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ing laboratory test results with data elements 
identified in standards for electronic ordering 
and reporting of such results; and 
(E) review other relevant areas determined 
appropriate by the Office of the National Coordi-
nator for Health Information Technology. 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Office of the Na-
tional Coordinator for Health Information Tech-
nology shall submit to the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives a report concerning the findings of 
the study conducted under paragraph (1). 
(c) DATA USE AGREEMENTS.— 
(1) INTERAGENCY DATA USE AGREEMENTS WITH-
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERV-
ICES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services (referred to in this sub-
section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall, as appropriate, 
facilitate the development of, or updates to, 
memoranda of understanding, data use agree-
ments, or other applicable interagency agree-
ments regarding appropriate access, exchange,
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and use of public health data between the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of 
the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Re-
sponse, other relevant agencies or offices within 
the Department of Health and Human Services, 
and other relevant Federal agencies, in order to 
prepare for, identify, monitor, and respond to 
declared or potential public health emergencies. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out ac-
tivities pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Sec-
retary shall— 
(i) ensure that the agreements and 
memoranda of understanding described in 
such subparagraph— 
(I) address the methods of grant-
ing access to data held by one agency 
or office with another to support the 
respective missions of such agencies or 
offices; 
(II) consider minimum necessary 
principles of data sharing for appro-
priate use; 
(III) include appropriate privacy 
and cybersecurity protections; and
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(IV) are subject to regular up-
dates, as appropriate; 
(ii) collaborate with the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, the Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness 
and Response, the Office of the Chief Infor-
mation Officer, and, as appropriate, the Of-
fice of the National Coordinator for Health 
Information Technology, and other entities 
within the Department of Health and 
Human Services; and 
(iii) consider the terms and conditions 
of any existing data use agreements with 
other public or private entities and any 
need for updates to such existing agree-
ments, consistent with paragraph (2). 
(2) DATA USE AGREEMENTS WITH EXTERNAL EN-
TITIES.—The Secretary, acting through the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 
the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Re-
sponse, may update memoranda of understanding, 
data use agreements, or other applicable agreements 
and contracts to improve appropriate access, ex-
change, and use of public health data between the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
Response and external entities, including State, Trib-
al, and territorial health departments, laboratories, 
hospitals and other health care providers, electronic 
health records vendors, and other entities, as applica-
ble and appropriate, in order to prepare for, identify, 
monitor, and respond to declared or potential public 
health emergencies. 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall re-
port to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa-
tives on the status of the agreements under this sub-
section. 
(d) IMPROVING INFORMATION SHARING AND AVAIL-
ABILITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH DATA.—Part A of title III 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 310B. IMPROVING STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL INFOR-
MATION SHARING. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, in consulta-
tion with State, local, and Tribal public health officials, 
carry out activities to improve the availability of appro-
priate and applicable public health data related to commu-
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nicable diseases, and information sharing between, the Di-
rector of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and 
such State, local, and Tribal public health officials, which 
may include such data from— 
‘‘(1) health care providers and facilities; 
‘‘(2) public health and clinical laboratories; 
‘‘(3) health information exchanges and health in-
formation networks; and 
‘‘(4) State, local, and Tribal health departments. 
‘‘(b) CONTENT, FORM, AND MANNER.—The Secretary 
shall, consistent with the requirements of this section, work 
with such officials and relevant stakeholders to provide in-
formation on the content, form, and manner in which such 
data, deidentified as applicable, may most effectively sup-
port the ability of State, local, and Tribal health depart-
ments to respond to such communicable diseases, including 
related to the collection and reporting of demographic and 
other relevant data elements. Such form and manner re-
quirements shall align with the standards and implementa-
tion specifications adopted by the Secretary under section 
3004, as applicable. 
‘‘(c) DECREASED BURDEN.—In facilitating the coordi-
nation of efforts under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
make reasonable efforts to limit reported public health data
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to the minimum necessary information needed to accom-
plish the intended public health purpose. 
‘‘(d) EXEMPTION OF CERTAIN PUBLIC HEALTH DATA 
FROM DISCLOSURE.—The Secretary, acting through the Di-
rector of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
may exempt from disclosure under section 552(b)(3) of title 
5, United States Code, public health data that are gathered 
under this section if— 
‘‘(1) an individual is identified through such 
data; or 
‘‘(2) there is at least a very small risk, as deter-
mined by current scientific practices or statistical 
methods, that some combination of the information, 
the request, and other available data sources or the 
application of technology could be used to deduce the 
identity of an individual.’’. 
(e) IMPROVING STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL PUBLIC 
HEALTH DATA.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (referred to in this section as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall award grants, contracts, or cooper-
ative agreements to eligible entities for purposes of 
identifying, developing, or disseminating best prac-
tices in electronic health information and the use of 
designated data standards and implementation speci-