(5) While many of the most common NTDs 
have treatments that are safe, easy to use, and effec-
tive, treatment options for NTDs with the highest 
death rates, including human African trypanosomia-
sis, visceral leishmaniasis, and Chagas disease, are 
extremely limited. 
(6) Since 2014, USAID’s Neglected Tropical 
Diseases Program has been investing in gathering 
research on treatment for certain NTDs to ensure 
that promising new breakthrough medicines can be 
rapidly evaluated, registered, and made available to 
patients. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Program 
should— 
(1) provide integrated drug treatment packages 
to as many individuals suffering from NTDs or at 
risk of acquiring NTDs as logistically feasible; 
(2) better integrate control and treatment tools 
and approaches for NTDs into complementary devel-
opment and global health programs by coordinating 
across multiple sectors, including sectors relating to 
HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other infectious diseases 
and development sectors relating to education (in-
cluding primary and pre-primary education), food 
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and nutrition security, maternal and child health, 
and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as 
practicable and appropriate; 
(3) establish low-cost, high-impact community 
and school-based NTD programs to reach large at- 
risk populations, including school-age children who 
require treatments for NTDs, with integrated drug 
treatment packages as feasible; 
(4) for other NTDs, such as human African 
trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Chagas disease, 
leishmaniasis, and dengue fever, engage in research 
and development of new tools and approaches to 
reach the goals relating to the elimination of NTDs 
as set forth in the World Health Organization’s ‘‘Ac-
celerating Work to Overcome the Global Impact of 
Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Roadmap for Imple-
mentation’’ (2012), as opportunities emerge and re-
sources allow; and 
(5) monitor the research on and developments 
in the prevention and treatment of other NTDs so 
they can be incorporated into the program, as prac-
ticable and appropriate. 
(c) PROGRAM PRIORITIES.—The Administrator of 
USAID should incorporate the following priorities into 
USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Program: 
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(1) Planning for and conducting robust moni-
toring and evaluation of program investments in 
order to accurately measure impact, identify and 
share lessons learned, and inform future NTD con-
trol and elimination strategies. 
(2) 
Coordinating 
program 
activities 
with 
USAID development sectors, including development 
sectors relating to education (including primary and 
pre-primary education), food and nutrition security, 
and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), in 
order to advance the goals of the London Declara-
tion on Neglected Tropical Diseases (2012). 
(3) Including morbidity management in treat-
ment plans for high-burden NTDs. 
(4) Incorporating NTDs that are recognized as 
high-burden diseases in the Global Burden of Dis-
ease Study 2010 into the program as opportunities 
emerge, to the extent practicable and appropriate. 
(5) Continuing investments in research and de-
velopment for new tools, including diagnostics, 
drugs, and vaccines, for NTDs to ensure that new 
discoveries make it through the pipeline and become 
available to individuals who need them most. 
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SEC. 102. ACTIONS BY DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 
(a) OFFICE OF THE GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR.— 
It is the sense of Congress that the Coordinator of United 
States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Glob-
ally should fully consider evolving research on the impact 
of neglected tropical diseases on efforts to control HIV/ 
AIDS when making future programming decisions, as nec-
essary and appropriate. 
(b) GLOBAL PROGRAMMING.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of State 
should encourage the Global Fund to take into con-
sideration evolving research on the impact of NTDs 
on efforts to control HIV/AIDS when making pro-
gramming decisions, particularly with regard to fe-
male genital schistosomiasis, which has been re-
vealed as one of the most significant co-factors in 
the AIDS epidemic in Africa, as necessary and ap-
propriate. 
(2) GLOBAL
FUND.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘‘Global Fund’’ means the public-private part-
nership known as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
Tuberculosis and Malaria established pursuant to 
Article 80 of the Swiss Civil Code. 
(c) G–20 COUNTRIES.—The Secretary of State, act-
ing through the Office of Global Health Diplomacy, should 
encourage G–20 countries, particularly Argentina, Brazil, 
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China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, 
Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, to significantly increase 
their role in the control and elimination of NTDs. 
SEC. 103. MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH IN-
STITUTIONS. 
(a) CONGRESSIONAL FINDING.—Congress finds that 
the treatment of high burden neglected tropical diseases, 
including community and school-based deworming pro-
grams, can be a highly cost-effective education interven-
tion and schools can serve as an effective delivery mecha-
nism for reaching large numbers of children with safe 
treatment for soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) 
(round worm, whip worm, and hook worm) in particular. 
(b) UNITED NATIONS.—The President should direct 
the United States permanent representative to the United 
Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United 
States to urge the World Health Organization and the 
United Nations Development Programme to take the ac-
tions described in subsection (d). 
(c) WORLD BANK INSTITUTE.—The President shall 
direct the United States Executive Director at the Inter-
national Bank for Reconstruction and Development to use 
the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to urge 
the World Bank Institute to take the actions described 
in subsection (d). 
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(d) ACTIONS DESCRIBED.—The actions described in 
this subsection are the following: 
(1) Ensure the dissemination of best practices 
and programming on NTDs to governments and 
make data accessible to practitioners in an open and 
timely fashion. 
(2) Highlight impacts of community and school- 
based deworming programs on children’s health and 
education, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of such 
programs. 
(3) Encourage governments to implement 
deworming campaigns at the national level. 
(4) Designate a portion of grant funds of the 
institutions to deworming initiatives and cross-sec-
toral collaboration with water and sanitation and hy-
giene efforts and nutrition or education program-
ming. 
(5) Encourage accurate monitoring and evalua-
tion of NTD programs, including deworming pro-
grams. 
(6) Engage governments in cross-border initia-
tives for the treatment, control, prevention, and 
elimination of NTDs, and assist in developing 
transnational agreements, when necessary. 
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TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
SEC. 201. PROMOTING EFFORTS THROUGH INTERAGENCY 
WORKING GROUPS AND INTERNATIONAL FO-
RUMS. 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
continue to promote the need for robust programs and ac-
tivities to diagnose, prevent, control, and treat neglected 
tropical diseases— 
(1) through interagency working groups on 
health; and 
(2) through relevant international forums on 
behalf of the United States, including the post-2015 
United Nations development agenda. 
SEC. 202. REPORT ON NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES IN 
THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, acting through relevant agencies of 
the Department of Health and Human Services, shall sub-
mit to the Congress a report on neglected tropical diseases 
in the United States. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report required by this section 
shall— 
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(1) assess the epidemiology of, impact of, and 
appropriate funding required to address, neglected 
tropical diseases in the United States; and 
(2) include the information necessary— 
(A) to guide future health policy with re-
spect to such diseases; 
(B) to accurately evaluate the current 
state of knowledge concerning such diseases; 
and 
(C) to define gaps in such knowledge. 
SEC. 203. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. 
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
is amended by inserting after section 399V–6 of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 280g–17) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 399V–7. NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE CENTERS OF 
EXCELLENCE. 
‘‘(a) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, may enter into cooperative 
agreements with, and make grants to, public or pri-
vate nonprofit entities to pay all or part of the cost 
of planning, establishing, or strengthening, and pro-
viding basic operating support for, one or more cen-
ters of excellence for research into, training in, and 
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development of diagnosis, prevention, control, and 
treatment methods for neglected tropical diseases, 
including tools to support elimination. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a cooper-
ative agreement or grant under this section, an enti-
ty must— 
‘‘(A) have demonstrated expertise in re-
search on, and or the epidemiology and surveil-
lance of, major neglected tropical diseases that 
are endemic to the United States, such as 
Chagas disease, dengue, leishmaniasis, West 
Nile virus, and helminth infections; and 
‘‘(B) participate in one or more not-for- 
profit product development partnerships. 
‘‘(b) POLICIES.—A cooperative agreement or grant 
under paragraph (1) shall be entered into or awarded in 
accordance with established policies. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that activities under this section are coordinated with 
similar activities of the Department of Health and Human 
Services relating to neglected tropical diseases. 
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—A cooperative agreement or 
grant under subsection (a) may be used for— 
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‘‘(1) staffing, administrative, and other basic 
operating costs, including such patient care costs as 
are required for research; 
‘‘(2) clinical training, including training for al-
lied health professionals, continuing education for 
health professionals and allied health professions 
personnel, and information programs for the public 
with respect to neglected tropical diseases; and 
‘‘(3) research and development programs. 
‘‘(e) PERIOD OF SUPPORT; ADDITIONAL PERIODS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Support of a center of ex-
cellence under this section may be for a period of 
not more than 5 years. 
‘‘(2) EXTENSIONS.—The period specified in 
paragraph (1) may be extended by the Secretary for 
additional periods of not more than 5 years if— 
‘‘(A) the operations of the center of excel-
lence involved have been reviewed by an appro-
priate technical and scientific peer review 
group; and 
‘‘(B) such group has recommended to the 
Secretary that such period should be extended. 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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