[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1225 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1225

To authorize and encourage the President to conclude an agreement with 
  Mexico to establish a United States-Mexico Border Health Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 14 (legislative day, June 30), 1993

 Mr. Bingaman (for himself, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Simon) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize and encourage the President to conclude an agreement with 
  Mexico to establish a United States-Mexico Border Health Commission.

    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 ``United States-Mexico Border Health 
Commission Act''.

SEC. 2. AGREEMENT TO ESTABLISH BINATIONAL COMMISSION.

    The President is authorized and encouraged to conclude an agreement 
with Mexico to establish a binational commission to be known as the 
United States-Mexico Border Health Commission.

SEC. 3. DUTIES.

    It should be the duty of the Commission--
            (1) to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment in the 
        United States-Mexico border area for the purposes of 
        identifying, evaluating, preventing, and resolving health 
        problems and potential health problems that affect the general 
        population of the area;
            (2) to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for 
        carrying out the actions recommended by the needs assessment 
        through--
                    (A) assisting in the coordination of public and 
                private efforts to prevent potential health problems 
                and resolve existing health problems,
                    (B) assisting in the coordination of public and 
                private efforts to educate the population, in a 
                culturally competent manner, concerning such potential 
                and existing health problems, and
                    (C) developing and implementing culturally 
                competent programs to prevent and resolve such health 
                problems and to educate the population, in a culturally 
                competent manner, concerning such health problems where 
                a new program is necessary to meet a need that is not 
                being met through other public or private efforts; and
            (3) to formulate recommendations to the Governments of the 
        United States and Mexico concerning a fair and reasonable 
        method by which the government of one country would reimburse a 
        public or private person in the other country for the cost of a 
        health care service that such person furnishes to a citizen or 
        resident alien of the first country who is unable, through 
        insurance or otherwise, to pay for the service.

SEC. 4. OTHER AUTHORIZED FUNCTIONS.

    In addition to the duties described in section 3, the Commission 
should be authorized to perform the following functions as the 
Commission determines to be appropriate--
            (1) to conduct or support investigations, research, or 
        studies designed to identify, study, and monitor, on an on-
        going basis, health problems that affect the general population 
        in the United States-Mexico border area;
            (2) to conduct or support a binational, public-private 
        effort to establish a comprehensive and coordinated system, 
        which uses advanced technologies to the maximum extent 
        possible, for gathering health-related data and monitoring 
        health problems in the United States-Mexico border area; and
            (3) to provide financial, technical, or administrative 
        assistance to public or private persons who act to prevent or 
        resolve such problems or who educate the population concerning 
        such health problems.

SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) Number and Appointment of United States Section.--The United 
States section of the Commission should be composed of 13 members. The 
section should consist of the following members:
            (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services or the 
        Secretary's delegate.
            (2) The commissioners of health or chief health officer 
        from the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California 
        or such commissioners' delegates.
            (3) 2 individuals from each of the States of Texas, New 
        Mexico, Arizona, and California who are nominated by the chief 
        executive officer of the respective States and appointed by the 
        President from among individuals--
                    (A) who have a demonstrated interest or expertise 
                in health issues of the United States-Mexico border 
                area; and
                    (B) whose name appears on a list of 6 nominees 
                submitted to the President by the chief executive 
                officer of the State where the nominees resides.
    (b) Commissioner.--The Commissioner of the United States section of 
the Commission should be the Secretary of Health and Human Services or 
such individual's delegate to the Commission. The Commissioner should 
be the leader of the section.
    (c) Compensation.--Members of the United States section of the 
Commission who are not employees of the United States--
            (1) shall each receive compensation at a rate of not to 
        exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay 
        payable for positions at GS-15 of the General Schedule under 
        section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, for each day such 
        member is engaged in the actual performance of the duties of 
        the Commission; and
            (2) shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in 
        lieu of subsistence at rates authorized for employees of 
        agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 
        States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of 
        business in the performance of services of the Commission.

SEC. 6. REGIONAL OFFICES.

    The Commission should establish no fewer than 3 regional border 
offices in locations selected by the Commission.

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    Not later than February 1 of each year that occurs more than 1 year 
after the date of the establishment of the Commission, the Commission 
should submit an annual report to both the United States Government and 
the Government of Mexico regarding all activities of the Commission 
during the preceding calendar year.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State 
for payment of the United States share of the expenses of the 
Commission such sums as may be necessary.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the United 
        States-Mexico Border Health Commission authorized in section 2.
            (2) Health problem.--The term ``health problem'' means a 
        disease or medical ailment or an environmental condition that 
        poses the risk of disease or medical ailment. The term includes 
        diseases, ailments, or risks of disease or ailment caused by or 
        related to environmental factors, control of animals and 
        rabies, control of insect and rodent vectors, disposal of solid 
        and hazardous waste, and control and monitoring of air and 
        water quality.
            (3) Resident alien.--The term ``resident alien'', when used 
        in reference to a country, means an alien lawfully admitted for 
        permanent residence to the country or otherwise permanently 
        residing in the country under color of law (including residence 
        as an asylee, refugee, or parolee).
            (4) United states-mexico border area.--The term ``United 
        States-Mexico border area'' means the area located in the 
        United States and Mexico within 100 kilometers of the border 
        between the United States and Mexico.

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