H. R. 2498—3
to be made available to the Secretary without fiscal year limita-
tion to carry out subsection (a) only if a public health emergency
has been declared by the Secretary under such subsection.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund such sums
as may be necessary.
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the end of
each fiscal year, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Commerce and the Committee on Appropriations
of the House of Representatives a report describing—
‘‘(A) the expenditures made from the Public Health
Emergency Fund in such fiscal year; and
‘‘(B) each public health emergency for which the
expenditures were made and the activities undertaken with
respect to each emergency which was conducted or sup-
ported by expenditures from the Fund.
‘‘(c) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds appropriated under
this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other
Federal, State, and local public funds provided for activities under
this section.
‘‘SEC. 319A. NATIONAL NEEDS TO COMBAT THREATS TO PUBLIC
HEALTH.
‘‘(a) CAPACITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date
of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, and such
Administrators, Directors, or Commissioners, as may be appro-
priate, and in collaboration with State and local health officials,
shall establish reasonable capacities that are appropriate for
national, State, and local public health systems and the per-
sonnel or work forces of such systems. Such capacities shall
be revised every 10 years, or more frequently as the Secretary
determines to be necessary.
‘‘(2) BASIS.—The capacities established under paragraph
(1) shall improve, enhance or expand the capacity of national,
State and local public health agencies to detect and respond
effectively to significant public health threats, including major
outbreaks of infectious disease, pathogens resistant to anti-
microbial agents and acts of bioterrorism. Such capacities may
include the capacity to—
‘‘(A) recognize the clinical signs and epidemiological
characteristic of significant outbreaks of infectious disease;
‘‘(B) identify disease-causing pathogens rapidly and
accurately;
‘‘(C) develop and implement plans to provide medical
care for persons infected with disease-causing agents and
to provide preventive care as needed for individuals likely
to be exposed to disease-causing agents;
‘‘(D) communicate information relevant to significant
public health threats rapidly to local, State and national
health agencies, and health care providers; or
‘‘(E) develop or implement policies to prevent the
spread of infectious disease or antimicrobial resistance.
‘‘(b) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds appropriated under
this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other
H. R. 2498—4
Federal, State, and local public funds provided for activities under
this section.
‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall provide tech-
nical assistance to the States to assist such States in fulfilling
the requirements of this section.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $4,000,000 for fiscal
year 2001, and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent
fiscal year through 2006.
‘‘SEC. 319B. ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS.
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—Not later than 1 year after the
date of the enactment of this section and every 10 years thereafter,
the Secretary shall award grants to States, or consortia of two
or more States or political subdivisions of States, to perform, in
collaboration with local public health agencies, an evaluation to
determine the extent to which the States or local public health
agencies can achieve the capacities applicable to State and local
public health agencies described in subsection (a) of section 319A.
The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to States, or con-
sortia of two or more States or political subdivisions of States,
in addition to awarding such grants.
‘‘(b) PROCEDURE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State, or a consortium of two or more
States or political subdivisions of States, may contract with
an outside entity to perform the evaluation described in sub-
section (a).
‘‘(2) METHODS.—To the extent practicable, the evaluation
described in subsection (a) shall be completed by using methods,
to be developed by the Secretary in collaboration with State
and local health officials, that facilitate the comparison of
evaluations conducted by a State to those conducted by other
States receiving funds under this section.
‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date on which
a State, or a consortium of two or more States or political subdivi-
sions of States, receives a grant under this subsection, such State,
or a consortium of two or more States or political subdivisions
of States, shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a report
describing the results of the evaluation described in subsection
(a) with respect to such State, or consortia of two or more States
or political subdivisions of States.
‘‘(d) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds appropriated under
this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other
Federal, State, and local public funds provided for activities under
this section.
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $45,000,000 for fiscal
year 2001, and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent
fiscal year through 2003.
‘‘SEC. 319C. GRANTS TO IMPROVE STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH
AGENCIES.
‘‘(a) PROGRAM
AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall award
competitive grants to eligible entities to address core public health
capacity needs using the capacities developed under section 319A,
with a particular focus on building capacity to identify, detect,
monitor, and respond to threats to the public health.
H. R. 2498—5
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—A State or political subdivision of
a State, or a consortium of two or more States or political subdivi-
sions of States, that has completed an evaluation under section
319B(a), or an evaluation that is substantially equivalent as deter-
mined by the Secretary under section 319B(a), shall be eligible
for grants under subsection (a).
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives a grant
under subsection (a), may use funds received under such grant
to—
‘‘(1) train public health personnel;
‘‘(2) develop, enhance, coordinate, or improve participation
in an electronic network by which disease detection and public
health related information can be rapidly shared among
national, regional, State, and local public health agencies and
health care providers;
‘‘(3) develop a plan for responding to public health emer-
gencies, including significant outbreaks of infectious diseases
or bioterrorism attacks, which is coordinated with the capacities
of applicable national, State, and local health agencies and
health care providers; and
‘‘(4) enhance laboratory capacity and facilities.
‘‘(d) REPORT.—No later than January 1, 2005, the Secretary
shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate and the Committee on Commerce and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report that
describes the activities carried out under sections 319A, 319B, and
319C.
‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds appropriated under
this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other
Federal, State, and local public funds provided for activities under
this section.
‘‘(f ) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for fiscal
year 2001, and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent
fiscal year through 2006.
‘‘SEC. 319D. REVITALIZING THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION.
‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention have an essential role in defending against
and combatting public health threats of the 21st century and
requires secure and modern facilities that are sufficient to enable
such Centers to conduct this important mission.
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purposes of
achieving the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention described in subsection (a), for constructing new facilities
and renovating existing facilities of such Centers, including labora-
tories, laboratory support buildings, health communication facilities,
office buildings and other facilities and infrastructure, for better
conducting the capacities described in section 319A, and for sup-
porting related public health activities, there are authorized to
be appropriated $180,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and such sums
as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year through 2010.
‘‘SEC. 319E. COMBATING ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE.
‘‘(a) TASK FORCE.—
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish an Anti-
microbial Resistance Task Force to provide advice and rec-
ommendations to the Secretary and coordinate Federal pro-
grams relating to antimicrobial resistance. The Secretary may
appoint or select a committee, or other organization in existence
as of the date of the enactment of this section, to serve as
such a task force, if such committee, or other organization
meets the requirements of this section.
‘‘(2) MEMBERS OF TASK FORCE.—The task force described
in paragraph (1) shall be composed of representatives from
such Federal agencies, and shall seek input from public health
constituencies, manufacturers, veterinary and medical profes-
sional societies and others, as determined to be necessary by
the Secretary, to develop and implement a comprehensive plan
to address the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance.
‘‘(3) AGENDA.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The task force described in para-
graph (1) shall consider factors the Secretary considers
appropriate, including—
‘‘(i) public health factors contributing to increasing
antimicrobial resistance;
‘‘(ii) public health needs to detect and monitor
antimicrobial resistance;
‘‘(iii) detection, prevention, and control strategies
for resistant pathogens;
‘‘(iv) the need for improved information and data
collection;
‘‘(v) the assessment of the risk imposed by patho-
gens presenting a threat to the public health; and
‘‘(vi) any other issues which the Secretary deter-
mines are relevant to antimicrobial resistance.
‘‘(B) DETECTION AND CONTROL.—The Secretary, in con-
sultation with the task force described in paragraph (1)
and State and local public health officials, shall—
‘‘(i) develop, improve, coordinate or enhance
participation in a surveillance plan to detect and mon-
itor emerging antimicrobial resistance; and
‘‘(ii) develop, improve, coordinate or enhance
participation in an integrated information system to
assimilate, analyze, and exchange antimicrobial resist-
ance data between public health departments.
‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The task force described under paragraph
(1) shall convene not less than twice a year, or more frequently
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
‘‘(b) RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT
OF NEW ANTIMICROBIAL
DRUGS AND DIAGNOSTICS.—The Secretary and the Director of Agri-
cultural Research Services, consistent with the recommendations
of the task force established under subsection (a), shall conduct
and support research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations,
and studies in the health sciences that are related to—
‘‘(1) the development of new therapeutics, including vac-
cines and antimicrobials, against resistant pathogens;
‘‘(2) the development or testing of medical diagnostics to
detect pathogens resistant to antimicrobials;
‘‘(3) the epidemiology, mechanisms, and pathogenesis of
antimicrobial resistance;