347 
ligation to pay or transmit funds or property to such 
Secretary with respect to such grant, contract, or 
other agreement; or 
‘‘(5) fails to grant timely access, upon reason-
able request (as defined by such Secretary in regula-
tions), to the Inspector General of the Department, 
for the purpose of audits, investigations, evaluations, 
or other statutory functions of such Inspector Gen-
eral in matters involving such grants, contracts, or 
other agreements; 
shall be subject, in addition to any other penalties that 
may be prescribed by law, to a civil money penalty in cases 
under paragraph (1), of not more than $10,000 for each 
specified claim; in cases under paragraph (2), not more 
than $50,000 for each false statement, omission, or mis-
representation of a material fact; in cases under para-
graph (3), not more than $50,000 for each false record 
or statement; in cases under paragraph (4), not more than 
$50,000 for each false record or statement or $10,000 for 
each day that the person knowingly conceals or knowingly 
and improperly avoids or decreases an obligation to pay; 
or in cases under paragraph (5), not more than $15,000 
for each day of the failure described in such paragraph. 
In addition, in cases under paragraphs (1) and (3), such 
a person shall be subject to an assessment of not more
348 
than 3 times the amount claimed in the specified claim 
described in such paragraph in lieu of damages sustained 
by the United States or a specified State agency because 
of such specified claim, and in cases under paragraphs (2) 
and (4), such a person shall be subject to an assessment 
of not more than 3 times the total amount of the funds 
described in paragraph (2) or (4), respectively (or, in the 
case of an obligation to transmit property to the Secretary 
Health and Human Services described in paragraph (4), 
of the value of the property described in such paragraph) 
in lieu of damages sustained by the United States or a 
specified State agency because of such case. In addition, 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services may make 
a determination in the same proceeding to exclude the per-
son from participation in the Federal health care pro-
grams (as defined in section 1128B(f)(1)) and to direct 
the appropriate State agency to exclude the person from 
participation in any State health care program. 
‘‘(p) The provisions of subsections (c), (d), and (g) 
shall apply to a civil money penalty or assessment under 
subsection (o) in the same manner as such provisions 
apply to a penalty, assessment, or proceeding under sub-
section (a). 
‘‘(q) With respect to a penalty or assessment under 
subsection (o), the Inspector General of the Department
349 
is authorized to receive, and to retain for current use, such 
amounts of such penalty or assessment as are necessary 
to provide reimbursement for the costs of conducting in-
vestigations and audits with respect to such subsection 
and for monitoring compliance plans with respect to such 
subsection when such penalty or assessment is ordered by 
a court, voluntarily agreed to by the payor, or otherwise. 
Funds received by such Inspector General as reimburse-
ment under the preceding sentence shall be deposited to 
the credit of the appropriations from which initially paid, 
or to appropriations for similar purposes currently avail-
able at the time of deposit, and shall remain available for 
obligation for 1 year from the date of the deposit of such 
funds. 
‘‘(r) For purposes of this subsection and subsections 
(o), (p), and (q): 
‘‘(1) The term ‘Department’ means the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘material’ means having a nat-
ural tendency to influence, or be capable of influ-
encing, the payment or receipt of money or property. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘other agreement’ includes a co-
operative agreement, scholarship, fellowship, loan, 
subsidy, payment for a specified use, donation agree-
ment, award, or sub-award (regardless of whether
350 
one or more of the persons entering into the agree-
ment is a contractor or sub-contractor). 
‘‘(4) The term ‘program beneficiary’ means, in 
the case of a grant, contract, or other agreement de-
signed to accomplish the objective of awarding or 
otherwise furnishing benefits or assistance to indi-
viduals and for which the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services provides funding, an individual who 
applies for, or who receives, such benefits or assist-
ance from such grant, contract, or other agreement. 
Such term does not include, with respect to such 
grant, contract, or other agreement, an officer, em-
ployee, or agent of a person or entity that receives 
such grant or that enters into such contract or other 
agreement. 
‘‘(5) The term ‘recipient’ includes a sub-recipi-
ent or subcontractor. 
‘‘(6) The term ‘specified claim’ means any ap-
plication, request, or demand under a grant, con-
tract, or other agreement for money or property, 
whether or not the United States or a specified 
State agency has title to the money or property, that 
is not a claim (as defined in subsection (i)(2)) and 
that—
351 
‘‘(A) is presented or caused to be pre-
sented to an officer, employee, or agent of the 
Department or agency thereof, or of any speci-
fied State agency; or 
‘‘(B) is made to a contractor, grantee, or 
any other recipient if the money or property is 
to be spent or used on the Department’s behalf 
or to advance a Department program or inter-
est, and if the Department— 
‘‘(i) provides or has provided any por-
tion of the money or property requested or 
demanded; or 
‘‘(ii) will reimburse such contractor, 
grantee or other recipient for any portion 
of the money or property which is re-
quested or demanded. 
‘‘(7) The term ‘specified State agency’ means 
an agency of a State government established or des-
ignated to administer or supervise the administra-
tion of a grant, contract, or other agreement funded 
in whole or in part by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services. 
‘‘(s) For purposes of subsection (o), the term ‘obliga-
tion’ means an established duty, whether or not fixed, aris-
ing from an express or implied contractual, grantor-grant-
352 
ee, or licensor-licensee relationship, for a fee-based or 
similar relationship, from statute or regulation, or from 
the retention of any overpayment.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 1128A of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a–7a) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or 
specified claims’’ after ‘‘claims’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or 
specified claims’’ after ‘‘claims’’; 
(2) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘or specified 
claim’’ after ‘‘claim’’; and 
(3) in subsection (f)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘or specified claim (as de-
fined in subsection (r)(6))’’ after ‘‘district 
where the claim’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘(or, with respect to a 
person described in subsection (o), the person)’’ 
after ‘‘claimant’’; 
(C) by inserting ‘‘that are not received by 
the Inspector General of the Department of 
Health and Human Services under subsection 
(q) as reimbursement’’ after ‘‘amounts recov-
ered’’; and
353 
(D) by inserting ‘‘(or, in the case of a pen-
alty or assessment under subsection (o), by a 
specified State agency (as defined in subsection 
(r)(7))’’ after ‘‘or a State agency’’. 
Subtitle B—Other Reforms 
SEC. 4041. SPR DRAWDOWN. 
(a) DRAWDOWN AND SALE.—Notwithstanding sec-
tion 161 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 
U.S.C. 6241), except as provided in subsection (b) the 
Secretary of Energy shall draw down and sell— 
(1) 4 million barrels of crude oil from the Stra-
tegic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 2018; 
(2) 5 million barrels of crude oil from the Stra-
tegic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 2019; 
(3) 8 million barrels of crude oil from the Stra-
tegic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 2020; 
(4) 8 million barrels of crude oil from the Stra-
tegic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 2021; 
(5) 10 million barrels of crude oil from the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 
2022; 
(6) 15 million barrels of crude oil from the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 
2023;
354 
(7) 15 million barrels of crude oil from the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 
2024; and 
(8) 15 million barrels of crude oil from the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve during fiscal year 
2025. 
Amounts received for a sale under this subsection shall 
be deposited in the General Fund of the Treasury during 
the fiscal year in which the sale occurs. 
(b) EMERGENCY PROTECTION.—The Secretary shall 
not draw down and sell crude oil under this section in 
amounts that would result in a Strategic Petroleum Re-
serve that contains an inventory of petroleum products 
representing less than 90 days of emergency reserves, 
based on the average daily level of net imports of crude 
oil and petroleum products in the previous calendar year. 
(c) PROCEEDS.—Proceeds from a sale under this sec-
tion shall be deposited into the general fund of the Treas-
ury of the United States. 
Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 
SEC. 4061. LYME DISEASE AND OTHER TICK-BORNE DIS-
EASES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new part:
355 
‘‘PART W—LYME DISEASE AND OTHER TICK- 
BORNE DISEASES 
‘‘SEC. 399OO. RESEARCH. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct or 
support epidemiological, basic, translational, and clinical 
research regarding Lyme disease and other tick-borne dis-
eases. 
‘‘(b) BIENNIAL REPORTS.—The Secretary shall en-
sure that each biennial report under section 403 includes 
information on actions undertaken by the National Insti-
tutes of Health to carry out subsection (a) with respect 
to Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, including 
an assessment of the progress made in improving the out-
comes of Lyme disease and such other tick-borne diseases. 
‘‘SEC. 399OO–1. WORKING GROUP. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a permanent working group, to be known as the Inter-
agency Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (in 
this section and section 399OO–2 referred to as the 
‘Working Group’), to review all efforts within the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services concerning Lyme dis-
ease and other tick-borne diseases to ensure interagency 
coordination, minimize overlap, and examine research pri-
orities. 
‘‘(b) 
RESPONSIBILITIES.—The 
Working 
Group 
shall—
356 
‘‘(1) not later than 24 months after the date of 
enactment of this part, and every 24 months there-
after, develop or update a summary of— 
‘‘(A) ongoing Lyme disease and other tick- 
borne disease research related to causes, pre-
vention, 
treatment, 
surveillance, 
diagnosis, 
diagnostics, duration of illness, intervention, 
and access to services and supports for individ-
uals with Lyme disease or other tick-borne dis-
eases; 
‘‘(B) advances made pursuant to such re-
search; 
‘‘(C) the engagement of the Department of 
Health and Human Services with persons that 
participate at the public meetings required by 
paragraph (5); and 
‘‘(D) the comments received by the Work-
ing Group at such public meetings and the Sec-
retary’s response to such comments; 
‘‘(2) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific 
viewpoints is represented in each such summary; 
‘‘(3) monitor Federal activities with respect to 
Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases;
357 
‘‘(4) make recommendations to the Secretary 
regarding any appropriate changes to such activities; 
and 
‘‘(5) ensure public input by holding annual pub-
lic meetings that address scientific advances, re-
search questions, surveillance activities, and emerg-
ing strains in species of pathogenic organisms. 
‘‘(c) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group shall 
be composed of a total of 14 members as follows: 
‘‘(A) FEDERAL MEMBERS.—Seven Federal 
members, consisting of one or more representa-
tives of each of— 
‘‘(i) the Office of the Assistant Sec-
retary for Health; 
‘‘(ii) the Food and Drug Administra-
tion; 
‘‘(iii) the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention; 
‘‘(iv) 
the 
National 
Institutes 
of 
Health; and 
‘‘(v) such other agencies and offices of 
the Department of Health and Human 
Services as the Secretary determines ap-
propriate.
358 
‘‘(B) NON-FEDERAL PUBLIC MEMBERS.— 
Seven non-Federal public members, consisting 
of representatives of the following categories: 
‘‘(i) Physicians and other medical pro-
viders with experience in diagnosing and 
treating Lyme disease and other tick-borne 
diseases. 
‘‘(ii) Scientists or researchers with ex-
pertise. 
‘‘(iii) Patients and their family mem-
bers. 
‘‘(iv) Nonprofit organizations that ad-
vocate for patients with respect to Lyme 
disease and other tick-borne diseases. 
‘‘(v) Other individuals whose expertise 
is determined by the Secretary to be bene-
ficial to the functioning of the Working 
Group. 
‘‘(2) APPOINTMENT.—The members of the 
Working Group shall be appointed by the Secretary, 
except that of the non-Federal public members 
under paragraph (1)(B)— 
‘‘(A) one shall be appointed by the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives; and
359 
‘‘(B) one shall be appointed by the major-
ity leader of the Senate. 
‘‘(3) DIVERSITY
OF
SCIENTIFIC
PERSPEC-
TIVES.—In making appointments under paragraph 
(2), the Secretary, the Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives, and the majority leader of the Senate 
shall ensure that the non-Federal public members of 
the Working Group represent a diversity of scientific 
perspectives. 
‘‘(4) TERMS.—The non-Federal public members 
of the Working Group shall each be appointed to 
serve a 4-year term and may be reappointed at the 
end of such term. 
‘‘(d) MEETINGS.—The Working Group shall meet as 
often as necessary, as determined by the Secretary, but 
not less than twice each year. 
‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Working Group 
shall be treated as an advisory committee subject to the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act. 
‘‘(f) REPORTING.—Not later than 24 months after 
the date of enactment of this part, and every 24 months 
thereafter, the Working Group— 
‘‘(1) shall submit a report on its activities, in-
cluding an up-to-date summary under subsection 
(b)(1) and any recommendations under subsection
360 
(b)(4), to the Secretary, the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate; 
‘‘(2) shall make each such report publicly avail-
able on the website of the Department of Health and 
Human Services; and 
‘‘(3) shall allow any member of the Working 
Group to include in any such report minority views. 
‘‘SEC. 399OO–2. STRATEGIC PLAN. 
‘‘Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this section, and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Congress a strategic plan, informed 
by the most recent summary under section 399OO– 
1(b)(1), for the conduct and support of Lyme disease and 
tick-borne disease research, including— 
‘‘(1) proposed budgetary requirements; 
‘‘(2) a plan for improving outcomes of Lyme 
disease and other tick-borne diseases, including 
progress related to chronic or persistent symptoms 
and chronic or persistent infection and co-infections; 
‘‘(3) a plan for improving diagnosis, treatment, 
and prevention;
361 
‘‘(4) 
appropriate 
benchmarks 
to 
measure 
progress on achieving the improvements described in 
paragraphs (2) and (3); and 
‘‘(5) a plan to disseminate each summary under 
section 399OO–1(b)(1) and other relevant informa-
tion developed by the Working Group to the public, 
including health care providers, public health depart-
ments, and other relevant medical groups.’’. 
(b) NO ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION
OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—No additional funds are authorized to be ap-
propriated for the purpose of carrying out this section and 
the amendment made by this section, and this section and 
such amendment shall be carried out using amounts other-
wise available for such purpose. 
SEC. 4062. OUTREACH TO HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES 
AND UNIVERSITIES. 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
conduct outreach to historically Black colleges and univer-
sities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Native American col-
leges, and rural colleges to ensure that health profes-
362 
sionals from underrepresented populations are aware of 
research opportunities under this Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 10, 2015. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 6 
AN ACT 
To accelerate the discovery, development, and deliv-
ery of 21st century cures, and for other pur-
poses.