Rapid Testing for Communities Act of 2020

Rapid Testing for Communities Act of 2020

This bill establishes a grant program for hospitals, primary care facilities, and other health care providers to purchase equipment and related materials to increase access to same-day diagnostic testing in point-of-care settings. In awarding these grants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must prioritize recipients that provide services to medically underserved populations in rural areas.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7026 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7026

    To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for 
    acquiring equipment and supplies capable of performing same-day 
clinical laboratory diagnostic testing in a point-of-care setting, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 27, 2020

  Ms. DeGette (for herself and Mr. Bucshon) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for 
    acquiring equipment and supplies capable of performing same-day 
clinical laboratory diagnostic testing in a point-of-care setting, and 
                          for other purposes.

    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 ``Rapid Testing for Communities Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR SAME-DAY POINT-OF-CARE CLINICAL LABORATORY 
              DIAGNOSTIC TESTING IN COMMUNITIES.

    Section 2821 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-31) 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);
            (2) in subsection (c), as so redesignated--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) 
                as subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), respectively, and 
                moving the margin of each such redesignated 
                subparagraph 2 ems to the right; and
                    (B) by striking ``There are authorized to be 
                appropriated to carry out this section'' and inserting 
                the following:
            ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out subsection (a)'';
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(b) Grants for Same-Day Point-of-Care Clinical Laboratory 
Diagnostic Testing in Communities.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
        of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award 
        grants to eligible entities to assist such entities in 
        acquiring legally-marketed equipment and supplies capable of 
        performing same-day clinical laboratory diagnostic testing in a 
        point-of-care setting.
            ``(2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under 
        paragraph (1), an entity shall--
                    ``(A) be--
                            ``(i) a hospital;
                            ``(ii) a primary care facility;
                            ``(iii) a clinic;
                            ``(iv) a physician; or
                            ``(v) another type of health care provider 
                        as the Secretary may define; and
                    ``(B) submit to the Secretary an application at 
                such time, in such manner, and containing such 
                information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
            ``(3) Use of funds.--Amounts received through a grant under 
        this subsection shall be used to purchase legally-marketed 
        rapid diagnostic equipment and such materials as are necessary 
        to administer, store, and process same-day clinical laboratory 
        diagnostic testing in a point-of-care setting, including 
        diagnostic and serological tests.
            ``(4) Amount of grant.--The amount of a grant under 
        paragraph (1) may not exceed $20,000.
            ``(5) Priority in making awards.--In awarding grants under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 
        entities providing services to--
                    ``(A) medically underserved populations (as defined 
                in section 330(b)(3)) in rural areas; and
                    ``(B) all other areas.''; and
            (4) by adding at the end of subsection (c), as 
        redesignated, the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For the purpose of carrying out 
                subsection (b), there is authorized to be appropriated 
                $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, to remain available 
                until expended.
                    ``(B) Administrative expenses.--Of the amount made 
                available to carry out subsection (b) for any fiscal 
                year, the Secretary may not use more than 5 percent of 
                such amount for the expenses of administering this 
                section.''.
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