[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2935 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2935

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants for the 
operation of mosquito control programs to prevent and control mosquito-
                            borne diseases.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 13, 2002

 Ms. Landrieu introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants for the 
operation of mosquito control programs to prevent and control mosquito-
                            borne diseases.

    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 ``Mosquito Abatement for Safety and 
Health Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS REGARDING PREVENTION OF MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.), as amended by section 4 of Public Law 107-84 and section 312 
of Public Law 107-188, is amended--
            (1) by transferring section 317R so as to appear after 
        section 317Q; and
            (2) by inserting after section 317R (as so transferred) the 
        following:

``SEC. 317S. MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES; ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL GRANTS TO 
              POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS; COORDINATION GRANTS TO STATES.

    ``(a) Prevention and Control Grants to Political Subdivisions.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        make grants to political subdivisions of States for the 
        operation of mosquito control programs to prevent and control 
        mosquito-borne diseases (referred to in this section as 
        `control programs').
            ``(2) Preference in making grants.--In making grants under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to political 
        subdivisions that--
                    ``(A) have an incidence or prevalence of mosquito-
                borne disease, or a population of infected mosquitoes, 
                that is substantial relative to other political 
                subdivisions;
                    ``(B) demonstrate to the Secretary that the 
                political subdivisions will, if appropriate to the 
                mosquito circumstances involved, effectively coordinate 
                the activities of the control programs with contiguous 
                political subdivisions; and
                    ``(C) demonstrate to the Secretary (directly or 
                through State officials) that the State in which the 
                political subdivision is located has identified or will 
                identify geographic areas in the State that have a 
                significant need for control programs and will 
                effectively coordinate such programs in such areas.
            ``(3) Requirement of assessment and plan.--A grant may be 
        made under paragraph (1) only if the political subdivision 
        involved--
                    ``(A) has conducted an assessment to determine the 
                immediate needs in such subdivision for a control 
                program, including an entomological survey of potential 
                mosquito breeding areas; and
                    ``(B) has, on the basis of such assessment, 
                developed a plan for carrying out such a program.
            ``(4) Requirement of matching funds.--
                    ``(A) In general.--With respect to the costs of a 
                control program to be carried out under paragraph (1) 
                by a political subdivision, a grant under such 
                paragraph may be made only if the subdivision agrees to 
                make available (directly or through donations from 
                public or private entities) non-Federal contributions 
                toward such costs in an amount that is not less than 
                \1/3\ of such costs ($1 for each $2 of Federal funds 
                provided in the grant).
                    ``(B) Determination of amount contributed.--Non-
                Federal contributions required in subparagraph (A) may 
                be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including 
                plant, equipment, or services. Amounts provided by the 
                Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized 
                to any significant extent by the Federal Government, 
                may not be included in determining the amount of such 
                non-Federal contributions.
                    ``(C) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the 
                requirement established in subparagraph (A) if the 
                Secretary determines that extraordinary economic 
                conditions in the political subdivision involved 
                justify the waiver.
            ``(5) Reports to secretary.--A grant may be made under 
        paragraph (1) only if the political subdivision involved agrees 
        that, promptly after the end of the fiscal year for which the 
        grant is made, the subdivision will submit to the Secretary, 
        and to the State within which the subdivision is located, a 
        report that describes the control program and contains an 
        evaluation of whether the program was effective.
            ``(6) Amount of grant; number of grants.--A grant under 
        paragraph (1) for a fiscal year may not exceed $100,000. A 
        political subdivision may not receive more than one grant under 
        such paragraph.
    ``(b) Assessment Grants to Political Subdivisions.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        make grants to political subdivisions of States to conduct the 
        assessments and to develop the plans that are required in 
        paragraph (3) of subsection (a) as a condition of receiving a 
        grant under paragraph (1) of such subsection.
            ``(2) Amount of grant; number of grants.--A grant under 
        paragraph (1) for a fiscal year may not exceed $10,000. A 
        political subdivision may not receive more than one grant under 
        such paragraph.
    ``(c) Coordination Grants to States.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        make grants to States for the purpose of coordinating control 
        programs in the State.
            ``(2) Preference in making grants.--In making grants under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to States 
        that have one or more political subdivisions with an incidence 
        or prevalence of mosquito-borne disease, or a population of 
        infected mosquitoes, that is substantial relative to political 
        subdivisions in other States.
            ``(3) Certain requirements.--A grant may be made under 
        paragraph (1) only if--
                    ``(A) the State involved has developed, or agrees 
                to develop, a plan for coordinating control programs in 
                the State, and the plan takes into account any 
                assessments or plans described in subsection (a)(3) 
                that have been conducted or developed, respectively, by 
                political subdivisions in the State;
                    ``(B) in developing such plan, the State consulted 
                or will consult (as the case may be under subparagraph 
                (A)) with political subdivisions in the State that are 
                carrying out or planning to carry out control programs; 
                and
                    ``(C) the State agrees to monitor control programs 
                in the State in order to ensure that the programs are 
                carried out in accordance with such plan, with priority 
                given to coordination of control programs in political 
                subdivisions described in paragraph (2) that are 
                contiguous.
            ``(4) Reports to secretary.--A grant may be made under 
        paragraph (1) only if the State involved agrees that, promptly 
        after the end of the fiscal year for which the grant is made, 
        the State will submit to the Secretary a report that--
                    ``(A) describes the activities of the State under 
                the grant; and
                    ``(B) contains an evaluation of whether the control 
                programs of political subdivisions in the State were 
                effectively coordinated with each other, which 
                evaluation takes into account any reports that the 
State received under subsection (a)(5) from such subdivisions.
            ``(5) Amount of grant; number of grants.--A grant under 
        paragraph (1) for a fiscal year may not exceed $10,000. A State 
        may not receive more than one grant under such paragraph.
    ``(d) Applications for Grants.--A grant may be made under 
subsection (a), (b), or (c) only if an application for the grant is 
submitted to the Secretary and the application is in such form, is made 
in such manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and 
information as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out 
this section.
    ``(e) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide training and 
technical assistance with respect to the planning, development, and 
operation of control programs under subsection (a) and assessments and 
plans under subsection (b). The Secretary may provide such technical 
assistance directly or through awards of grants or contracts to public 
and private entities.
    ``(f) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Control program.--The term `control program' has the 
        meaning indicated for such term in subsection (a)(1).
            ``(2) Political subdivision.--The term `political 
        subdivision' means the local political jurisdiction immediately 
        below the level of State government, including counties, 
        parishes, and boroughs. If State law recognizes an entity of 
        general government that functions in lieu of, and is not 
        within, a county, parish, or borough, the Secretary may 
        recognize an area under the jurisdiction of such other entities 
        of general government as a political subdivision for purposes 
        of this Act.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 
for fiscal year 2003, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 2004 through 2007. In the case of control programs carried 
out in response to a mosquito-borne disease that constitutes a public 
health emergency, the authorization of appropriations under the 
preceding sentence is in addition to applicable authorizations of 
appropriations under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism 
Preparedness and Response Act of 2002.''.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH PROGRAM OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 
              SCIENCES.

    Subpart 12 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 463B. METHODS OF CONTROLLING CERTAIN INSECT POPULATIONS.

    ``The Director of the Institute shall conduct or support research 
to identify or develop methods of controlling the population of insects 
that transmit to humans diseases that have significant adverse health 
consequences.''.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING THE WEST NILE VIRUS.

    It is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the West Nile virus raises concerns about the safety of 
        the nation's blood supply and every effort should be made to 
        protect blood and blood products recipients from infection with 
        the virus;
            (2) the Food and Drug Administration should comprehensively 
        review its protocols and regulations for screening of blood and 
        platelet donors and their donated specimens, and report to 
        Congress on the ability of these protocols to protect the blood 
        supply from West Nile virus;
            (3) on the basis of a review conducted as provided for in 
        paragraph (2), the Commissioner of Food and Drugs should revise 
        protocols and regulations to protect the blood supply and blood 
        products supply from West Nile virus to the maximum extent 
        possible;
            (4) the Commissioner of Food and Drugs should make 
        recommendations on additional authorities that are needed to 
        protect the blood supply and blood product supply from the West 
        Nile virus; and
            (5) the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, keeping with 
        procedures to maximize the protection of the public health, 
        should expedite review of appropriate blood screening tests for 
        the West Nile virus.
                                 <all>