Health Agency Check-Up Act
Bill: H.R.4820 | Sponsor: Rep. Good, Bob (R-VA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Health Agency Check-Up Act
This bill establishes a bipartisan commission to review and recommend whether to modify or eliminate statutory reporting requirements that apply to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
To inform this effort, the CDC, the NIH, and the FDA must provide the commission with relevant recommendations and information about their respective staffing, budgets, programs, reports, and regulations.
The bill automatically makes any provision of law requiring a report that the commission recommends for elimination ineffective after 45 days, unless Congress enacts a joint resolution disapproving of the recommendation.

To reduce the number of reports that are political or redundant and to 
alleviate regulatory burdens on the health care industry, 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 Agency Check-Up Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMISSION ON UNNECESSARY OR WASTEFUL HEALTH AGENCY REPORTS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, 
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 
Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall establish a Commission on Health 
Agency Reports and Regulations (in this Act referred to as the 
``Commission'').
    (b) Composition.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission shall be composed of 16 
        experts on public health, medicine, medical research, and 
        public policy.
            (2) Appointment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, members of the Commission shall be 
        appointed as follows:
                    (A) 4 members shall be appointed by the Speaker of 
                the House of Representatives.
                    (B) 4 members shall be appointed by the Majority 
                Leader of the Senate.
                    (C) 4 members shall be appointed by the Minority 
                Leader of the House of Representatives.
                    (D) 4 members shall be appointed by the Minority 
                Leader of the Senate.
            (3) Membership.--Individuals representing the private 
        sector, former Federal agency employees, or current or former 
        State agency employees may serve as members of the Commission. 
        Current Members of Congress and current Federal agency 
        employees may not serve as members of the Commission.
    (c) Submission of Information.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date on which all members of the Commission have been appointed, the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and the Director of the National 
Institutes of Health shall each submit a report to the Commission that 
contains, for the respective agency, the following information:
            (1) For each fiscal year, beginning with fiscal year 2008, 
        the following:
                    (A) Annual growth of employees, subagencies, and 
                budget for such fiscal year.
                    (B) Number and list of reports produced for such 
                fiscal year.
                    (C) Duplicative programs in effect, or reports 
                generated during such fiscal year.
                    (D) Number and list of regulations issued during 
                such fiscal year.
                    (E) Number and list of regulatory guidance issued 
                during such fiscal year.
            (2) An overview of how often regulations are reviewed or 
        rescinded.
            (3) An overview of reporting requirements with respect to a 
        direct connection between regulations issued by the respective 
        agency and patient safety.
            (4) An overview of the budget used--
                    (A) for staffing; and
                    (B) on resources to report information.
            (5) The respective agency head's recommendations for 
        consolidation of programs and reports within the respective 
        agency.
    (d) Selection of Reports.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date on 
        which each report is submitted to the Commission under 
        subsection (c), the Commission shall make a list, from among 
        covered health agency reports, of reporting requirements the 
        Commission recommends be modified or eliminated (including any 
        regulations with respect to those reports) and make such list 
        public.
            (2) Submission.--Not later than the date the list under 
        paragraph (1) is made public, the Commission shall submit a 
        copy of such list to the following:
                    (A) The President.
                    (B) Congress.
                    (C) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
                and Prevention, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and 
                the Director of the National Institutes of Health.
            (3) Considerations.--In making recommendations under 
        paragraph (1) with respect to a covered health agency report, 
        the Commission shall consider the following:
                    (A) Whether the report has been identified pursuant 
                to subsection (c) as unnecessary or wasteful.
                    (B) Whether there are duplicative efforts or 
                reports across the agencies referred to in such 
                subsection.
                    (C) Whether there is a private sector organization 
                that fulfills the primary research goals of the agency 
                involved.
                    (D) Whether the regulation, guidance, or report 
                meets the objectives of the core mission of the agency 
                involved.
                    (E) Whether there is another agency that has 
                primary jurisdiction over the issue addressed by the 
                report involved.
    (e) Powers of Commission.--
            (1) Hearings.--The Commission may, for the purpose of 
        carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times and 
        places, take testimony, and receive evidence as the Commission 
        considers appropriate.
            (2) Obtaining official data.--The Commission may secure 
        directly from any department or agency of the United States 
        information necessary to enable it to carry out this Act.
    (f) Covered Health Agency Report.--In this section, the term 
``covered health agency report'' means a report prepared by the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and the Director of the National 
Institutes of Health that appears on the list prepared by the Clerk of 
the House of Representatives for the first session of the One Hundred 
Seventeenth Congress under clause 2(b) of rule II of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives (House Document No. 117-4).
    (g) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate on the date on 
which recommendations are submitted under subsection (d).

SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF REPORT REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Termination.--
            (1) In general.--Each provision of law requiring the 
        submittal to Congress (or any committee of the Congress) of any 
        annual, semiannual, or other regular periodic report specified 
        on the list that the Commission has made public under section 
        2(d) shall cease to be effective, with respect to that 
        requirement, on the date that is 45 days after the date on 
        which the list of reports is made public under section 2(d), 
        unless Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval under 
        paragraph (2).
            (2) Congressional disapproval.--Congress may enact a joint 
        resolution of disapproval not later than 45 days after the date 
        on which the list of reports is submitted under section 2(d).
    (b) Implementation.--Beginning on the date that is 45 days after 
the date on which the list of reports is made public under section 
2(d), the Agencies will have one year to implement the recommendations 
submitted under section 2(d)(2).
                                 <all>