Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act
PL 106-174 (S.632), enacted 02/25/2000

114 STAT. 18 
PUBLIC LAW 106-174—FEB. 25, 2000 
Public Law 106-174 
106th Congress 
[S. 632] 
Poison Control 
Center 
Enhancement 
and Awareness 
Act 
42 u s e 14801 
note. 
42 u s e 14801. 
An Act 
Feb. 25, 2000 
To provide assistance for poison prevention and to stabilize the funding of regional 
poison control centers. 
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 "Poison Control Center Enhance-
ment and Awareness Act". 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Each year more than 2,000,000 poisonings are reported 
to poison control centers throughout the United States. More 
than 90 percent of these poisonings happen in the home. Fifty-
three percent of poisoning victims are children younger than 
6 years of age. 
(2) Poison control centers are a valuable national resource 
that provide life-saving and cost-effective public health services. 
For every dollar spent on poison control centers, $7 in medical 
costs are saved. The average cost of a poisoning exposure call 
is $32, while the average cost if other parts of the medical 
system are involved is $932. Over the last 2 decades, the 
instability and lack of funding has resulted in a steady decline 
in the number of poison control centers in the United States. 
Within just the last year, 2 poison control centers have been 
forced to close because of funding problems. A third poison 
control center is scheduled to close in April 1999. Currently, 
there are 73 such centers. 
(3) Stabilizing the funding structure and increasing accessi-
bility to poison control centers will increase the number of 
United States residents who have access to a certified poison 
control center, and reduce the inappropriate use of emergency 
medical services and other more costly health care services. 
42 u s e 14802. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITION. 
In this Act, the term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services. 
42 u s e 14803. 
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL TOLL-FREE NUMBER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide coordination and 
assistance to regional poison control centers for the establishment 
of a nationwide toll-free phone number to be used to access such 
centers. 
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall be 
construed as prohibiting the establishment or continued operation 
PUBLIC LAW 106-174—FEB. 25, 2000 
114 STAT. 19 
of any privately funded nationwide toll-free phone number used 
to provide advice and other assistance for jjoisonings or accidental 
exposures. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $2,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004. Funds appropriated under 
this subsection shall not be used to fund any toll-free phone number 
described in subsection (b). 
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONWroE MEDIA CAMPAIGN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a national 
media campaign to educate the public and health care providers 
about poison prevention and the availability of poison control 
resources in local communities and to conduct advertising cam-
paigns concerning the nationwide toU-freje number established 
under section 4. 
(b) CONTRACT WITH ENTITY.—The Secretary may carry out 
subsection (a) by entering into contracts with 1 or more nationally 
recognized media firms for the development and distribution of 
monthly television, radio, and newspaper public service announce-
ments. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $600,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004. 
SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF A GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) REGIONAL POISON CONTROL CENTERS.—The Secretary shall 
award grants to certified regional poison control centers for the 
purposes of achieving the financial stability of such centers, and 
for preventing and providing treatment recommendations for 
poisonings. 
(b) OTHER 
IMPROVEMENTS.—The Secretary shall also use 
amounts received under this section to— 
(1) develop standard education programs; 
(2) develop standard patient management protocols for com-
monly encountered toxic exposures; 
(3) improve and expand the poison control data collection 
systems; 
(4) improve national toxic exposure surveillance; and 
(5) expand the physician/medical toxicologist supervision 
of poison control centers. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.—Except as provided in subsection (d), the 
Secretary may make a grant to a center under subsection (a) 
only if— 
(1) the center has been certified by a professional organiza-
tion in the field of poison control, and the Secretary has 
approved the orgsmization as having in effect standards for 
certification that reasonably provide for the protection of the 
public health with respect to poisoning; or 
(2) the center has been certified by a State government, 
and the Secretary has approved the Stat;e government as having 
in effect standards for certification that reasonably provide 
for the protection of the public health with respect to poisoning. 
(d) WAIVER OF CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—^The Secretary may grant a waiver of 
the certification requirement of subsection (c) with respect to 
a noncertified poison control center or a newly established 
center that applies for a grant under this section if such center 
42 use 14804. 
42 use 14805. 
114 STAT. 20 
PUBLIC LAW 106-174—FEB. 25, 2000 
can reasonably demonstrate that the center will obtain such 
a certification within a reasonable period of time as determined 
appropriate by the Secretary. 
(2) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may only renew a waiver 
under paragraph (1) for a period of 3 years. 
(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts made available to 
a poison control center under this section shall be used to supple-
ment and not supplant other Federal, State, or local funds provided 
for such center. 
(f) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—A poison control center, in uti-
lizing the proceeds of a grant under this section, shall maintain 
the expenditures of the center for activities of the center at a 
level that is not less than the level of such expenditures maintained 
by the center for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which 
the grant is received. 
(g) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary may impose a 
matching requirement with respect to amounts provided under 
a grant under this section if the Secretary determines appropriate. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $25,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004. 
Approved February 25, 2000. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 632 (H.R. 1221): 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 145 (1999): Aug. 5, considered and passed Senate. 
Vol. 146 (2000): Feb. 8, considered and passed House. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTL\L DOCUMENTS, Vol. 36 (2000): 
Feb. 25, Presidential statement.