Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) establish and operate a Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network to provide for public access to an electronic national database on the incidence and prevalence of priority chronic conditions and health effects and relevant environmental and other factors; (2) award grants to states for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of state networks; (3) enter into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to train and place applied epidemiology fellows in state and local health departments to enhance public health capacity in the areas of environmental health, chronic and other noninfectious diseases and conditions, and public health surveillance; and (4) enter into cooperative agreements with states or consortia of states to expand the scope and amount of biomonitoring data collected and analyzed by the CDC, state laboratories, and consortia of state laboratories in order to obtain robust information about a range of environmental exposures.
Requires the Secretary to integrate the enactment of this Act with all funded environmental health tracking programs.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3426 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3426
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a Coordinated
Environmental Public Health Network.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 30, 2009
Ms. Pelosi (for herself, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Markey of Massachusetts,
Mrs. Capps, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. McCollum, Mr.
Serrano, Mr. Grijalva, and Mr. Hare) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a Coordinated
Environmental Public Health Network.
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 ``Coordinated Environmental Public
Health Network Act of 2009''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
The Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``TITLE XXXI--COORDINATED ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH NETWORK
``SEC. 3100. DEFINITIONS.
``In this title:
``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
``(2) Coordinated network.--The term `Coordinated Network'
means the Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network
established under section 3101(a).
``(3) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
``(4) Director of the center.--The term `Director of the
Center' means the Director of the National Center for
Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
``(5) Medical privacy regulations.--The term `medical
privacy regulations' means the regulations promulgated under
section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996.
``(6) Priority chronic conditions and health effects.--The
term `priority chronic conditions and health effects' means the
conditions, as specified by the Secretary, to be tracked in the
Coordinated Network and the State Networks.
``(7) State network.--The term `State Network' means a
State Environmental Public Health Network established under
section 3101(b).
``(8) State.--The term `State' means a State, local
government, territory, or Indian tribe that is eligible to
receive a health tracking grant under section 3101(b).
``SEC. 3101. ESTABLISHMENT OF COORDINATED AND STATE ENVIRONMENTAL
PUBLIC HEALTH NETWORKS.
``(a) Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network.--
``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 36 months after the
date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary, acting
through the Director, in consultation with the Administrator
and the Director of the Center, and with the involvement of
other Federal agencies, and State and local health departments,
shall establish and operate a Coordinated Environmental Public
Health Network. In establishing and operating the Coordinated
Network, the Secretary shall, as practicable--
``(A) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate
among existing data and surveillance systems, surveys,
registries, and other Federal public health and
environmental infrastructure as practicable,
including--
``(i) the Public Health Information
Network;
``(ii) State birth defects surveillance
systems as supported under section 317C;
``(iii) State cancer registries as
supported under part M of title III;
``(iv) State asthma surveillance systems as
supported under section 317I;
``(v) the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey;
``(vi) the Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System;
``(vii) the Hazardous Substance Release/
Health Effects Database;
``(viii) the Hazardous Substances Emergency
Events Surveillance System; and
``(ix) the State vital statistics systems
as supported under section 306;
``(B) provide for public access to an electronic
national database that accepts data from the State
Networks on the incidence and prevalence of priority
chronic conditions and health effects and relevant
environmental and other factors, in a manner which
protects personal privacy consistent with the medical
privacy regulations;
``(C) in order to allow the public to access and
understand information about environmental health at
the Federal, State, and, where practicable, local
level, prepare, publish, make publicly available on the
Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, and
submit to Congress not later than 2 years after the
date of the enactment of this title, and biennially
thereafter, a Coordinated Network Health and
Environment Report, including--
``(i) identification of gaps in the data of
the Network, including diseases of concern and
environmental exposures not tracked;
``(ii) identification of activities carried
out under this title and key milestones
achieved during the preceding year; and
``(iii) an analysis of the most currently
available incidence, prevalence, and trends of
priority chronic conditions and health effects,
and potentially relevant environmental and
other factors, by State and, as practicable by
local areas, and recommendations regarding high
risk populations, public health concerns,
response and prevention strategies, and
additional tracking needs;
``(D) provide for the establishment of State
Networks, and coordinate the State Networks as provided
for under subsection (b);
``(E) provide technical assistance to support the
State Networks;
``(F) not later than 12 months after the date of
the enactment of this title, develop minimum standards
and procedures for data collection and reporting for
the State Networks, to be updated not less than
annually thereafter; and
``(G) in developing the minimum standards and
procedures under subparagraph (F), include mechanisms
for allowing the States to set priorities, and allocate
resources accordingly.
``(2) Data collection and reporting by state networks.--The
minimum standards and procedures referred to in paragraph
(1)(F) shall include--
``(A) a list and definitions of the priority
chronic conditions and health effects to be tracked
through the State Networks;
``(B) a list and definitions of relevant
environmental exposures of concern to be tracked, to
the extent practicable, through the State Networks,
including--
``(i) hazardous air pollutants (as defined
in section 302(g) of the Clean Air Act);
``(ii) air pollutants for which national
primary ambient air quality standards have been
promulgated under section 109 of the Clean Air
Act;
``(iii) pollutants or contaminants (as
defined in section 101 of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980);
``(iv) toxic chemicals (as described in
section 313 of the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986);
``(v) substances reported under the Toxic
Substances Control Act Inventory Update Rule as
provided for in part 710 of title 40, Code of
Federal Regulations, or successor regulations;
``(vi) pesticides (as defined in section
2(u) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act); and
``(vii) such other potentially relevant
environmental factors as the Secretary may
specify;
``(C) a list and definitions of potentially
relevant behavioral, socioeconomic, and demographic
factors known to be associated with these priority
chronic conditions and health effects and other risk
factors, such as race, ethnic status, gender, age,
occupation, and primary language, to be tracked through
the State Networks;
``(D) procedures for the complete and timely
collection and reporting of data to the Coordinated
Network by local areas, such as a census tract or other
political subdivision determined appropriate by the
Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator,
regarding the factors described in subparagraphs (A),
(B), and (C);
``(E) procedures for making data available to the
public and researchers, and for reporting to the
Coordinated Network, while protecting the
confidentiality of all personal data reported, in
accordance with medical privacy regulations; and
``(F) standards and procedures for the
establishment, operation, and maintenance of
laboratories conducting biomonitoring, in order to
expand the scope and amount of biomonitoring data
collected by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention as described in section 3104.
``(b) State Environmental Public Health Networks.--
``(1) Grants.--Not later than 12 months after the date of
the enactment of this title, the Secretary, acting through the
Director, in consultation with the Administrator and the
Director of the Center shall award grants to States for the
establishment, maintenance, and operation of State Networks in
accordance with the minimum standards and procedures
established by the Secretary under subsection (a)(1)(F).
``(2) Specialized assistance.--The Coordinated Network
shall provide specialized assistance to grantees in the
establishment, maintenance, and operation of State Networks.
``(3) Requirements.--A State receiving a grant under this
subsection shall use the grant--
``(A) to establish an environmental public health
network that will provide--
``(i) for the tracking of the incidence,
prevalence, and trends of priority chronic
conditions and health effects, as well as any
additional priority chronic conditions and
health effects and potentially related
environmental exposures of concern to that
State;
``(ii) for identification of priority
chronic conditions and health effects and
potentially relevant environmental and other
factors that disproportionately impact low
income and minority communities;
``(iii) for the protection of the
confidentiality of all personal data reported,
in accordance with the medical privacy
regulations;
``(iv) a means by which confidential data
may, in accordance with Federal and State law,
be disclosed to researchers for the purposes of
public health research;
``(v) the fullest possible public access to
data collected by the State Network or through
the Coordinated Network, while ensuring that
individual privacy is protected in accordance
with subsection (a)(1)(B); and
``(vi) for the collection of exposure data
through biomonitoring and other methods, which
may include the entering into of cooperative
agreements as described in section 3104;
``(B) to develop a publicly available plan for
establishing the State Network in order to meet minimum
standards and procedures as developed by the Secretary
under subsection (a)(1)(F);
``(C) to appoint a lead public health department or
agency that will be responsible for the development,
operation, and maintenance of the State Network, and
ensure the appropriate coordination among State and
local agencies, including environmental agencies,
regarding the development, operation, and maintenance
of the State Network; and
``(D) to recruit and train public health officials
to continue to expand the State Network.
``(4) Limitation.--A State that receives a grant under this
section may not use more than 10 percent of the funds made
available through the grant for administrative costs.
``(5) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, a
State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such
time, in such form and manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Secretary may specify.
``(c) Pilot Projects.--
``(1) In general.--A State may apply for a grant under this
subsection to implement a pilot project that is approved by the
Secretary, acting through the Director and in consultation with
the Administrator, and the Director of the Center.
``(2) Activities.--A State shall use amounts received under
a grant under this subsection to carry out a pilot project
designed to develop State Network enhancements and to develop
programs to address specific local and regional concerns.
``(3) Results.--The Secretary may consider the results of
the pilot projects under this subsection for inclusion into the
Coordinated Network.
``(d) Privacy.--In establishing and operating the Coordinated
Network under subsection (a), and in making grants under subsections
(b) and (c), the Secretary shall ensure the protection of privacy of
individually identifiable health information, including ensuring
protection consistent with the regulations promulgated under section
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014.
``SEC. 3102. INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH PERSONNEL CAPACITY.
``(a) In General.--Beginning in fiscal year 2010, the Secretary,
acting through the Director, shall enter into a cooperative agreement
with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to train and
place, in State and local health departments, applied epidemiology
fellows to enhance State and local public health capacity in the areas
of environmental health, chronic and other noninfectious diseases and
conditions, and public health surveillance.
``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014.
``SEC. 3103. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
``(a) Integration of Environmental Health Tracking Programs.--The
Secretary shall integrate the enactment of this title with all
environmental health tracking programs funded prior to the date of the
enactment of this title, including by integrating the programs, in
existence on the date of the enactment of this title, to develop State
Network enhancements and to develop programs to address specific local
and regional concerns.
``(b) Coordination With Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry.--In carrying out this title, the Secretary, acting through
the Director, shall coordinate activities and responses with the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
``SEC. 3104. EXPANSION OF BIOMONITORING CAPABILITIES AND DATA
COLLECTION.
``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to expand the
scope and amount of biomonitoring data collected and analyzed by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, State laboratories, and
consortia of State laboratories, in order to obtain robust information,
including information by geographically defined areas and
subpopulations, about a range of environmental exposures.
``(b) In General.--In meeting the purpose of this section, the
Secretary shall ensure that biomonitoring data are collected
intramurally through appropriate sources, including the National Health
and Nutrition Examination Survey, and extramurally shall enter into
collaboration or partnerships with other entities to obtain additional
information regarding vulnerable subpopulations or other
subpopulations.
``(c) Cooperative Agreements.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Director, shall enter into cooperative agreements with States
or consortia of States to support the purposes of this title.
``(2) Applications.--Applications for such cooperative
agreements by consortia of States shall address the manner in
which such States will coordinate activities with other States
in the region, and shall designate a lead State for
administrative purposes.
``(3) Training and quality assurance.--The Secretary,
acting through the Director, shall through the cooperative
agreements with States or a consortia of States provide
laboratory training and quality assurance.
``(d) Privacy.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall
ensure the protection of privacy of individually identifiable health
information, including ensuring protection consistent with the
regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.
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