Disaster Area Health and Environmental Monitoring Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1741
Sponsor: Sen. Voinovich, George V. [R-OH]
Introduced: 2005-09-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Access to health care
Adult day care
Chemicals
Child care workers
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Communication in medicine
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Data banks
Day care
Directories
Disaster relief
Disasters
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Environmental Protection
Environmental assessment
Environmental health
Environmental monitoring
Epidemiology
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Finance and Financial Sector
Fire fighters
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Health
Health education
Health insurance
Health surveys
Higher education
Hurricane aftermath legislation
Labor and Employment
Law enforcement officers
Medical records
Medical research
Medical tests
Mental health
Mental health services
Occupational health and safety
Paramedical personnel
Patients' rights
Physical examinations
Police
Preventive medicine
Public health
Rescue work
Right of privacy
School personnel
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Students
Teachers
Terrorism
Toxicology
Volunteer workers

Summary:
action_date: 2005-09-21
text: 
Disaster Area Health and Environmental Monitoring Act of 2005 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President, if one or more chemicals or substances associated with potential acute or chronic human health effects are being or have been released in a disaster area, to carry out a program for the protection, assessment, monitoring, and study of the health and safety of workers or volunteers who respond to a major disaster or emergency, residents in a disaster area, or persons who are employed in, or who attend school, child care, or adult day care in, a disaster area..
 
Authorizes the President to carry out such a program through a cooperative agreement with a medical institution or a consortium of medical institutions, especially those located near the disaster area and any other area in which there reside groups of individuals that worked or volunteered in response to the disaster. Requires such an institution to have appropriate experience in the areas of environmental or occupational health, toxicology, and safety.
 
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to enter jointly into a contract with the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on disaster area health and environmental protection and monitoring.
 
Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to extend to September 30, 2007, the authority for the predisaster hazard mitigation program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-06-15
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2005-09-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2005-09-21
text: Introduced in Senate