I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1221
To provide assistance for poison prevention and to stabilize the funding
of regional poison control centers.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 23, 1999
Mr. UPTON (for himself, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Ms. ESHOO, Mrs. JOHN-
SON of Connecticut, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. LEACH, Mr. STARK, Mr. FRELING-
HUYSEN, Mr. BENTSEN, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr.
LATOURETTE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. NEY, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. CAMP,
Ms. BROWN of Florida, Ms. PELOSI, Ms. BERKLEY, Ms. KILPATRICK,
Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, and Mr.
CLAY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Commerce
A BILL
To provide assistance for poison prevention and to stabilize
the funding of regional poison control centers.
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 ‘‘Poison Control Center
Enhancement and Awareness Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Each year more than 2,000,000 poisonings
are reported to poison control centers throughout
the United States. More than 90 percent of these
poisonings happen in the home. 53 percent of poi-
soning victims are children younger than 6 years of
age.
(2) Poison control centers are a valuable na-
tional resource that provide life-saving and cost-ef-
fective public health services. For every dollar spent
on poison control centers, $7 in medical costs are
saved. The average cost of a poisoning exposure call
is $32, while the average cost if other parts of the
medical system are involved is $932. Over the last
2 decades, the instability and lack of funding has re-
sulted in a steady decline in the number of poison
control centers in the United States. Within just the
last year, 2 poison control centers have been forced
to close because of funding problems. A third poison
control center is scheduled to close in April 1999.
Currently, there are 73 such centers.
(3) Stabilizing the funding structure and in-
creasing accessibility to poison control centers will
increase the number of United States residents who
have access to a certified poison control center, and
reduce the inappropriate use of emergency medical
services and other more costly health care services.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION.
In this Act, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL TOLL-FREE NUM-
BER.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide co-
ordination and assistance to regional poison control cen-
ters for the establishment of a nationwide toll-free phone
number to be used to access such centers.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section,
$2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through
2004.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONWIDE MEDIA CAM-
PAIGN.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a
national media campaign to educate the public and health
care providers about poison prevention and the availability
of poison control resources in local communities and to
conduct advertising campaigns concerning the nationwide
toll-free number established under section 4.
(b) CONTRACT WITH ENTITY.—The Secretary may
carry out subsection (a) by entering into contracts with
1 or more nationally recognized media firms for the devel-
opment and distribution of monthly television, radio, and
newspaper public service announcements.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section,
$600,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004.
SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF A GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) REGIONAL POISON CONTROL CENTERS.—The
Secretary shall award grants to certified regional poison
control centers for the purposes of achieving the financial
stability of such centers, and for preventing and providing
treatment recommendations for poisonings.
(b) OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.—The Secretary shall
also use amounts received under this section to—
(1) develop standard education programs;
(2) develop standard patient management pro-
tocols for commonly encountered toxic exposures;
(3) improve and expand the poison control data
collection systems;
(4) improve national toxic exposure surveillance;
and
(5) expand the physician/medical toxicologist
supervision of poison control centers.
(c) CERTIFICATION.—Except as provided in sub-
section (d), the Secretary may make a grant to a center
under subsection (a) only if—
(1) the center has been certified by a profes-
sional organization in the field of poison control, and
the Secretary has approved the organization as hav-
ing in effect standards for certification that reason-
ably provide for the protection of the public health
with respect to poisoning; or
(2) the center has been certified by a State gov-
ernment, and the Secretary has approved the State
government as having in effect standards for certifi-
cation that reasonably provide for the protection of
the public health with respect to poisoning.
(d) WAIVER OF CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may grant a
waiver of the certification requirement of subsection
(c) with respect to a noncertified poison control cen-
ter or a newly established center that applies for a
grant under this section if such center can reason-
ably demonstrate that the center will obtain such a
certification within a reasonable period of time as
determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(2) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may only renew
a waiver under paragraph (1) for a period of 3
years.
(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts made
available to a poison control center under this section shall
be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal,
State, local or private funds provided for such center.
(f) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—A poison control
center, in utilizing the proceeds of a grant under this sec-
tion, shall maintain the expenditures of the center for ac-
tivities of the center at a level that is not less than the
level of such expenditures maintained by the center for
the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the
grant is received.
(g) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary may
impose a matching requirement with respect to amounts
provided under a grant under this section if the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section,
$25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through
2004.
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