ETHIC Act

Bill: 116-hr-8205
Sponsor: Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
Introduced: 2020-09-11 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Blood and blood diseases
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Child health
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Hospital care
Indian social and development programs
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Intergovernmental relations
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Minority health
Public-private cooperation
Research administration and funding
State and local government operations
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-11
text: 

Ensuring Transparent Honest Information on COVID-19 Act or the ETHIC Act

 
This bill retroactively requires states and other jurisdictions to report specified COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a condition of receiving certain COVID-19 funding. It also directs the CDC and others to take additional actions to address public health data systems, public health infrastructure, and health disparities.
 
Specifically, the bill directs the CDC to improve its data systems, develop relevant data and technology systems, and expand its public health infrastructure. The CDC must also award grants to government health departments to modernize their data systems, infrastructure, and collection of health disparities data.
 
Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services must commission a study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on public health data infrastructure, and the Indian Health Service must, as advised by a panel of tribal representatives, conduct research on health inequities among tribal populations, including inequities related to COVID-19.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States.
action_date: 2020-09-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Oversight and Reform, 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.
action_date: 2020-09-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Oversight and Reform, 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.
action_date: 2020-09-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Oversight and Reform, 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.
action_date: 2020-09-11
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2020-09-11
text: Introduced in House