grant 

16 under paragraph (1), the Center awarded such grant 

17 shall consult with national organizations with advice 

18 and experience regarding health impact assessments. 

19 (b) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Center awarded the 

21 grant under subsection (a) shall award grants to eli22 gible entities to carry out a demonstration project to 

23 establish and implement effective processes and 

24 models for designing and administering health im25 pact assessments. 


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1 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—For purposes of this 

2 subsection, the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 

3 (A) a State government, a State health de4 partment, or a State planning department; or 

5 (B) a local government, a local health de6 partment, or a local planning department. 

7 (3) CONSULTATION AMONG STATE ENTITIES

8 AND AMONG LOCAL ENTITIES.—An eligible entity de9 scribed in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) 

10 that receives a grant under this subsection shall con11 sult with the other eligible entities described under 

12 such subparagraph (A) or (B), respectively, in car13 rying out the activities under the grant. 

14 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated— 

16 (1) to carry out subsection (a), $1,000,000 for 

17 fiscal year 2009, and such sums as may be nec18 essary for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013; 

19 and 

20 (2) to carry out subsection (b), $4,000,000 for 

21 fiscal year 2009, and such sums as may be nec22 essary for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011. 


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1 SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF ACTIVITIES AT THE CENTERS FOR 

2 DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Centers for 

4 Disease Control and Prevention shall expand the capacity 

5 of such Centers to promote the health impact assessment 

6 processes to improve public health and health equity and 

7 reduce health disparities in land use, the physical environ8 ment, social policies, and exposure to health risks. Such 

9 expansion shall include developing guidance for assessing 

10 the public participation and potential health effects of land 

11 use and design, housing and transportation policy and 

12 plans, and other social policy decisions as appropriate, the 

13 expansion of training efforts, and the development and 

14 dissemination of training tools. 

15 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

17 $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, and such sums as may 

18 be necessary for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013. 

19 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

20 In this Act: 

21 (1) BUILT ENVIRONMENT.—The term ‘‘built 

22 environment’’ means an environment consisting of 

23 all buildings, spaces, and products that are created 

24 or modified by individuals, including— 


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1 (A) homes, schools, workplaces, parks and 

2 recreation areas, greenways, business areas, 

3 and transportation systems; 

4 (B) electric transmission lines; 

5 (C) waste disposal sites; and 

6 (D) land-use planning and policies that im7 pact urban, rural, and suburban communities. 

8 (2) HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT.—The term 

9 ‘‘health impact assessment’’ means any combination 

10 of procedures, methods, tools, and means used to 

11 analyze the actual or potential effects of a policy, 

12 program, or project on the health of a population 

13 (including the distribution of those effects within the 

14 population), and that identifies appropriate actions 

15 to manage those effects. Such term may include as16 sessments that can objectively evaluate the potential 

17 health effects of a project or policy and provide rec18 ommendations to improve health outcomes through 

19 collaboration, public transparency, and account20 ability in policy making about the societal dimen21 sions of health. 

22 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

Æ 


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