[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5468 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5468

 To require that bioterrorism-related grants provided by the Secretary 
 of Health and Human Services to States and political subdivisions of 
      States be distributed on the basis of a risk-based formula.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2006

 Mr. Fossella (for himself, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Engel, Mr. Sweeney, Mrs. 
  Bono, Mr. Sessions, and Mrs. Lowey) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require that bioterrorism-related grants provided by the Secretary 
 of Health and Human Services to States and political subdivisions of 
      States be distributed on the basis of a risk-based formula.

    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 ``Responsible Bioterrorism Funding Act 
of 2006''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; USE OF RISK-BASED 
              FORMULA FOR DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS FOR BIOTERRORISM 
              PREPAREDNESS.

    (a) Use of Formula.--
            (1) In general.--With respect to each program of grants 
        that is administered by the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services and whose purpose (or one of whose principal purposes) 
        is providing funds to States or political subdivisions of 
        States to prepare for or respond to bioterrorism, all grants 
        made under the program for fiscal year 2007 or any subsequent 
        fiscal year shall, notwithstanding the provisions of the 
        program, be distributed in accordance with the formula under 
        subsection (b), as in effect for the fiscal year involved.
            (2) Certain programs.--The programs to which the 
        requirement of paragraph (1) applies include the programs under 
        sections 319C-1 and 319C-2 of the Public Health Service Act.
    (b) Development of Formula by Secretary of Homeland Security.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of subsection (a), the 
        Secretary of Homeland Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall develop a formula 
        for the distribution of grants based on a quantitative 
        assessment of risk based on the following three categories:
                    (A) Threat.
                    (B) Vulnerability.
                    (C) Consequences
            (2) Revisions.--The initial formula under paragraph (1) 
        shall be established and provided to the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services not later than March 31, 2006. The Secretary 
        of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services, shall periodically review the 
        formula and make such revisions as the Secretary determines to 
        be appropriate to accurately distribute funds based on risk. A 
        revision is not effective for a fiscal year unless it is 
        approved by both the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services on or before July 1 of 
        the preceding year.
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