Title: To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to assess and make recommendations related to disaster medical assistance teams, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to assess the readiness of disaster medical assistance teams to respond to current and emerging natural and manmade threats.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6357 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6357

 To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to assess and 
make recommendations related to disaster medical assistance teams, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 12, 2018

Mr. Bilirakis introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to assess and 
make recommendations related to disaster medical assistance teams, 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. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON DISASTER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TEAMS.

    (a) Study and Report.--
            (1) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
        shall conduct a study on the mission readiness of disaster 
        medical assistance teams with respect to current and emerging 
        natural and manmade threats.
            (2) Components.--The study conducted pursuant to paragraph 
        (1) shall include an assessment, in relation to disaster 
        medical assistance teams, of--
                    (A) whether the mission readiness of such teams, 
                and the needs relating to such readiness, have changed 
                over time;
                    (B) the standards the Assistant Secretary for 
                Preparedness and Response of the Department of Health 
                and Human Services uses to determine--
                            (i) the training needs of such teams; and
                            (ii) whether such teams are mission ready;
                    (C) how to improve the determinations described in 
                subparagraph (B);
                    (D) the extent to which the provision of additional 
                resources (including personnel, training, and 
                equipment) has addressed mission readiness concerns; 
                and
                    (E) the extent to which the Assistant Secretary has 
                developed plans to address mission readiness issues.
            (3) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to 
        the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate a report containing--
                    (A) the findings of the study conducted pursuant to 
                paragraph (1); and
                    (B) related recommendations.
    (b) Disaster Medical Assistance Team Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``disaster medical assistance team'' means a disaster medical 
assistance team operating pursuant to the National Disaster Medical 
System established under section 2812 of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 300hh-11).
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