Requires participation in any such registries and studies to be voluntary.
Allows the President to carry out such a program through a cooperative agreement with a medical or academic institution, or a consortium of such institutions, that is: (1) located in close proximity to the area; and (2) experienced in environmental or occupational health and safety. Requires the President, or the institution or consortium, to report on the study to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1621 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1621
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act to authorize the President to carry out a program for
the protection of the health and safety of community members,
volunteers, and workers in a disaster area.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 1, 2001
Mrs. Clinton (for herself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, and
Mr. Corzine) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act to authorize the President to carry out a program for
the protection of the health and safety of community members,
volunteers, and workers in a disaster area.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PROTECTION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY OF INDIVIDUALS IN A DISASTER
AREA.
Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act is amended by inserting after section 408 (42 U.S.C.
5174) the following:
``SEC. 409. PROTECTION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY OF INDIVIDUALS IN A
DISASTER AREA.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Harmful substance.--The term `harmful substance'
means a substance that the President determines may be harmful
to human health.
``(2) Program.--The term `program' means a program
described in subsection (b) carried out with respect to a
disaster area.
``(3) Worker.--The term `worker' includes a first responder
to a disaster, such as a police officer, a firefighter, and an
emergency medical technician.
``(b) Program.--If the President determines that 1 or more harmful
substances are being, or have been, released in an area that the
President has declared to be a disaster area under this Act, the
President may carry out a program for the protection, assessment,
monitoring, and study of the health and safety of community members,
volunteers, and workers in the disaster area, to ensure that--
``(1) the community members, volunteers, and workers are
adequately informed about and protected against potential
health impacts of the harmful substance;
``(2) the community members, volunteers, and workers are
monitored and studied over time, and receive appropriate care,
for any long-term health impacts of the harmful substance; and
``(3) information from any such monitoring and studies is
used to prevent or protect against similar health impacts from
future disasters.
``(c) Program.--
``(1) In general.--A program may include such activities
as--
``(A) collecting and analyzing environmental
exposure data;
``(B) developing and disseminating educational
materials to community members, volunteers, and
workers;
``(C) providing the public access to current
information on continuing releases of a harmful
substance in the disaster area;
``(D) training and certifying volunteers and
workers in the use of personal protection equipment;
``(E) identifying, performing baseline health
assessments on, taking biological samples from, and
establishing an exposure registry of community members,
volunteers, and workers exposed to a harmful substance;
``(F) studying the long-term health impacts of any
exposures through epidemiological studies; and
``(G) providing assistance to participants in
registries and studies under subparagraphs (E) and (F)
in determining eligibility for health coverage and
identifying appropriate health services.
``(2) Participation in registries and studies.--
``(A) In general.--Participation in any registry or
study under subparagraph (E) or (F) of paragraph (1)
shall be voluntary.
``(B) Protection of privacy.--The President shall
take appropriate measures to protect the privacy of any
participant in a registry or study described in
subparagraph (A).
``(3) Cooperative agreements.--The President may carry out
a program through a cooperative agreement with a medical or
academic institution, or a consortium of such institutions,
that is--
``(A) located in close proximity to the disaster
area with respect to which the program is carried out;
and
``(B) experienced in the area of environmental or
occupational health and safety, including experience
in--
``(i) conducting long-term epidemiological
studies;
``(ii) conducting long-term mental health
studies; and
``(iii) establishing and maintaining
environmental exposure or disease registries.
``(d) Reports and Responses to Studies.--
``(1) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
completion of a study under subsection (c)(1)(F), the
President, or the medical or academic institution or consortium
of such institutions that entered into the cooperative
agreement under subsection (c)(3), shall submit to the
Director, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the
Secretary of Labor, and the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency a report on the study.
``(2) Changes in procedures.--To protect the health and
safety of community members, volunteers, and workers, the
President shall make such changes in procedures as the
President determines to be necessary based on the findings of
the report submitted under paragraph (1).''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Jeffords without amendment. With written report No. 107-114.
Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Jeffords without amendment. With written report No. 107-114.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 267.
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