I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6608 
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to research on asthma, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 27, 2012 
Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to 
research on asthma, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family Asthma Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The number of people with asthma in-
creased by 50 percent between 1998 and 2010. Ac-
cording to the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention, in 2010 more than 25,000,000 Americans 
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had been diagnosed with asthma, including an esti-
mated 7,000,000 children. 
(2) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, in 2009 more than 3,300 Amer-
icans died from asthma. The rate of mortality from 
asthma is higher among African-Americans and 
women. 
(3) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention report that asthma accounted for 480,000 
hospitalizations in 2009 and 1,800,000 visits to hos-
pital emergency departments in 2007. 
(4) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, the annual cost of asthma to 
the 
United 
States 
is 
approximately 
$56,000,000,000, including $6,000,000,000 in indi-
rect costs from lost productivity. 
(5) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, 10,500,000 school days and 
14,200,000 work days are missed annually as a re-
sult of asthma. 
(6) Asthma episodes can be triggered by both 
outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution, in-
cluding pollutants such as cigarette smoke and com-
bustion by-products. Asthma episodes can also be 
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triggered by indoor allergens such as animal dander 
and outdoor allergens such as pollen and molds. 
(7) Public health interventions and medical care 
in accordance with existing guidelines have been 
proven effective in the treatment and management 
of asthma. Better asthma management could reduce 
the numbers of emergency department visits and 
hospitalizations due to asthma. Studies published in 
medical journals have shown that better asthma 
management results in improved asthma outcomes 
at a lower cost. 
(8) In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention reported that less than half of people 
with asthma had been taught how to avoid asthma 
triggers. More education about triggers, proper 
treatment, and asthma management methods is 
needed. 
(9) The alarming rise in the prevalence of asth-
ma, its adverse effect on school attendance and pro-
ductivity, and its cost for hospitalizations and emer-
gency room visits, highlight the importance of public 
health interventions, including increasing awareness 
of asthma as a chronic illness, its symptoms, the role 
of both indoor and outdoor environmental factors 
that exacerbate the disease, and other factors that 
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affect its exacerbations and severity. The goals of 
the Federal Government and its partners in the non-
profit and private sectors should include reducing 
the number and severity of asthma attacks, asthma’s 
financial burden, and the health disparities associ-
ated with asthma. 
SEC. 3. ASTHMA-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTERS 
FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. 
Section 317I of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247b–10) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 317I. ASTHMA-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTERS 
FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION AND 
EDUCATION
TO
THE PUBLIC.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, shall collaborate with State and local 
health departments to conduct activities, including the 
provision of information and education to the public re-
garding asthma including— 
‘‘(1) deterring the harmful consequences of un-
controlled asthma; and 
‘‘(2) disseminating health education and infor-
mation regarding prevention of asthma episodes and 
strategies for managing asthma. 
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‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT OF STATE ASTHMA PLANS.— 
The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, shall collaborate with 
State and local health departments to develop State plans 
incorporating public health responses to reduce the burden 
of asthma, particularly regarding disproportionately af-
fected populations. 
‘‘(c) COMPILATION OF DATA.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, shall, in cooperation with State and local 
public health officials— 
‘‘(1) conduct asthma surveillance activities to 
collect data on the prevalence and severity of asth-
ma, the effectiveness of public health asthma inter-
ventions, and the quality of asthma management, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) collection of household data on the 
local burden of asthma; 
‘‘(B) surveillance of health care facilities; 
and 
‘‘(C) collection of data not containing indi-
vidually identifiable information from electronic 
health records or other electronic communica-
tions; 
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‘‘(2) compile and annually publish data regard-
ing the prevalence and incidence of childhood asth-
ma, the child mortality rate, and the number of hos-
pital admissions and emergency department visits by 
children associated with asthma nationally and in 
each State and at the county level by age, sex, race, 
and ethnicity, as well as lifetime and current preva-
lence; and 
‘‘(3) compile and annually publish data regard-
ing the prevalence and incidence of adult asthma, 
the adult mortality rate, and the number of hospital 
admissions and emergency department visits by 
adults associated with asthma nationally and in each 
State and at the county level by age, sex, race, eth-
nicity, industry, and occupation, as well as lifetime 
and current prevalence. 
‘‘(d) COORDINATION OF DATA COLLECTION.—The 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion, in conjunction with State and local health depart-
ments, shall coordinate data collection activities under 
subsection (c)(2) so as to maximize the comparability of 
results. 
‘‘(e) COLLABORATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention are encouraged to collabo-
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rate with national, State, and local nonprofit organi-
zations to provide information and education about 
asthma, and to strengthen such collaborations when 
possible. 
‘‘(2) SPECIFIC
ACTIVITIES.—The Division of 
Adolescent and School Health is encouraged to ex-
pand its activities with non-Federal partners, espe-
cially State-level entities. 
‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL FUNDING.—In addition to any 
other authorization of appropriations that is available to 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the 
purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized 
to be appropriated to such Centers such sums as may be 
necessary for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017 for 
the purpose of carrying out this section. 
‘‘(g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall, in consultation with patient groups, 
nonprofit organizations, medical societies, and other 
relevant governmental and nongovernmental entities, 
submit to Congress a report that— 
‘‘(A) catalogs, with respect to asthma pre-
vention, management, and surveillance— 
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