[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4376 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4376

   To initiate a coordinated national effort to prevent, detect, and 
educate the public concerning Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
     Effect and to identify effective interventions for children, 
 adolescents, and adults with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
                    Effect, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 1998

 Mrs. Morella (for herself, Mr. Bereuter, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Maloney of 
  New York, and Ms. DeLauro) introduced the following bill; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To initiate a coordinated national effort to prevent, detect, and 
educate the public concerning Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
     Effect and to identify effective interventions for children, 
 adolescents, and adults with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
                    Effect, 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 ``Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal 
Alcohol Effect Prevention and Services Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the leading known cause of 
        mental retardation, and it is 100 percent preventable;
            (2) each year, up to 12,000 infants are born in the United 
        States with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, suffering irreversible 
        physical and mental damage;
            (3) thousands more infants are born each year with Fetal 
        Alcohol Effect, also known as Alcohol Related Neurobehavioral 
        Disorder (ARND), a related and equally tragic syndrome;
            (4) children of women who use alcohol while pregnant have a 
        significantly higher infant mortality rate (13.3 per 1000) than 
        children of those women who do not use alcohol (8.6 per 1000);
            (5) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect are 
        national problems which can impact any child, family, or 
        community, but their threat to American Indians and Alaska 
        Natives is especially alarming;
            (6) in some American Indian communities, where alcohol 
        dependency rates reach 50 percent and above, the chances of a 
        newborn suffering Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol 
        Effect are up to 30 times greater than national averages;
            (7) in addition to the immeasurable toll on children and 
        their families, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect 
        pose extraordinary financial costs to the Nation, including the 
        costs of health care, education, foster care, job training, and 
        general support services for affected individuals;
            (8) the total cost to the economy of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 
        was approximately $2,500,000,000 in 1995, and over a lifetime, 
        health care costs for one Fetal Alcohol Syndrome child are 
        estimated to be at least $1,400,000;
            (9) researchers have determined that the possibility of 
        giving birth to a baby with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal 
        Alcohol Effect increases in proportion to the amount and 
        frequency of alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman, and that 
        stopping alcohol consumption at any point in the pregnancy 
        reduces the emotional, physical, and mental consequences of 
        alcohol exposure to the baby; and
            (10) though approximately 1 out of every 5 pregnant women 
        drink alcohol during their pregnancy, we know of no safe dose 
        of alcohol during pregnancy, or of any safe time to drink 
        during pregnancy, thus, it is in the best interest of the 
        Nation for the Federal Government to take an active role in 
        encouraging all women to abstain from alcohol consumption 
        during pregnancy.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    It is the purpose of this Act to establish, within the Department 
of Health and Human Services, a comprehensive program to help prevent 
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect nationwide and to 
provide effective intervention programs and services for children, 
adolescents and adults already affected by these conditions. Such 
program shall--
            (1) coordinate, support, and conduct national, State, and 
        community-based public awareness, prevention, and education 
        programs on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect;
            (2) coordinate, support, and conduct prevention and 
        intervention studies as well as epidemiologic research 
        concerning Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect;
            (3) coordinate, support and conduct research and 
        demonstration projects to develop effective developmental and 
        behavioral interventions and programs that foster effective 
        advocacy, educational and vocational training, appropriate 
        therapies, counseling, medical and mental health, and other 
        supportive services, as well as models that integrate or 
        coordinate such services, aimed at the unique challenges facing 
        individuals with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect 
        and their families; and
            (4) foster coordination among all Federal, State and local 
        agencies, and promote partnerships between research 
        institutions and communities that conduct or support Fetal 
        Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect research, programs, 
        surveillance, prevention, and interventions and otherwise meet 
        the general needs of populations already affected or at risk of 
        being impacted by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
        Effect.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

    ``PART O--FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME PREVENTION AND SERVICES PROGRAM

``SEC. 399G. ESTABLISHMENT OF FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME PREVENTION AND 
              SERVICES PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention, Intervention and Services 
Delivery Program.--The Secretary shall establish a comprehensive Fetal 
Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect prevention, intervention and 
services delivery program that shall include--
            ``(1) an education and public awareness program to support, 
        conduct, and evaluate the effectiveness of--
                    ``(A) educational programs targeting medical 
                schools, social and other supportive services, 
                educators and counselors and other service providers in 
                all phases of childhood development, and other relevant 
                service providers, concerning the prevention, 
                identification, and provision of services for children, 
                adolescents and adults with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and 
                Fetal Alcohol Effect;
                    ``(B) strategies to educate school-age children, 
                including pregnant and high risk youth, concerning 
                Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect;
                    ``(C) public and community awareness programs 
                concerning Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
                Effect; and
                    ``(D) strategies to coordinate information and 
                services across affected community agencies, including 
                agencies providing social services such as foster care, 
                adoption, and social work, medical and mental health 
                services, and agencies involved in education, 
                vocational training and civil and criminal justice;
            ``(2) a prevention and diagnosis program to support 
        clinical studies, demonstrations and other research as 
        appropriate to--
                    ``(A) develop appropriate medical diagnostic 
                methods for identifying Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and 
                Fetal Alcohol Effect; and
                    ``(B) develop effective prevention services and 
                interventions for pregnant, alcohol-dependent women; 
                and
            ``(3) an applied research program concerning intervention 
        and prevention to support and conduct service demonstration 
        projects, clinical studies and other research models providing 
        advocacy, educational and vocational training, counseling, 
        medical and mental health, and other supportive services, as 
        well as models that integrate and coordinate such services, 
        that are aimed at the unique challenges facing individuals with 
        Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect and their 
        families.
    ``(b) Grants and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may award 
grants, cooperative agreements and contracts and provide technical 
assistance to eligible entities described in section 399H to carry out 
subsection (a).
    ``(c) Dissemination of Criteria.--In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall develop a procedure for disseminating the Fetal Alcohol 
Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect diagnostic criteria developed 
pursuant to section 705 of the ADAMHA Reorganization Act (42 U.S.C. 
485n note) to health care providers, educators, social workers, child 
welfare workers, and other individuals.
    ``(d) National Task Force.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a task 
        force to be known as the National task force on Fetal Alcohol 
        Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect (referred to in this 
        subsection as the `task force') to foster coordination among 
        all governmental agencies, academic bodies and community groups 
        that conduct or support Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal 
        Alcohol Effect research, programs, and surveillance, and 
        otherwise meet the general needs of populations actually or 
potentially impacted by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
Effect.
            ``(2) Membership.--The Task Force established pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) be chaired by an individual to be appointed 
                by the Secretary and staffed by the Administration; and
                    ``(B) include the Chairperson of the Interagency 
                Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome of the 
                Department of Health and Human Services, and 
                representatives from research and advocacy 
                organizations such as the Research Society on 
                Alcoholism, the FAS Family Resource Institute and the 
                National Organization of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the 
                academic community, and Federal, State and local 
                government agencies and offices.
            ``(3) Functions.--The Task Force shall--
                    ``(A) advise Federal, State and local programs and 
                research concerning Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal 
                Alcohol Effect, including programs and research 
                concerning education and public awareness for relevant 
                service providers, school-age children, women at-risk, 
                and the general public, medical diagnosis, 
                interventions for women at-risk of giving birth to 
                children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol 
                Effect, and beneficial services for individuals with 
                Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect and 
                their families;
                    ``(B) coordinate its efforts with the Interagency 
                Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome of the 
                Department of Health and Human Services; and
                    ``(C) report on a biennial basis to the Secretary 
                and relevant committees of Congress on the current and 
                planned activities of the participating agencies.
            ``(4) Time for appointment.--The members of the Task Force 
        shall be appointed by the Secretary not later than 6 months 
        after the date of enactment of this part.

``SEC. 399H. ELIGIBILITY.

    ``To be eligible to receive a grant, or enter into a cooperative 
agreement or contract under this part, an entity shall--
            ``(1) be a State, Indian tribal government, local 
        government, scientific or academic institution, or nonprofit 
        organization; and
            ``(2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
        the Secretary may prescribe, including a description of the 
        activities that the entity intends to carry out using amounts 
        received under this part.

``SEC. 399I. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this part, $27,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1999 through 
2003.
    ``(b) Task Force.--From amounts appropriate for a fiscal year under 
subsection (a), the Secretary may use not to exceed $2,000,000 of such 
amounts for the operations of the National Task Force under section 
399G(d).

``SEC. 399J. SUNSET PROVISION.

    ``This part shall not apply on the date that is 7 years after the 
date on which all members of the national task force have been 
appointed under section 399G(d)(1).''.
                                 <all>