[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4396 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4396

 To establish the National Vaccine Authority within the Department of 
                       Health and Human Services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2005

 Mr. Crowley (for himself and Mr. Gene Green of Texas) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish the National Vaccine Authority within the Department of 
                       Health and Human Services.

    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 ``National Vaccine Authority Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL VACCINE AUTHORITY.

    Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following section:

                      ``national vaccine authority

    ``Sec. 1711. (a) In General.--There is established within the 
Department of Health and Human Services an administrative unit to be 
known as the National Vaccine Authority. There shall be in such 
Department the position of Assistant Secretary for Vaccines. The 
Assistant Secretary shall be the head of the National Vaccine 
Authority, and shall be appointed by and shall report to the Secretary. 
The Secretary shall carry out this section acting through the Assistant 
Secretary.
    ``(b) Federal and Private Vaccine Contracts; Quantities; 
Locations.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Assistant Secretary for Vaccines (in 
        this section referred to as the `Assistant Secretary') shall 
        ensure that the National Vaccine Authority serves as the 
        central clearinghouse for the Department of Health and Human 
        Services with respect to Federal and private contracts for the 
        purchase or distribution of vaccines. The Assistant Secretary 
        shall monitor the supply and distribution of vaccines under 
        such contracts, including ongoing monitoring of the location of 
        vaccines under the contracts.
            ``(2) Authority for federal contracts.--The Assistant 
        Secretary shall enter into contracts to increase production of 
        vaccines when necessary.
            ``(3) Consultation.--The Assistant Secretary shall consult 
        with manufacturers of vaccines in order to determine the 
        availability of vaccines.
    ``(c) Supervision of Identification of Vaccine Strains.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Assistant Secretary shall oversee 
        the identification of vaccine strains.
            ``(2) Centers for disease control and prevention.--The 
        Assistant Secretary shall establish, and periodically review 
        and as appropriate revise, time tables by which the Director of 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is required to 
        identify the strains necessary to produce vaccines.
    ``(d) Monitoring of Vaccine Production.--The Assistant Secretary 
shall identify any delays in the production of vaccines and shall 
ensure that such delays are accounted for as the delays occur.
    ``(e) Supervision of Vaccine Distribution.--The Assistant Secretary 
shall oversee and monitor the distribution of vaccines. In carrying out 
the preceding sentence, the Assistant Secretary shall identify parties 
to contracts for the distribution of vaccines and the entities with 
responsibilities under the contracts for the distribution of the 
vaccines, including pursuant to third-party contracts. In the event of 
a delay in the distribution of vaccines, the Assistant Secretary shall 
identify the reasons for the delay.
    ``(f) Emergency Response and Contingency Plan.--The Assistant 
Secretary shall develop, and periodically review and as appropriate 
revise, an emergency response and contingency plan regarding vaccines.
    ``(g) Commission on Juvenile Vaccines.--The Assistant Secretary 
shall establish a commission to determine the current state of juvenile 
vaccines.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.''.
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