HEALTH Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.5488 | Sponsor: Rep. Hudson, Richard (R-NC)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Health Emergencies Are Literally Tenets of HHS Act of 2021 or the HEALTH Act of 2021
This bill expands the authorities and responsibilities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with respect to federal responses to public health and other emergencies and the Strategic National Stockpile.
Specifically, the bill expands the responsibility of HHS to lead federal public health and medical responses to expressly include national disasters or emergencies declared under presidential authorities.
Additionally, the bill provides authority for HHS to deploy the Strategic National Stockpile in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), rather than as required by DHS.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to clarify that the Secretary of 
  Health and Human Services shall lead all Federal public health and 
medical response to emergencies and disasters declared by the President 
  pursuant to the National Emergencies Act or the Robert T. Stafford 
 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Health Emergencies Are Literally 
Tenets of HHS Act of 2021'' or the ``HEALTH Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. LEAD AGENCY FOR FEDERAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESPONSE TO 
              PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES.

    Section 2801 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by inserting after ``shall lead all 
        Federal public health and medical response to public health 
        emergencies and incidents'' the following: ``(including 
        emergencies and disasters declared by the President pursuant to 
        the National Emergencies Act or the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
        Relief and Emergency Assistance Act)''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by inserting after ``shall assume 
        operational control of emergency public health and medical 
        response assets, as necessary, in the event of a public health 
        emergency'' the following: ``or in the event of an emergency or 
        disaster declared by the President under the National 
        Emergencies Act or the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
        Emergency Assistance Act''.

SEC. 3. DEPLOYMENT BY THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OF 
              NATIONAL STRATEGIC STOCKPILE.

    Section 319F-2(a)(3)(F) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
247d-6b(a)(3)(F)) is amended by striking ``as required by'' and 
inserting ``in consultation with''.

SEC. 4. AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY 
              MANAGEMENT AGENCY REGARDING THE STRATEGIC NATIONAL 
              STOCKPILE.

    The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A) of section 503(b)(2) (6 U.S.C. 
        313(b)(2)), by inserting ``, in coordination with relevant 
        Federal agencies,'' after ``lead''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (D) of section 504(a)(3) (6 U.S.C. 
        314(a)(3)), by striking ``requiring'' and inserting ``, at the 
        direction of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
        assisting in''.
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