Title: Protecting Americans from Seasonal Influenza Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Protecting Americans from Seasonal Influenza Act of 2020
This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to increase seasonable influenza vaccination rates in states that have sustained influenza vaccination rates below recommended levels.
State health agencies receiving such grants must include at least one of the elements set out in the bill in their programs. Among others, these include (1) increasing outreach to vulnerable populations, (2) encouraging employer-based vaccination programs, and (3) coordinating between health care providers and insurers to reduce out-of-pocket costs of vaccinations.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5729 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5729

    To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for 
    increasing seasonal influenza vaccination rates, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2020

Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself, Mr. Langevin, and Mr. Carson of 
   Indiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for 
    increasing seasonal influenza vaccination rates, 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 ``Protecting Americans from Seasonal 
Influenza Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR INCREASING SEASONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION RATES.

    The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 
317T of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-22) the following new section:

``SEC. 317U. GRANTS FOR INCREASING SEASONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION 
              RATES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award grants to 
State health agencies to implement programs to increase seasonal 
influenza vaccination rates.
    ``(b) Number of Grants.--Subject to the availability of 
appropriations, the Secretary shall award no fewer than five and not 
more than 20 grants under this section.
    ``(c) Eligibility.--A State health agency is eligible to receive a 
grant under this section only if the average seasonal influenza 
vaccination rates in the State involved for the last three influenza 
seasons--
            ``(1) are below the rates recommended by the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention as part of the Healthy People 
        2020 initiative; or
            ``(2) otherwise fail to meet any subsequent goal for 
        influenza vaccination established by the Director of the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    ``(d) Elements.--As a condition on receipt of a grant under this 
section to implement programs intended to increase seasonal influenza 
vaccination rates, a State health agency shall agree to include in the 
program at least one of the following elements:
            ``(1) Increasing outreach to vulnerable populations, 
        including pregnant and nursing mothers, the elderly, 
        immunocompromised individuals, and young children.
            ``(2) Increasing outreach to populations most likely to be 
        exposed to influenza, including health professionals and 
        college students.
            ``(3) Encouraging employer-based vaccination programs.
            ``(4) Coordinating between health care providers and 
        insurers to reduce the out-of-pocket costs of vaccinations.
            ``(5) Conducting a public awareness campaign on the burden 
        of seasonal influenza.
            ``(6) Any other element determined by the Director of the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce 
        infections, hospitalizations, or fatalities associated with, or 
        the economic burden of, seasonal influenza.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2021 through 2023.''.
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