Title: Access to TESTs Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Access to Technology and Equipment for Same-day Tests Act or the Access to TESTs Act
This bill establishes grant programs to increase access to diagnostic tests.
Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must award grants to hospitals, primary care facilities, and other health care providers to buy equipment and supplies to increase access to same-day diagnostic testing in point-of-care settings.
The CDC must also award grants to public health and other laboratories to buy high-throughput diagnostic equipment and supplies to increase testing capacity and expedite test results.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 747 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 747

    To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for 
    acquiring equipment and supplies capable of performing same-day 
 clinical laboratory testing in a point-of-care setting, and to assist 
     laboratories in meeting the cost of acquiring high-throughput 
                   equipment, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 3, 2021

  Ms. DeGette (for herself and Mr. Bucshon) 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 
    acquiring equipment and supplies capable of performing same-day 
 clinical laboratory testing in a point-of-care setting, and to assist 
     laboratories in meeting the cost of acquiring high-throughput 
                   equipment, 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 ``Access to Technology and Equipment 
for Same-day Tests Act'' or the ``Access to TESTs Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR SAME-DAY POINT-OF-CARE TESTING IN COMMUNITIES.

    Section 2821 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-31) 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (d); and
            (2) after making such redesignation, by inserting after 
        subsection (a) the following new subsection:
    ``(b) Grants for Same-Day Point-of-Care Testing in Communities.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
        of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award 
        grants to eligible entities to assist such entities in 
        acquiring legally-marketed equipment and supplies capable of 
        performing, storing, and processing same-day clinical 
        laboratory testing, including molecular, serological, and 
        antigen tests, in a point-of-care setting.
            ``(2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under 
        paragraph (1), an entity shall--
                    ``(A) be--
                            ``(i) a hospital;
                            ``(ii) a primary care facility;
                            ``(iii) a clinic;
                            ``(iv) a pharmacy;
                            ``(v) a physician; or
                            ``(vi) such other type of health care 
                        provider as the Secretary may determine for 
                        purposes of this section;
                    ``(B) be in compliance with section 353 (commonly 
                referred to as the `Clinical Laboratory Improvement 
                Amendments of 1988'); and
                    ``(C) submit to the Secretary an application at 
                such time, in such manner, and containing such 
                information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
            ``(3) Amount of grant.--The amount of a grant under 
        paragraph (1) may not exceed $20,000.
            ``(4) Priority.--In awarding grants under paragraph (1), 
        the Secretary shall give highest priority to eligible entities 
        providing services to--
                    ``(A) underserved populations in rural areas; and
                    ``(B) medically underserved populations (as defined 
                in section 330(b)(3)).''.

SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR LABORATORIES TO ACQUIRE HIGH-THROUGHPUT DIAGNOSTIC 
              EQUIPMENT.

    Section 2821 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-31) 
is amended by inserting after subsection (b) (as added by section 2) 
the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Grants for Laboratories To Acquire High-Throughput Diagnostic 
Equipment.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
        of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award 
        grants to eligible entities to assist such entities in 
        purchasing high-throughput diagnostic equipment and related 
        supplies to administer, store, and process molecular, 
        serological, and antigen tests.
            ``(2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under 
        paragraph (1), an entity shall--
                    ``(A) be--
                            ``(i) a State, local, or Tribal public 
                        health laboratory;
                            ``(ii) a laboratory within a public health 
                        laboratory network coordinated or managed by 
                        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
                            ``(iii) a laboratory not described in 
                        clause (i) or (ii) that the Secretary 
                        determines (at the Secretary's discretion) 
                        provides population-based testing for the 
                        prevention and control of infectious, 
                        communicable, genetic, or chronic diseases; or
                            ``(iv) a consortium of 2 or more entities 
                        described in any of clauses (i) through (iii); 
                        and
                    ``(B) submit to the Secretary an application at 
                such time, in such manner, and containing such 
                information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
            ``(3) Amount of grant.--The amount of a grant under 
        paragraph (1) may not exceed $2,000,000, except in the case of 
        eligible entity described in paragraph (2)(A)(iv).
            ``(4) High-throughput diagnostic equipment defined.--In 
        this subsection, the term `high-throughput diagnostic 
        equipment' means legally-marketed equipment capable of 
        performing multichannel analysis for use in clinical laboratory 
        testing, including molecular, serological, and antigen 
        tests.''.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 2821(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-
31(d)) (as redesignated by section 2) is amended to read as follows:
            (1) by striking ``There are authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section'' and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out subsection (a)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end, the following:
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) Testing grants.--For carrying out subsection 
                (b), there is authorized to be appropriated 
                $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, to remain available 
                until expended.
                    ``(B) Equipment grants.--For carrying out 
                subsection (c), there is authorized to be appropriated 
                $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, to remain available 
                until expended.
                    ``(C) Administrative expenses.--Of the total amount 
                made available to carry out subsections (b) and (c) for 
                any fiscal year, the Secretary may not use more than 5 
                percent of such amount for the expenses of 
                administering such subsections.''.
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