Title: SMASH Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act or the SMASH Act
This bill reauthorizes for FY2020-FY2024 and revises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant program that supports state mosquito control programs. Among other changes, the bill expands the grant program so that grants may be used to address emerging, infectious mosquito-borne diseases and to improve existing control programs. The CDC must also give preference to applicants that have (1) a public health emergency due to a mosquito-borne disease, or (2) a control program that is consistent with existing state preparedness plans.
The bill also reauthorizes for FY2020-FY2024 and revises the CDC epidemiology and laboratory capacity grant program, which helps public health agencies improve surveillance and response activities related to infectious diseases.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 345 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 345

 To support programs for mosquito-borne and other vector-borne disease 
                       surveillance and control.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 8, 2019

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To support programs for mosquito-borne and other vector-borne disease 
                       surveillance and control.

    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 ``Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for 
Safety and Health Act'' or the ``SMASH Act''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF MOSQUITO ABATEMENT FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH 
              PROGRAM.

    Section 317S of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-21) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B)--
                    (A) by inserting ``including programs to address 
                emerging infectious mosquito-borne diseases,'' after 
                ``control programs,''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or improving existing control 
                programs'' before the period at the end;
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``, including 
                improvement,'' after ``operation'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) in clause (ii), by striking 
                                ``or'' at the end;
                                    (II) in clause (iii), by striking 
                                the semicolon at the end and inserting 
                                ``, including an emerging infectious 
                                mosquito-borne disease that presents a 
                                serious public health threat; or''; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                            ``(iv) a public health emergency due to the 
                        incidence or prevalence of a mosquito-borne 
                        disease that presents a serious public health 
                        threat;''; and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ``or 
                        that demonstrates to the Secretary that the 
                        control program is consistent with existing 
                        State mosquito control plans or policies, or 
                        other applicable State preparedness plans'' 
                        before the period at the end;
                    (C) in paragraph (4)(C), by striking ``that 
                extraordinary'' and all that follows through the period 
                at the end and inserting ``that--
                            ``(i) extraordinary economic conditions in 
                        the political subdivision or consortium of 
                        political subdivisions involved justify the 
                        waiver; or
                            ``(ii) the geographical area covered by a 
                        political subdivision or consortium for a grant 
                        under paragraph (1) has an extreme mosquito 
                        control need due to--
                                    ``(I) the size or density of the 
                                potentially impacted human population;
                                    ``(II) the size or density of a 
                                mosquito population that requires 
                                heightened control; or
                                    ``(III) the severity of the 
                                mosquito-borne disease, such that 
                                expected serious adverse health 
                                outcomes for the human population 
                                justify the waiver.''; and
                    (D) by amending paragraph (6) to read as follows:
            ``(6) Number of grants.--A political subdivision or a 
        consortium of political subdivisions may not receive more than 
        one grant under paragraph (1).''; and
            (3) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``for fiscal year 
                2003, and such sums as may be necessary for each of 
                fiscal years 2004 through 2007'' and inserting ``for 
                each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``the Public 
                Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and 
                Response Act of 2002'' and inserting ``other medical 
                and public health preparedness and response laws''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) in the heading, by striking ``2004'' 
                        and inserting ``2020''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``2004'' and inserting 
                        ``2020''.

SEC. 3. EPIDEMIOLOGY-LABORATORY CAPACITY GRANTS.

    Section 2821 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-31) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ``, including 
        mosquito and other vector-borne diseases,'' after ``infectious 
        diseases''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``2010 through 2013'' 
        and inserting ``2020 through 2024''.

SEC. 4. GAO STUDY.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study on the state of surveillance and control of mosquito-
borne infectious diseases in the United States and territories, 
including the state of preparedness for conducting such surveillance 
and control. The study shall include--
            (1) a description of the infrastructure and programs for 
        mosquito control in the United States, including--
                    (A) how such infrastructure and programs are 
                organized and implemented at the Federal, State and 
                local levels, including with respect to departments and 
                agencies of the States, and local organizations 
                (including special districts) involved in such control 
                programs;
                    (B) the role of the private sector in such 
                activities;
                    (C) how the authority for mosquito control impacts 
                such activities; and
                    (D) the resources for such infrastructure and 
                programs, including Federal, State, and local funding 
                sources;
            (2) how mosquito and other vector-borne disease 
        surveillance and control is integrated into Federal, State, and 
        local preparedness plans and actions, including how zoonotic 
        surveillance is integrated into infectious disease surveillance 
        to support real-time situational surveillance and awareness;
            (3) Federal, State, and local laboratory capacity for 
        emerging vector-borne diseases, including mosquito-borne and 
        other zoonotic diseases; and
            (4) any regulatory challenges for developing and utilizing 
        vector-control technologies and platforms as part of mosquito 
        control strategies.
    (b) Consultations.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall consult with--
            (1) State and local public health officials involved in 
        mosquito and other vector-borne disease surveillance and 
        control efforts;
            (2) researchers and manufacturers of mosquito control 
        products;
            (3) stakeholders involved in mosquito abatement activities;
            (4) infectious disease experts; and
            (5) entomologists involved in mosquito-borne disease 
        surveillance and control efforts.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives a report containing the results of the study conducted 
under subsection (a) and relevant recommendations for Zika virus and 
other mosquito-borne diseases preparedness and response efforts.
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