[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3659 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3659

 To provide for a study and for demonstration projects regarding cases 
 of hepatitis C among firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical 
     technicians who are employees or volunteers of units of local 
                              government.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2000

Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. Weldon of Pennsylvania) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for a study and for demonstration projects regarding cases 
 of hepatitis C among firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical 
     technicians who are employees or volunteers of units of local 
                              government.

    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 ``Emergency Response Employees Disease 
Protection Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Hepatitis C is a blood-borne pathogen that is a major 
        cause of chronic liver disease. According to the American Liver 
        Foundation, approximately 1.8 percent of the general population 
        is infected with the disease.
            (2) There is no known cure for hepatitis C.
            (3) Emergency response employees and volunteers of units of 
        local government (such as firefighters, paramedics, and 
        emergency medical technicians) are at high risk of contracting 
        the disease due to the unique nature of their jobs.
            (4) The only emergency response organization that has a 
        comprehensive program to test all of its members for hepatitis 
        C is Local 22 of the International Association of Fire 
        Fighters, representing the firefighters of the City of 
        Philadelphia.
            (5) According to these tests, 130 of 2,100 firefighters 
        tested positive for the disease, which is approximately 6 
        percent of those tested.
            (6) The City of Philadelphia recently made a decision to 
        commit $3,000,000 each year to provide treatment for 200 
        employees infected with the disease. Philadelphia is the only 
        major city to devote such resources to the epidemic of 
        hepatitis C among emergency response employees.
            (7) The Federal government should provide for a study to 
        determine the prevalence of hepatitis C among firefighters, 
        paramedics, and emergency medical technicians who are employees 
        or volunteers of units of local government, and should provide 
        for demonstration projects to provide training, testing, and 
        treatment regarding cases of the disease among such employees 
        and volunteers.

SEC. 3. STUDY AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS REGARDING CASES OF HEPATITIS C 
              AMONG CERTAIN EMERGENCY RESPONSE EMPLOYEES.

    (a) Study Regarding Prevalence Among Certain Emergency Response 
Employees.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall conduct a study 
        to determine--
                    (A) an estimate of the prevalence of hepatitis C 
                among designated emergency response employees in the 
                United States; and
                    (B) the likely means through which such employees 
                become infected with such disease in the course of 
                performing their duties as such employees.
            (2) Designated emergency response employees.--For purposes 
        of this section, the term ``designated emergency response 
        employees'' means firefighters, paramedics, and emergency 
        medical technicians who are employees or volunteers of units of 
        local government.
            (3) Date certain for completion; report to congress.--The 
        Secretary shall commence the study under paragraph (1) not 
        later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
        Not later that one year after such date, the Secretary shall 
        complete the study and submit to the Congress a report 
        describing the findings of the study.
    (b) Demonstrations Projects Regarding Training and Treatment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Labor, shall make grants to qualifying local 
        governments for the purpose of carrying out demonstration 
        projects that (directly or through arrangements with nonprofit 
        private entities) carry out each of the following activities:
                    (A) Training designated emergency response 
                employees in minimizing the risk of infection with 
                hepatitis C in performing their duties as such 
                employees.
                    (B) Testing such employees for infection with the 
                disease.
                    (C) Treating the employees for the disease.
            (2) Qualifying local governments.--For purposes of this 
        section, the term ``qualifying local government'' means a unit 
        of local government whose population of designated emergency 
        response employees has a prevalence of hepatitis C that is not 
        less than 200 percent of the national average for the 
        prevalence of such disease in such populations.
            (3) Confidentiality.--A grant may be made under paragraph 
        (1) only if the qualifying local government involved agrees to 
        ensure that information regarding the testing or treatment of 
        designated emergency response employees pursuant to the grant 
        is maintained confidentially in a manner not inconsistent with 
        applicable law.
            (4) Evaluations.--The Secretary shall provide for an 
        evaluation of each demonstration project under paragraph (1) in 
        order to determine the extent to which the project has been 
        effective in carrying out the activities described in such 
        paragraph.
            (5) Report to congress.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date on which all grants under paragraph (1) have been 
        expended, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report 
        providing--
                    (A) a summary of evaluations under paragraph (4); 
                and
                    (B) the recommendations of the Secretary for 
                administrative or legislative initiatives regarding the 
                activities described in paragraph (1).
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 
for fiscal year 2001.
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