In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Health Empowerment Zone Act of
2009''.

SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. Findings.
Sec. 4. Designation of health empowerment zones.
Sec. 5. Assistance to those seeking designation.
Sec. 6. Benefits of designation.
Sec. 7. Definition.
Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) Numerous studies and reports, including the National
Healthcare Disparities Report and Unequal Treatment, the 2002
Institute of Medicine Report, document the extensiveness to
which health disparities exist across the country.
(2) These studies have found that, on average, racial and
ethnic minorities are disproportionately afflicted with chronic
and acute conditions--such as cancer, diabetes, and
hypertension--and suffer worse health outcomes, worse health
status, and higher mortality rates than their White
counterparts.
(3) Several recent studies also show that health
disparities are a function of not only access to health care,
but also the social determinants of health--including the
environment, the physical structure of communities, nutrition
and food options, educational attainment, employment, race,
ethnicity, geography, and language preference--that directly
and indirectly affect the health, health care, and wellness of
individuals and communities.
(4) Integrally involving and fully supporting the
communities most affected by health inequities in the
assessment, planning, launch, and evaluation of health
disparity elimination efforts is among the leading
recommendations made to adequately address and ultimately
reduce health disparities.
(5) Recommendations also include supporting the efforts of
community stakeholders from a broad cross section--including,
but not limited to local businesses, local departments of
commerce, education, labor, urban planning, and transportation,
and community-based and other nonprofit organizations--to find
areas of common ground around health disparity elimination and
collaborate to improve the overall health and wellness of a
community and its residents.

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF HEALTH EMPOWERMENT ZONES.

(a) In General.--At the request of an eligible community
partnership, the Secretary may designate an eligible area as a health
empowerment zone.
(b) Eligibility Criteria.--
(1) Eligible community partnership.--A community
partnership is eligible to submit a request under this section
if the partnership--
(A) demonstrates widespread public support from key
individuals and entities in the eligible area,
including State and local governments, nonprofit
organizations, and community and industry leaders, for
designation of the eligible area as a health
empowerment zone; and
(B) includes representatives of--
(i) a broad cross section of stakeholders
and residents from communities in the eligible
area experiencing disproportionate disparities
in health status and health care; and
(ii) organizations, facilities, and
institutions that have a history of working
within and serving such communities.
(2) Eligible area.--An area is eligible to be designated as
a health empowerment zone under this section if one or more
communities in the area experience disproportionate disparities
in health status and health care. In determining whether a
community experiences such disparities, the Secretary shall
consider the data collected by the Department of Health and
Human Services focusing on the following areas:
(A) Access to high-quality health services.
(B) Arthritis, osteoporosis, and chronic back
conditions.
(C) Cancer.
(D) Chronic kidney disease.
(E) Diabetes.
(F) Injury and violence prevention.
(G) Maternal, infant, and child health.
(H) Medical product safety.
(I) Mental health and mental disorders.
(J) Nutrition and overweight.
(K) Disability and secondary conditions.
(L) Educational and community-based health
programs.
(M) Environmental health.
(N) Family planning.
(O) Food safety.
(P) Health communication.
(Q) Health disease and stroke.
(R) HIV/AIDS.
(S) Immunization and infectious diseases.
(T) Occupational safety and health.
(U) Oral health.
(V) Physical activity and fitness.
(W) Public health infrastructure.
(X) Respiratory diseases.
(Y) Sexually transmitted diseases.
(Z) Substance abuse.
(AA) Tobacco use.
(BB) Vision and hearing.
(c) Procedure.--
(1) Request.--A request under subsection (a) shall--
(A) describe the bounds of the area to be
designated as a health empowerment zone and the process
used to select those bounds;
(B) demonstrate that the partnership submitting the
request is an eligible community partnership described
in subsection (b)(1);
(C) demonstrate that the area is an eligible area
described in subsection (b)(2);
(D) include a comprehensive assessment of
disparities in health status and health care experience
by one or more communities in the area;
(E) set forth--
(i) a vision and a set of values for the
area; and
(ii) a comprehensive and holistic set of
goals to be achieved in the area through
designation as a health empowerment zone; and
(F) include a strategic plan for achieving the
goals described in subparagraph (E)(ii).
(2) Approval.--Not later than 60 days after the receipt of
a request for designation of an area as a health empowerment
zone under this section, the Secretary shall approve or
disapprove the request.
(d) Minimum Number.--The Secretary--
(1) shall designate not more than 110 health empowerment
zones under this section; and
(2) shall designate at least one health empowerment zone in
each of the several States, the District of Columbia, and each
territory or possession of the United States.

SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE TO THOSE SEEKING DESIGNATION.

At the request of any organization or entity seeking to submit a
request under section 4(a), the Secretary shall provide technical
assistance, and may award a grant, to assist such organization or
entity--
(1) to form an eligible community partnership described in
subsection (b)(1);
(2) to complete a health assessment, including an
assessment of health disparities under subsection (c)(1)(D); or
(3) to prepare and submit a request, including a strategic
plan, in accordance with section 4.

SEC. 6. BENEFITS OF DESIGNATION.

(a) Priority.--In awarding any competitive grant, a Federal
official shall give priority to any applicant that--
(1) meets the eligibility criteria for the grant;
(2) proposes to use the grant for activities in a health
empowerment zone; and
(3) demonstrates that such activities will directly and
significantly further the goals of the strategic plan approved
for such zone under section 4.
(b) Grants for Initial Implementation of Strategic Plan.--
(1) In general.--Upon designating an eligible area as a
health empowerment zone at the request of an eligible community
partnership, the Secretary shall, subject to the availability
of appropriations, make a grant to the community partnership
for implementation of the strategic plan for such zone.
(2) Grant period.--A grant under paragraph (1) for a health
empowerment zone shall be for a period of 2 years and may be
renewed, except that the total period of grants under paragraph
(1) for such zone may not exceed 10 years.
(3) Limitation.--In awarding grants under this subsection,
the Secretary shall not give less priority to an applicant or
reduce the amount of a grant because the Secretary rendered
technical assistance or made a grant to the same applicant
under section 5.
(4) Reporting.--The Secretary shall require each recipient
of a grant under this subsection to report to the Secretary not
less than every 6 months on the progress in implementing the
strategic plan for the health empowerment zone.

SEC. 7. DEFINITION.

In this Act, the term ''Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration and the Director of the Office of
Minority Health, and in cooperation with the Director of the Office of
Community Services and the Director of the National Center for Minority
Health and Health Disparities.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

To carry out this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated
$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
A:
Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), at the request of a broad-based community partnership, to designate a community that experiences disproportionate disparities in health status and health care as a health empowerment zone. Requires federal officials to give priority in awarding competitive grants to grants used in or benefiting a health empowerment zone.

Directs the Secretary to provide: (1) technical assistance (or grants) to entities seeking to form a community partnership or obtain a health empowerment zone designation for a community; and (2) grants to community partnerships for implementation of the strategic plan for a health empowerment zone.