Title: Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act
This bill provides $5 billion in supplemental appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Public Health Emergency Fund.
The bill designates the funds as an emergency requirement, and provides that the funds are only available if the President subsequently designates the funds. (Emergency spending is exempt from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules.)
HHS may use the funds provided by this bill to acquire products such as drugs, vaccines and other biological products, and medical devices for deposit into the Strategic National Stockpile.
The bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt the Public Health Emergency Fund from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3579 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3579

 To make a supplemental appropriation for the Public Health Emergency 
                     Fund, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

  Ms. DeLauro (for herself, Ms. Moore, and Mr. Cohen) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, 
  and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To make a supplemental appropriation for the Public Health Emergency 
                     Fund, 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 ``Public Health Emergency Preparedness 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY 
              FUND.

    (a) Appropriation.--There is appropriated, out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for an additional amount for 
carrying out section 319(a) of the Public Health Service Act, 
$5,000,000,000, to be available until expended. Such amount shall be 
deposited into the Fund established under section 319(b) of such Act.
    (b) Emergency Designation.--The amount made available by subsection 
(a)--
            (1) is designated by Congress as an emergency requirement 
        pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and 
        Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985; and
            (2) shall be available only if the President subsequently 
        so designates such amount.
    (c) Deposit in Strategic National Stockpile.--The activities under 
section 319(a) of the Public Health Service Act that are funded under 
this section may include the acquisition of products for deposit into 
the strategic national stockpile maintained under section 319F-2 of 
such Act.

SEC. 3. EXEMPTION OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY FUND FROM 
              SEQUESTRATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced Budget and 
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended by inserting ``Public 
Health Emergency Fund (009-91-9913).'' after the item relating to 
``Postal Service Fund (18-4020-0-3-372).''.
    (b) Application.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply 
to any sequestration order issued under such Act on or after the date 
of enactment of this section.
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