I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3284
To improve the health of residents of, and the environment in, the United 
States-Mexico border area. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2003
Mr. REYES (for himself, Mr. FILNER, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Mr. 
ORTIZ, Mr. BACA, and Mrs. DAVIS of California) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, Agri-
culture, Financial Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, Inter-
national Relations, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve the health of residents of, and the environment 
in, the United States-Mexico border area.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Border Economic Recovery Act for Health and the Envi-
ronment’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
TITLE I—HEALTH RECOVERY 
Sec. 101. United States-Mexico Border Health Commission Act. 
Sec. 102. Funding for emergency health services furnished to undocumented 
aliens. 
Sec. 103. Partnership for change program to coordinate WIC and other food 
and nutrition assistance in colonias. 
Sec. 104. Water and waste disposal program for colonias. 
Sec. 105. Community resource centers for colonias. 
Sec. 106. Border activities regarding tuberculosis. 
Sec. 107. Health education training center program. 
Sec. 108. Prevention of substance abuse; Border Center for Application of Pre-
vention Technologies. 
Sec. 109. Border cancer screenings; State cancer registries. 
Sec. 110. Expansion of collaborative United States and Mexico border diabetes 
prevention and control project. 
Sec. 111. Healthy Homes Initiative of HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control. 
Sec. 112. Border program for reducing incidence of sexually transmitted dis-
eases. 
TITLE II—ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY 
Sec. 201. Materials Corridor Initiative. 
Sec. 202. Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy. 
Sec. 203. International Boundary and Water Commission border sanitation 
projects. 
Sec. 204. International Boundary and Water Commission long-range strategic 
planning. 
Sec. 205. North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. 
Sec. 206. Water conservation grants. 
Sec. 207. International Consortium for the Environment. 
Sec. 208. Border Economic Cooperation Commission. 
Sec. 209. Environmental Protection Agency Border Environmental Infrastruc-
ture Fund.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) COLONIA.—The term ‘‘colonia’’ means an 
community that has the following characteristics: 
(A) The community is identifiable as a sin-
gle community.
(B) The community is unincorporated. 
(C) The community is located in the 
United States-Mexico border area. 
(D) The community is subject on a wide-
spread basis to any 2 or more of the following 
problems: 
(i) Inadequate water or sewer facili-
ties. 
(ii) Inadequate roads and drainage. 
(iii) Substandard housing. 
(2) UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER AREA.—
The term ‘‘United States-Mexico border area’’ 
means the area located in the United States within 
100 kilometers of the border between the United 
States and Mexico. 
TITLE I—HEALTH RECOVERY 
SEC. 101. UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER HEALTH COM-
MISSION ACT. 
The United States-Mexico Border Health Commis-
sion Act (Public Law 103–400) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out this Act $8,000,0000 for fiscal 
year 2004, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $12,000,000
for fiscal year 2006, and such sums as may be necessary 
for each subsequent fiscal year. 
‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursu-
ant to the authorization of appropriations under sub-
section (a) are authorized to remain available until ex-
pended.’’.
SEC. 102. FUNDING FOR EMERGENCY HEALTH SERVICES 
FURNISHED TO UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS. 
(a) REQUIRING USE OF FUNDS TO ASSIST HOS-
PITALS
AND
RELATED
PROVIDERS
OF
EMERGENCY 
HEALTH SERVICES TO UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.—Sec-
tion 4723(c) of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (8 
U.S.C. 1611 note) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the allotments made 
under subsection (b), the Secretary shall pay to each 
State amounts described in a State plan, submitted 
to the Secretary, under which the amounts so allot-
ted will be paid—
‘‘(A) to hospitals and related providers of 
emergency health services to undocumented 
aliens that are located in the United States-
Mexico border area (as defined in section 2 of 
the Border Economic Recovery Act for Health 
and the Environment); and
‘‘(B) in a manner that takes into ac-
count—
‘‘(i) each eligible hospital’s or related 
provider’s payments under the State plan 
approved under title XIX of the Social Se-
curity Act for emergency medical services 
described in section 1903(v)(2)(A) of such 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1396b(v)(2)(A)); or 
‘‘(ii) an appropriate alternative proxy 
for measuring the volume of emergency 
health services provided to undocumented 
aliens by eligible hospitals and related pro-
viders. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS; SPECIAL RULES.—For pur-
poses of this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘hospital’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 1861(e) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(e)). 
‘‘(B) The term ‘provider’ includes a physi-
cian, another health care professional, and an 
entity that furnishes emergency ambulance 
services. 
‘‘(C) A provider shall be considered to be 
‘related’ to a hospital to the extent that the 
provider furnishes emergency health services to
an individual for whom the hospital also fur-
nishes emergency health services. 
‘‘(D) Amounts paid under this subsection 
shall not duplicate payment made under title 
XIX of the Social Security Act for the provision 
of emergency medical services described in sec-
tion 1903(v)(2)(A) of such Act.’’. 
(b) EXTENSION OF FUNDING.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 4723(a) of such Act 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) TOTAL
AMOUNT
AVAILABLE
FOR
ALLOT-
MENT.—There are available for allotments under this sec-
tion, for each of the 5 consecutive fiscal years beginning 
with fiscal year 2004, $750,000,000 for payments to cer-
tain States under this section.’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
4723(b)(1) of such Act is amended by inserting 
‘‘and for each fiscal year described in subsection 
(a)’’ after ‘‘fiscal year 2001’’. 
SEC. 103. PARTNERSHIP FOR CHANGE PROGRAM TO CO-
ORDINATE WIC AND OTHER FOOD AND NU-
TRITION ASSISTANCE IN COLONIAS. 
Section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
U.S.C. 1786) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(s)(1) Utilizing Partnerships for Change, which 
shall consist of a team comprised of Federal, State and 
university staff committed to helping improve nutrition, 
health and living conditions in the colonias, the Secretary 
shall provide for increased coordination of the provision 
of supplemental foods and nutrition education under the 
program, including other appropriate food and nutrition 
assistance provided under this Act and the Richard B. 
Russell National School Lunch Act, for individuals who 
reside in colonias located, in whole or in part, in the 
United States-Mexico border area. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, the terms 
‘colonia’ and ‘United States-Mexico border area’ shall have 
the meanings given such terms in section 2 of the Border 
Economic Recovery Act for Health and the Environment. 
‘‘(3) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this subsection $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 and 
for each of the succeeding 4 fiscal years.’’. 
SEC. 104. WATER AND WASTE DISPOSAL PROGRAM FOR 
COLONIAS. 
Section 306C(e)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926c(e)(1)) is amend-
ed in each of subparagraphs (A) and (B) by striking 
‘‘$30,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$60,000,000’’.
SEC. 
105. 
COMMUNITY 
RESOURCE 
CENTERS 
FOR 
COLONIAS. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development may make grants to colleges and uni-
versities selected under subsection (b) to provide commu-
nity resource centers to serve colonias and their residents. 
(b) GRANTS.—For each of the States of Arizona, 
California, and New Mexico, the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall select one college or university 
located in such State to receive grants under this section. 
For the State of Texas, the Secretary shall select the Cen-
ter for Housing and Urban Development of the College 
of Architecture at Texas A&M University and one other 
State university located in such State in the United 
States-Mexico border area to receive grants under this sec-
tion. 
(c) USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS.—Grant amounts pro-
vided under this section may only be used by the college 
or university receiving the grant to carry out a program 
to develop and operate multiple community resources cen-
ters in the State in which such college or university is lo-
cated, which shall include—
(1) costs of developing and operating such cen-
ters; 
(2) increasing the capacity of the college or uni-
versity to develop such centers; and
(3) in the case of amounts received by the Cen-
ter for Housing and Urban Development referred to 
in subsection (b), carrying out any agreement en-
tered into under subsection (e). 
(d) COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTERS.—Each com-
munity resource center established or operated using 
grant amounts made available under this section shall be 
located within a colonia and shall provide residents of the 
colonia with access to public and private resources and 
services appropriate for self- and community development, 
such as resources relating to health care, employment 
training and assistance, human services, and youth and 
elderly programs. 
(e) MODEL PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall attempt 
to enter into an agreement with the Center for Housing 
and Urban Development referred to in subsection (b) that 
provides for such Center—
(1) to assist other colleges and universities re-
ceiving grants under this section to carry out pro-
grams to develop and operate community resource 
centers that are similar to the Colonias Program 
carried out by such Center; and 
(2) to assist the Secretary in carrying out the 
grant program under this section, including by es-
tablishing criteria for selecting colleges and univer-
sities to receive such grants. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated for grants under this section 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, 2006, 
2007, 2008, and 2009. 
SEC. 106. BORDER ACTIVITIES REGARDING TUBERCULOSIS. 
Section 317E(g)(1) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 247b–6(g)(1)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) UNITED
STATES-MEXICO
BORDER 
AREA.—Of the amounts appropriated under 
subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, the Sec-
retary shall reserve not less than $25,000,000 
for grants under subsection (a) for the preven-
tion, control, and elimination of tuberculosis in 
the United States-Mexico border area (as such 
term is defined in section 2 of the Border Eco-
nomic Recovery Act for Health and the Envi-
ronment).’’. 
SEC. 107. HEALTH EDUCATION TRAINING CENTER PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 757 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 294g) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘1998,’’; and 
(B) by inserting before the period the fol-
lowing: ‘‘, $68,996,000 for fiscal year 2004, 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of 
the fiscal years 2005 through 2008’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by striking ‘‘not 
less’’ and all that follows through ‘‘752,’’ and insert-
ing the following: ‘‘not less than $8,800,000 for 
awards of grants and contracts under section 752,’’. 
SEC. 108. PREVENTION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE; BORDER 
CENTER FOR APPLICATION OF PREVENTION 
TECHNOLOGIES. 
For the purpose of carrying out the program operated 
by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and 
known as the Border Center for the Application of Preven-
tion Technologies (relating to an initiative for youth sub-
stance-abuse prevention in the United States-Mexico bor-
der area), there are authorized to be appropriated 
$1,500,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 
2008. Such authorization is in addition to other authoriza-
tions of appropriations that are available for such purpose.