contribute data relevant to the operation of the 
NBIC. 
‘‘(2) ASSESSMENTS.—The Director shall— 
‘‘(A) continuously evaluate available data 
for evidence of a biological event; and 
‘‘(B) integrate homeland security informa-
tion with NBIC data to provide overall biologi-
cal situational awareness and determine wheth-
er a biological event has occurred. 
‘‘(3) INFORMATION
SHARING.—The Director 
shall— 
‘‘(A) establish a mechanism for real-time 
communication with the National Operations 
Center; 
‘‘(B) provide integrated information to the 
heads of the departments and agencies with 
which the Director has entered into an agree-
ment under subsection (d); 
‘‘(C) notify the Secretary, the head of the 
National Operations Center, and the heads of 
appropriate Federal, State, tribal, and local en-
tities of any significant biological event identi-
fied by the NBIC; 
‘‘(D) provide reports on NBIC assessments 
to Federal, State, and local government entities, 
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including departments and agencies with which 
the Director has entered into an agreement 
under subsection (d), and any private sector en-
tities, as considered appropriate by the Direc-
tor; and 
‘‘(E) use information sharing networks 
available to the Department, including such 
networks of the Office of Information Analysis 
and the National Operations Center, for distrib-
uting NBIC incident or situational awareness 
reports. 
‘‘(d) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall seek to 
enter into agreements with the heads of appropriate 
Federal departments and agencies, including the De-
partment of Health and Human Services, Depart-
ment of Defense, the Department of Agriculture, the 
Department of State, the Department of Interior, 
and the Intelligence Community. 
‘‘(2) CONTENT
OF
AGREEMENTS.—Under an 
agreement entered into under paragraph (1), the 
head of a Federal department or agency shall agree 
to— 
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‘‘(A) use the best efforts of the department 
or agency to integrate biosurveillance informa-
tion capabilities through NBIC; 
‘‘(B) provide timely, evaluated information 
to assist the NBIC in maintaining biological sit-
uational awareness for timely and accurate de-
tection and response purposes; 
‘‘(C) provide connectivity for the bio-
surveillance data systems of the department or 
agency to the NBIC network under mutually 
agreed protocols; 
‘‘(D) detail, if practicable, to the NBIC de-
partment or agency personnel with relevant ex-
pertise in human, animal, plant, food, or envi-
ronmental disease analysis and interpretation; 
‘‘(E) retain responsibility for the surveil-
lance and intelligence systems of that depart-
ment or agency, if applicable; and 
‘‘(F) participate in forming the strategy 
and policy for the operation and information 
sharing practices of the NBIC. 
‘‘(e) NOTIFICATION OF DIRECTOR.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that the Director is notified of homeland secu-
rity information relating to any significant biological 
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threat and receives all classified and unclassified reports 
related to such a threat in a timely manner. 
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES.— 
‘‘(1) PRIVACY.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) designate the NBIC as a public 
health authority; 
‘‘(B) ensure that the NBIC complies with 
any applicable requirements of the Health In-
surance Portability and Accountability Act of 
1996; and 
‘‘(C) ensure that all applicable privacy reg-
ulations are strictly adhered to in the operation 
of the NBIC and the sharing of any informa-
tion related to the NBIC. 
‘‘(2) 
COLLECTION
OF
INFORMATION.—The 
NBIC, as a public health authority with a public 
health mission, is authorized to collect or receive 
health information, including such information pro-
tected under the Health Insurance Portability and 
Accountability Act of 1996, for the purpose of pre-
venting or controlling disease, injury, or disability. 
‘‘(g) NBIC INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The 
Director shall— 
‘‘(1) establish an interagency working group to 
facilitate interagency cooperation to advise the Di-
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rector on recommendations to enhance the bio-
surveillance capabilities of the Department; and 
‘‘(2) invite officials of Federal agencies that 
conduct biosurveillance programs, including officials 
of the departments and agencies with which the Sec-
retary has entered into an agreement under sub-
section (d), to participate in the working group. 
‘‘(h) ANNUAL REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 
December 31 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report that contains each of the following: 
‘‘(1) A list of departments, agencies, and pri-
vate or nonprofit entities participating in the NBIC 
and a description of the data that each entity has 
contributed to the NBIC during the preceding fiscal 
year. 
‘‘(2) The schedule for obtaining access to any 
relevant biosurveillance information not received by 
the NBIC as of the date on which the report is sub-
mitted. 
‘‘(3) A list of Federal, State, and local govern-
ment entities and private sector entities that have 
direct or indirect access to the information that is 
integrated by the NBIC. 
‘‘(4) For any year before the NBIC is fully im-
plemented or any year in which any major structural 
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or institutional change is made to the NBIC, an im-
plementation plan for the NBIC that includes cost, 
schedule, key milestones, and the status of such 
milestones. 
‘‘(i) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND 
AGENCIES.—The authority of the Secretary under this 
section shall not affect an authority or responsibility of 
any other Federal department or agency with respect to 
biosurveillance activities under any program administered 
by that department or agency. 
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year. 
‘‘(k) BIOLOGICAL EVENT.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘biological event’ means— 
‘‘(1) an act of terrorism involving biological 
agents or toxins of known or unknown origin; or 
‘‘(2) a naturally occurring outbreak of an infec-
tious disease that may be of potential national sig-
nificance.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting after 
the items relating to such title the following: 
‘‘Sec. 316. National Biosurveillance Integration Center.’’. 
(c) DEADLINE
FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—The Na-
tional Biosurveillance Integration Center required under 
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section 316 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as 
added by subsection (a), shall be fully operational by not 
later than September 30, 2008. 
Æ 
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