[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2068 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2068

To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to making progress 
  toward the goal of eliminating tuberculosis, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 2003

     Mr. Brown of Ohio (for himself and Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to making progress 
  toward the goal of eliminating tuberculosis, 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 ``Comprehensive Tuberculosis 
Elimination Act of 2003''.

                   TITLE I--INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

SEC. 101. ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR THE ELIMINATION OF TUBERCULOSIS.

    Section 317E(f) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-
6(f)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and
            (2) by striking paragraphs (2) through (4), and inserting 
        the following:
            ``(2) Duties.--For the purpose of making progress toward 
        the goal of eliminating tuberculosis from the United States, 
        the Council shall provide to the Secretary and other 
        appropriate Federal officials advice on coordinating the 
        activities of the Public Health Service and other Federal 
        agencies that relate to such disease and on efficiently 
        utilizing the Federal resources involved.
            ``(3) National plan.--In carrying out paragraph (2), the 
        Council, in consultation with appropriate public and private 
        entities, shall make recommendations on the development, 
        revision, and implementation of a national plan to eliminate 
        tuberculosis in the United States. In carrying out this 
        paragraph, the Council shall--
                    ``(A) consider the recommendations of the Institute 
                of Medicine regarding the elimination of tuberculosis;
                    ``(B) address the development and application of 
                new technologies; and
                    ``(C) review the extent to which progress has been 
                made toward eliminating tuberculosis.
            ``(4) Global activities.--In carrying out paragraph (2), 
        the Council, in consultation with appropriate public and 
        private entities, shall make recommendations for the 
        development and implementation of a plan to guide the 
        involvement of the United States in global and cross border 
        tuberculosis-control activities, including recommendations 
        regarding policies, strategies, objectives, and priorities. 
        Such recommendations for the plan shall have a focus on 
        countries where a high incidence of tuberculosis directly 
        affects the United States, such as Mexico, and on access to a 
        comprehensive package of tuberculosis control measures, as 
        defined by the World Health Organization directly observed 
        treatment, short course strategy (commonly known as DOTS).
            ``(5) Composition.--The Council shall be composed of--
                    ``(A) representatives from the Centers for Disease 
                Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of 
                Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 
                the Health Resources and Services Administration, the 
                U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, and other Federal 
                departments and agencies that carry out significant 
                activities relating to tuberculosis; and
                    ``(B) members appointed from among individuals who 
                are not officers or employees of the Federal 
                Government.''.

          TITLE II--CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

SEC. 201. NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR TUBERCULOSIS ELIMINATION.

    Section 317E of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-6) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking the heading for the section and inserting 
        the following:

           ``national program for tuberculosis elimination'';

            (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Research, Demonstration Projects, Education, and Training.--
With respect to the prevention, control, and elimination of 
tuberculosis, the Secretary may, directly or through grants to public 
or nonprofit private entities, carry out the following:
            ``(1) Research, with priority given to research 
        concerning--
                    ``(A) diagnosis and treatment of latent infection 
                of tuberculosis;
                    ``(B) strains of tuberculosis resistant to drugs;
                    ``(C) cases of tuberculosis that affect certain 
                populations; and
                    ``(D) clinical trials, including a tuberculosis 
                trials consortium.
            ``(2) Demonstration projects for--
                    ``(A) the development of regional capabilities for 
                the prevention, control, and elimination of 
                tuberculosis; and
                    ``(B) collaboration with the Immigration and 
                Naturalization Service to identify and treat immigrants 
                with active or latent tuberculosis infection.
            ``(3) Public information and education programs.
            ``(4) Education, training and clinical skills improvement 
        activities for health professionals, including allied health 
        personnel.
            ``(5) Support of model centers to carry out activities 
        under paragraphs (1) through (4).
            ``(6) Collaboration with international organizations and 
        foreign countries in carrying out such activities, including 
        coordinating activities through the Committee on Interagency 
        Collaboration for Tuberculosis Elimination.'';
            (3) in subsection (f), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Annual reports.--The Council shall annually submit to 
        the Congress and the Secretary a report on the activities 
        carried out under this subsection. The report shall include the 
        opinion of the Council on the extent to which the 
        recommendations of the Institute of Medicine regarding 
        tuberculosis have been implemented.''; and
            (4) by amending subsection (g) to read as follows:
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $528,000,000 
for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 2005 through 2008.''.

                TITLE III--NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

SEC. 301. ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE.

    Subpart 2 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 285b et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 424B the 
following section:

                             ``tuberculosis

    ``Sec. 424C. (a) In General.--The Director of the Institute shall 
expand, intensify, and coordinate research and related activities of 
the Institute with respect to tuberculosis, including activities toward 
the goal of eliminating such disease.
    ``(b) Certain Activities.--Activities under subsection (a) shall 
include--
            ``(1) enhancing basic and clinical research on 
        tuberculosis; and
            ``(2) expanding research on the relationship between such 
        disease and the human immunodeficiency virus.
    ``(c) Research Education.--
            ``(1) Tuberculosis academic awards.--The Director of the 
        Institute may provide awards to faculty of schools of medicine 
        or osteopathic medicine to assist such faculty in developing 
        high quality curricula in such schools designed to 
        significantly increase the opportunities for interested 
        individuals, including students of the school and practicing 
        physicians and nurses, to learn the principles and practices of 
        preventing, managing, and controlling tuberculosis.
            ``(2) Tuberculosis/pulmonary infection awards.--The 
        Director of the Institute may provide awards to support the 
        career development of clinically trained professionals who are 
        committed to research regarding pulmonary infections and 
        tuberculosis by providing for supervised study and research.
            ``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) Tuberculosis academic awards.--For the 
                purpose of carrying out paragraph (1), there are 
                authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for fiscal 
                year 2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each 
                of the fiscal years 2005 through 2008.
                    ``(B) Tuberculosis/pulmonary infection awards.--For 
                the purpose of carrying out paragraph (2), there are 
                authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for fiscal 
                year 2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each 
                of the fiscal years 2005 through 2008.''.

SEC. 302. ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS 
              DISEASES.

    Section 447A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285f-2) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);
            (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following 
        subsection:
    ``(b) Activities under subsection (a) shall include activities to 
develop a tuberculosis vaccine. Such activities shall be carried out in 
accordance with the blueprint for tuberculosis vaccine development 
described in the report prepared pursuant to the workshop convened in 
March 1998 by the Advisory Council for Elimination of Tuberculosis, the 
Director of the National Vaccine Program, and the Director of the 
Institute.''; and
            (3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), in the first 
        sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' after ``1994,''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period the following: 
                ``, $240,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as 
                may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 
                through 2008''.

SEC. 303. JOHN E. FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN 
              THE HEALTH SCIENCES.

    Section 482 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 287b) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The general 
        purpose'';
            (2) in subsection (a) (as so designated), by inserting 
        after ``Health Sciences'' the following: ``(in this subpart 
        referred to as the `Center')''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following subsection:
    ``(b) Tuberculosis.--
            ``(1) In general.--In carrying out subsection (a) with 
        respect to tuberculosis, the Center shall expand, intensify, 
        and coordinate international activities of the Center for 
        research and training.
            ``(2) International training program.--In carrying out 
        paragraph (1), the Center shall carry out an international 
        training program regarding tuberculosis. Such program shall be 
        modeled after the international training program carried out by 
        the Center with respect to the human immunodeficiency virus.''.

SEC. 304. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS REGARDING RESEARCH ON TUBERCULOSIS.

    Part G of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288 
et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating the second section 487F as section 
        487G; and
            (2) by inserting after section 487G (as so redesignated) 
        the following section:

          ``loan repayments regarding research on tuberculosis

    ``Sec. 487H. In carrying out sections 487C, 487E, and 487F, the 
Secretary shall seek to ensure that, for fiscal year 2004 and 
subsequent fiscal years, a portion of amounts appropriated to carry out 
such sections is reserved for the purpose of entering into contracts 
under which (in accordance with the section involved) individuals will 
conduct research on tuberculosis.''.
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