H. R. 4365—50
designed to serve as a model for improving the effectiveness
of water fluoridation systems of small rural communities.
‘‘(3) EVALUATION.—In conducting the ongoing evaluation
as provided for in paragraph (2)(D), the Secretary shall ensure
that such evaluation includes—
‘‘(A) the measurement of changes in water fluoridation
compliance levels resulting from assistance provided under
this section;
‘‘(B) the identification of the administrative, technical
and operational challenges that are unique to the fluorida-
tion of small water systems;
‘‘(C) the development of a practical model that may
be easily utilized by other tribal, State, county or local
governments in improving the quality of water fluoridation
with emphasis on small water systems; and
‘‘(D) the measurement of any increased percentage of
Native Americans or Alaskan Natives who receive the bene-
fits of optimally fluoridated water.
‘‘(c) SCHOOL-BASED DENTAL SEALANT PROGRAM.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and in collaboration with the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration, may award grants to
States and Indian tribes to provide for the development of
school-based dental sealant programs to improve the access
of children to sealants.
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A State shall use amounts received
under a grant under paragraph (1) to provide funds to eligible
school-based entities or to public elementary or secondary
schools to enable such entities or schools to provide children
with access to dental care and dental sealant services. Such
services shall be provided by licensed dental health profes-
sionals in accordance with State practice licensing laws.
‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive funds under
paragraph (1), an entity shall—
‘‘(A) prepare and submit to the State an application
at such time, in such manner and containing such informa-
tion as the State may require; and
‘‘(B) be a public elementary or secondary school—
‘‘(i) that is located in an urban area in which
and more than 50 percent of the student population
is participating in Federal or State free or reduced
meal programs; or
‘‘(ii) that is located in a rural area and, with respect
to the school district in which the school is located,
the district involved has a median income that is at
or below 235 percent of the poverty line, as defined
in section 673(2) of the Community Services Block
Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)).
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘Indian
tribe’ means an Indian tribe or tribal organization as defined in
section 4(b) and section 4(c) of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act.
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of
carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001
through 2005.’’.
H. R. 4365—51
SEC. 1603. COORDINATED PROGRAM TO IMPROVE PEDIATRIC ORAL
HEALTH.
Part B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 et
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘COORDINATED PROGRAM TO IMPROVE PEDIATRIC ORAL HEALTH
‘‘SEC. 320A. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through
the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administra-
tion, shall establish a program to fund innovative oral health activi-
ties that improve the oral health of children under 6 years of
age who are eligible for services provided under a Federal health
program, to increase the utilization of dental services by such
children, and to decrease the incidence of early childhood and
baby bottle tooth decay.
‘‘(b) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award grants to or enter
into contracts with public or private nonprofit schools of dentistry
or accredited dental training institutions or programs, community
dental programs, and programs operated by the Indian Health
Service (including federally recognized Indian tribes that receive
medical services from the Indian Health Service, urban Indian
health programs funded under title V of the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act, and tribes that contract with the Indian Health
Service pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act) to enable such schools, institutions, and programs
to develop programs of oral health promotion, to increase training
of oral health services providers in accordance with State practice
laws, or to increase the utilization of dental services by eligible
children.
‘‘(c) DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, ensure an equitable
national geographic distribution of the grants, including areas of
the United States where the incidence of early childhood caries
is highest.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each
the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.’’.
TITLE XVII—VACCINE-RELATED
PROGRAMS
Subtitle A—Vaccine Compensation
Program
SEC. 1701. CONTENT OF PETITIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2111(c)(1)(D) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300aa–11(c)(1)(D)) is amended by striking
‘‘and’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘or (iii) suffered such illness, dis-
ability, injury, or condition from the vaccine which resulted in
inpatient hospitalization and surgical intervention, and’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by subsection (a)
takes effect upon the date of the enactment of this Act, including
with respect to petitions under section 2111 of the Public Health
Service Act that are pending on such date.
H. R. 4365—52
Subtitle B—Childhood Immunizations
SEC. 1711. CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATIONS.
Section 317( j)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
247b( j)(1)) is amended in the first sentence by striking ‘‘1998’’
and all that follows and inserting ‘‘1998 through 2005.’’.
TITLE XVIII—HEPATITIS C
SEC. 1801. SURVEILLANCE AND EDUCATION REGARDING HEPATITIS
C.
Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act, as amended
by section 1602 of this Act, is amended by inserting after section
317M the following section:
‘‘SURVEILLANCE AND EDUCATION REGARDING HEPATITIS C VIRUS
‘‘SEC. 317N. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
may (directly and through grants to public and nonprofit private
entities) provide for programs to carry out the following:
‘‘(1) To cooperate with the States in implementing a
national system to determine the incidence of hepatitis C virus
infection (in this section referred to as ‘HCV infection’) and
to assist the States in determining the prevalence of such
infection, including the reporting of chronic HCV cases.
‘‘(2) To identify, counsel, and offer testing to individuals
who are at risk of HCV infection as a result of receiving
blood transfusions prior to July 1992, or as a result of other
risk factors.
‘‘(3) To provide appropriate referrals for counseling, testing,
and medical treatment of individuals identified under para-
graph (2) and to ensure, to the extent practicable, the provision
of appropriate follow-up services.
‘‘(4) To develop and disseminate public information and
education programs for the detection and control of HCV infec-
tion, with priority given to high risk populations as determined
by the Secretary.
‘‘(5) To improve the education, training, and skills of health
professionals in the detection and control of HCV infection,
with priority given to pediatricians and other primary care
physicians, and obstetricians and gynecologists.
‘‘(b) LABORATORY PROCEDURES.—The Secretary may (directly
and through grants to public and nonprofit private entities) carry
out programs to provide for improvements in the quality of clinical-
laboratory procedures regarding hepatitis C, including reducing
variability in laboratory results on hepatitis C antibody and PCR
testing.
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of
carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001
through 2005.’’.
H. R. 4365—53
TITLE XIX—NIH INITIATIVE ON
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
SEC. 1901. AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES; INITIATIVE THROUGH DIRECTOR
OF NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
284 et seq.), as amended by section 1001 of this Act, is amended
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘SEC. 409E. AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES.
‘‘(a) EXPANSION, INTENSIFICATION, 
AND
COORDINATION
OF
ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH shall expand, inten-
sify, and coordinate research and other activities of the National
Institutes of Health with respect to autoimmune diseases.
‘‘(2) ALLOCATIONS BY DIRECTOR OF NIH.—With respect to
amounts appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal
year, the Director of NIH shall allocate the amounts among
the national research institutes that are carrying out paragraph
(1).
‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—The term ‘autoimmune disease’ includes,
for purposes of this section such diseases or disorders with
evidence of autoimmune pathogensis as the Secretary deter-
mines to be appropriate.
‘‘(b) COORDINATING COMMITTEE.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure that the
Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (referred to in
this section as the ‘Coordinating Committee’) coordinates activi-
ties across the National Institutes and with other Federal
health programs and activities relating to such diseases.
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—The Coordinating Committee shall be
composed of the directors or their designees of each of the
national research institutes involved in research with respect
to autoimmune diseases and representatives of all other Federal
departments and agencies whose programs involve health func-
tions or responsibilities relevant to such diseases, including
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food
and Drug Administration.
‘‘(3) CHAIR.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—With respect to autoimmune dis-
eases, the Chair of the Committee shall serve as the prin-
cipal advisor to the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for
Health, and the Director of NIH, and shall provide advice
to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and other
relevant agencies.
‘‘(B) DIRECTOR OF NIH.—The Chair of the Committee
shall be directly responsible to the Director of NIH.
‘‘(c) PLAN FOR NIH ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date
of the enactment of this section, the Coordinating Committee
shall develop a plan for conducting and supporting research
and education on autoimmune diseases through the national
research institutes and shall periodically review and revise
the plan. The plan shall—