[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3643 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3643

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a Coordinated 
      Environmental Public Health Network, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 24, 2007

    Ms. Pelosi (for herself, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, and Ms. Slaughter) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a Coordinated 
      Environmental Public Health Network, 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 ``Coordinated Environmental Public 
Health Network Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, approximately 7 out of every 10 deaths in the 
        United States are attributable to chronic diseases, with more 
        than 1,700,000 deaths each year attributable to chronic 
        diseases;
            (2) with 90,000,000 people suffering from chronic diseases 
        each year, and over $750,000,000,000 in health care costs as a 
        result, the national cost of chronic disease is extremely high 
        and must be appropriately addressed;
            (3) the rates of many chronic diseases, including asthma, 
        some birth defects, cancers, and autism, appear to be 
        increasing;
            (4) there is a growing amount of evidence that 
        environmental factors are strongly linked with specific chronic 
        disease;
            (5) a major gap in critical knowledge exists regarding the 
        prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases;
            (6) States, local communities, territories, and Indian 
        tribes need assistance with public health efforts that would 
        lead to prevention of chronic disease, including the 
        establishment and maintenance of necessary infrastructure for 
        disease and environmental hazard exposure surveillance;
            (7) several chronic conditions that have a disproportionate 
        impact upon minority communities, such as asthma, have been 
        linked to environmental factors, and work on health disparities 
        should include efforts to research these links and ameliorate 
        the environmental factors tied to these conditions; and
            (8) a Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network will 
        help target resources to areas of chronic disease prevention 
        most in need.
    (b) Purposes.--It is the purpose of this Act to--
            (1) develop, ensure oversight of the operation of, and 
        maintain a Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network and 
        State Environmental Public Health Networks, and operate and 
        maintain rapid response capabilities so that the Federal 
        Government, States, local governments, territories, and Indian 
        tribes can more effectively monitor, investigate, respond to, 
        research, and prevent increases in the incidence and prevalence 
        of certain chronic diseases and relevant environmental and 
        other risk factors;
            (2) provide information collected through the Coordinated 
        and State Environmental Public Health Networks to government 
        agencies, public health practitioners and researchers, State 
        and local policy makers, health officials, and the public;
            (3) expand and coordinate among existing surveillance and 
        data collection systems and other infrastructure for chronic 
        diseases and relevant environmental, and other risk factors, 
        including those relevant to bioterrorism;
            (4) improve coordination between the areas of public 
        health, environmental protection, and chemical, radiological 
        and biological terrorism;
            (5) provide necessary support to ensure the availability of 
        a sufficient number of well-trained environmental health and 
        public health personnel to participate and provide leadership 
        in the development and maintenance of the Coordinated and State 
        Environmental Public Health Networks; and
            (6) encourage coordination between researchers and Federal, 
        State, and local entities, including the National Institutes of 
        Health, for genetic studies on diseases associated with 
        environmental factors with an emphasis on finding genetic risk 
        factors and mutations associated with such diseases.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.

    The Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

      ``TITLE XXX--COORDINATED ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH NETWORK

``SEC. 3000. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this title:
            ``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
            ``(2) Committee.--The term `Committee' means the Advisory 
        Committee established under section 3001(d).
            ``(3) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
            ``(4) Director of center.--The term `Director of Center' 
        means the Director of the National Center for Environmental 
        Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
            ``(5) Medical privacy regulations.--The term `medical 
        privacy regulations' means the regulations promulgated under 
        section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and 
        Accountability Act of 1996.
            ``(6) Coordinated network.--The term `Coordinated Network' 
        means the Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network 
        established under section 3001(a).
            ``(7) Priority chronic conditions and health effects.--The 
        term `priority chronic conditions and health effects' means the 
        conditions to be tracked in the Coordinated Network and the 
        State Networks, such as birth defects, developmental 
        disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, autism, and mental 
        retardation), asthma and chronic respiratory diseases, 
        neurological diseases (such as Parkinson's disease, multiple 
        sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and amyotrophic lateral 
        sclerosis), autoimmune diseases (such as lupus), cancer, 
        juvenile diabetes, and such other priority chronic conditions 
        and health effects as the Secretary may specify.
            ``(8) State network.--The term `State Network' means a 
        State Environmental Public Health Network established under 
        section 3001(b).
            ``(9) State.--The term `State' means a State, local 
        government, territory, or Indian tribe that is eligible to 
        receive a health tracking grant under section 3001(b).

``SEC. 3001. ESTABLISHMENT OF COORDINATED AND STATE ENVIRONMENTAL 
              PUBLIC HEALTH NETWORKS.

    ``(a) Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 36 months after the 
        date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary, acting 
        through the Director, in consultation with the Administrator 
        and the Director of Center, and with the involvement of other 
        Federal agencies, State and local health departments, and the 
        Committee, shall establish and operate a Coordinated 
        Environmental Public Health Network. In establishing and 
        operating the Coordinated Network, the Secretary shall, as 
        practicable--
                    ``(A) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate 
                among existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, 
                registries, and other Federal public health and 
                environmental infrastructure as practicable, 
                including--
                            ``(i) the Public Health Information 
                        Network;
                            ``(ii) State birth defects surveillance 
                        systems as supported under section 317C;
                            ``(iii) State cancer registries as 
                        supported under part M of title III;
                            ``(iv) State asthma surveillance systems as 
                        supported under section 317I;
                            ``(v) the National Health and Nutrition 
                        Examination Survey;
                            ``(vi) the Behavioral Risk Factor 
                        Surveillance System;
                            ``(vii) the Hazardous Substance Release/
                        Health Effects Database;
                            ``(viii) the Hazardous Substances Emergency 
                        Events Surveillance System; and
                            ``(ix) the State vital statistics systems 
                        as supported under section 306;
                    ``(B) provide for public access to an electronic 
                national database that accepts data from the State 
                Networks on the incidence and prevalence of priority 
                chronic conditions and health effects and relevant 
                environmental and other factors, in a manner which 
                protects personal privacy consistent with the medical 
                privacy regulations;
                    ``(C) prepare and publish, in accordance with 
                paragraph (2)--
                            ``(i) not later than 12 months after the 
                        date of enactment of this title, and annually 
                        thereafter, a Coordinated Environmental Public 
                        Health Network Status Report (referred to in 
                        this title as the `Status Report') to provide 
                        to Congress and the public an update on the 
                        progress made toward developing and further 
                        expanding the Coordinated Network and State 
                        Networks, with such report to be made available 
                        to the public on the websites of the Centers 
                        for Disease Control and Prevention and the 
                        Environmental Protection Agency; and
                            ``(ii) not later than 2 years after the 
                        date of enactment of this title, and biennially 
                        thereafter, a Coordinated Network Health and 
                        Environment Report describing environmental and 
                        other factors potentially relevant to the 
                        Nation's health, in order to allow the public 
                        to access and understand information about 
                        environmental health at the Federal, State, 
                        and, where practicable, local level;
                    ``(D) operate and maintain National Environmental 
                Health Rapid Response Services through the Epidemic 
                Intelligence Service, and other mechanisms available 
                through the National Center for Environmental Health of 
                the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 
                Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, to 
                carry out the activities described in paragraph (3), as 
                practicable;
                    ``(E) provide for the establishment of State 
                Networks, and coordinate the State Networks as provided 
                for under subsection (b);
                    ``(F) provide technical assistance to support the 
                State Networks, including providing--
                            ``(i) training for environmental health 
                        investigators appointed or hired under 
                        subsection (b)(3)(D);
                            ``(ii) technical assistance as needed to 
                        States to build necessary capacity and 
                        infrastructure for the establishment of a State 
                        Network, including a computerized data 
                        collection, reporting, and processing system, 
                        and additional assistance identified by the 
                        States under subsection (b)(5)(C) as necessary 
                        for infrastructure development, such as 
                        assistance to improve the expertise of 
                        personnel in responding to environmental health 
                        concerns; and
                            ``(iii) such other technical assistance as 
                        the Secretary, in consultation with the 
                        Administrator and the Director of Center, 
                        determines to be necessary;
                    ``(G) not later than 12 months after the date of 
                the enactment of this title, develop minimum standards 
                and procedures in accordance with paragraph (4) for 
                data collection and reporting for the State Networks, 
                to be updated not less than annually thereafter; and
                    ``(H) in developing the minimum standards and 
                procedures under subparagraph (G), include mechanisms 
                for allowing the States to set priorities, and allocate 
                resources accordingly, among the factors described in 
                subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (4).
            ``(2) Reports.--
                    ``(A) Annual reports.--Each Status Report prepared 
                under paragraph (1)(C)(i) shall include--
                            ``(i) a statement of the activities carried 
                        out under this title;
                            ``(ii) the identification of gaps in the 
                        data of the Coordinated Network, including 
                        diseases of concern and environmental exposures 
                        not tracked; and
                            ``(iii) identification of key milestones 
                        achieved in the preceding year.
                    ``(B) Biennial reports.--Each Coordinated Network 
                Health and Environment Report prepared under paragraph 
                (1)(C)(ii) shall include--
                            ``(i) a statement of the activities carried 
                        out under this title;
                            ``(ii) an analysis of the most currently 
                        available incidence, prevalence, and trends of 
                        priority chronic conditions and health effects, 
                        and potentially relevant environmental and 
                        other factors, by State and, as practicable, by 
                        local areas such as a census tract or other 
                        political or administrative subdivision, as 
                        determined appropriate by the Secretary in 
                        consultation with the Administrator;
                            ``(iii) recommendations regarding high risk 
                        populations, public health concerns, response 
                        and prevention strategies, and additional 
                        tracking needs; and
                            ``(iv) to the extent practicable, a 
                        discussion of genetic risk factors that have 
                        been shown to be associated with environmental 
                        factors and these priority chronic conditions 
                        and health effects.
            ``(3) National environmental health rapid response 
        services.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The National Environmental 
                Health Rapid Response Services operated under paragraph 
                (1)(D) shall--
                            ``(i) work with environmental health 
                        investigators appointed or hired under 
                        subsection (b)(3)(D) to develop and implement 
                        strategies, protocols, and guidelines for the 
                        coordinated, rapid responses to actual and 
                        perceived higher than expected incidence and 
                        prevalence rates of priority chronic conditions 
                        and health effects and to acute and potential 
                        environmental hazards and exposures;
                            ``(ii) provide assistance in the conduct of 
                        investigations into higher than expected 
                        incidence and prevalence rates of priority 
                        chronic conditions and health effects or 
                        environmental exposures after a State requests 
                        assistance, through a process established by 
                        the Secretary;
                            ``(iii) coordinate activities carried out 
                        under this title with activities carried out 
                        under sections 319 through 319G; and
                            ``(iv) coordinate activities carried out 
                        under this title with other Federal and State 
                        agencies, as appropriate.
                    ``(B) Coordination with existing efforts.--The 
                National Environmental Health Rapid Response Services 
                operated under paragraph (1)(D) shall incorporate the 
                efforts, strategies, and protocols of the Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention with respect to rapidly 
                responding to and investigating possible increases in 
                priority chronic conditions and other health effects 
                and environmental health threats.
            ``(4) Data collection and reporting by state networks.--The 
        minimum standards and procedures referred to in paragraph 
        (1)(G) shall include--
                    ``(A) a list and definitions of the priority 
                chronic conditions and health effects to be tracked 
                through the State Networks;
                    ``(B) a list and definitions of relevant 
                environmental exposures of concern to be tracked, to 
                the extent practicable, through the State Networks, 
                including--
                            ``(i) hazardous air pollutants (as defined 
                        in section 302(g) of the Clean Air Act);
                            ``(ii) air pollutants for which national 
                        primary ambient air quality standards have been 
                        promulgated under section 109 of the Clean Air 
                        Act;
                            ``(iii) pollutants or contaminants (as 
                        defined in section 101 of the Comprehensive 
                        Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
                        Liability Act of 1980);
                            ``(iv) toxic chemicals (as described in 
                        section 313 of the Emergency Planning and 
                        Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986);
                            ``(v) substances reported under the Toxic 
                        Substances Control Act Inventory Update Rule as 
                        provided for in part 710 of title 40, Code of 
                        Federal Regulations, or successor regulations;
                            ``(vi) pesticides (as defined in section 
                        2(u) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
                        Rodenticide Act); and
                            ``(vii) such other potentially relevant 
                        environmental factors as the Secretary may 
                        specify;
                    ``(C) a list and definitions of potentially 
                relevant behavioral, socioeconomic, demographic, and 
                genetic factors known to be associated with these 
                priority chronic conditions and health effects and 
                other risk factors, such as race, ethnic status, 
                gender, age, occupation, and primary language, to be 
                tracked through the State Networks;
                    ``(D) procedures for the complete and timely 
                collection and reporting of data to the Coordinated 
                Network by local areas, such as a census tract or other 
                political subdivision determined appropriate by the 
                Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator, 
                regarding the factors described in subparagraphs (A), 
                (B), and (C);
                    ``(E) procedures for making data available to the 
                public and researchers, and for reporting to the 
                Coordinated Network, while protecting the 
                confidentiality of all personal data reported, in 
                accordance with medical privacy regulations;
                    ``(F) standards and procedures for the 
                establishment, operation, and maintenance of 
                laboratories conducting biomonitoring, in order to 
                expand the scope and amount of biomonitoring data 
                collected by the Centers for Disease Control and 
                Prevention as described in section 3004;
                    ``(G) criteria for the environmental health 
                investigators as required under subsection (b)(3)(D);
                    ``(H) procedures for record and data maintenance 
                and verification; and
                    ``(I) a framework for coordinating genetic studies 
                on these priority chronic conditions and health effects 
                associated with environmental factors including privacy 
                protections, informed consent, and contact information 
                for patients wishing to enroll in clinical trials.
    ``(b) State Environmental Public Health Networks.--
            ``(1) Grants.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
        the enactment of this title, the Secretary, acting through the 
        Director, in consultation with the Administrator and the 
        Director of Center, and taking into consideration the findings 
        of the Committee, shall award grants to States for the 
        establishment, maintenance, and operation of State 
        Environmental Public Health Networks in accordance with the 
        minimum standards and procedures established by the Secretary 
        under subsection (a)(4).
            ``(2) Specialized assistance.--The Coordinated Network 
        shall provide specialized assistance to grantees in the 
        establishment, maintenance, and operation of State Networks.
            ``(3) Requirements.--A State receiving a grant under this 
        subsection shall use the grant--
                    ``(A) to establish an environmental public health 
                network that will provide--
                            ``(i) for the tracking of the incidence, 
                        prevalence, and trends of priority chronic 
                        conditions and health effects, and potentially 
                        relevant environmental and other factors as set 
                        forth in subsection (a), as well as any 
                        additional priority chronic conditions and 
                        health effects and potentially related 
                        environmental exposures of concern to that 
                        State;
                            ``(ii) for identification of priority 
                        chronic conditions and health effects and 
                        potentially relevant environmental, genetic, 
                        and other factors that disproportionately 
                        impact low income and minority communities;
                            ``(iii) for the protection of the 
                        confidentiality of all personal data reported, 
                        in accordance with the medical privacy 
                        regulations;
                            ``(iv) a means by which confidential data 
                        may, in accordance with Federal and State law, 
                        be disclosed to researchers for the purposes of 
                        public health research;
                            ``(v) the fullest possible public access to 
                        data collected by the State Network or through 
                        the Coordinated Network, while ensuring that 
                        individual privacy is protected in accordance 
                        with subsection (a)(1)(B); and
                            ``(vi) for the collection of exposure data 
                        through biomonitoring and other methods, which 
                        may include the entering into of cooperative 
                        agreements as described in section 3004;
                    ``(B) to develop a publicly available plan for 
                establishing the State Network in order to meet minimum 
                standards and procedures as developed by the 
                Coordinated Network under subsection (a)(4), including 
                the State's priorities within the minimum standards, a 
                timeline by which all the standards will be met, and a 
                plan for coordinating and expanding existing data and 
                surveillance systems within the State including any 
                pilot projects established through the Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention prior to the date of the 
                enactment of this title;
                    ``(C) to appoint a lead public health department or 
                agency that will be responsible for the development, 
                operation, and maintenance of the State Network, and 
                ensure the appropriate coordination among State and 
                local agencies, including environmental agencies, 
                regarding the development, operation, and maintenance 
                of the State Network;
                    ``(D) to appoint or hire an environmental health 
                investigator who meets criteria established by the 
                Secretary under subsection (a)(4)(G) and who will 
                coordinate the development and maintenance of the rapid 
                response protocol established under subparagraph (E);
                    ``(E) to establish a rapid response protocol, 
                coordinated by the grantee's environmental health 
                investigator, in order to respond in a timely manner to 
                actual and perceived incidence and prevalence rates of 
                priority chronic diseases that are higher than 
                expected, acute and potential environmental hazards and 
                exposures, and other environmental health concerns, 
                including warning the public when emergent public 
                health concerns are detected through the State Network, 
                and concerns regarding vulnerable subpopulations and 
                disproportionately impacted subpopulations;
                    ``(F) to establish an advisory committee to ensure 
                local community input to the State Network; and
                    ``(G) to recruit and train public health officials 
                to continue to expand the State Network.
            ``(4) Limitation.--A State that receives a grant under this 
        section may not use more than 10 percent of the funds made 
        available through the grant for administrative costs.
            ``(5) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, a 
        State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such 
        time, in such form and manner, and accompanied by such 
        information as the Secretary may specify. The Secretary may not 
        approve an application for a grant under this subsection unless 
        the application--
                    ``(A) contains assurances that the State will--
                            ``(i) use the grant only in compliance with 
                        the requirements of this title; and
                            ``(ii) establish such fiscal control and 
                        fund accounting procedures as may be necessary 
                        to ensure the proper disbursement and 
                        accounting of Federal funds paid to the State 
                        under the grant;
                    ``(B) contains the assurance that the State will 
                establish a State Network as required by this 
                subsection; and
                    ``(C) contains assurances that if the State is 
                unable to meet all of the requirements described in 
                this subsection within the prescribed time period, the 
                State will use grant funds to increase the public 
                health infrastructure of the State, acting in 
                cooperation with the Coordinated Network, in order to 
                implement and maintain a State Network within 24 months 
                of the receipt of such grant.
    ``(c) Pilot Projects.--
            ``(1) In general.--A State may apply for a grant under this 
        subsection to implement a pilot project that is approved by the 
        Secretary, acting through the Director and in consultation with 
        the Administrator, the Director of Center, and the Committee.
            ``(2) Activities.--A State shall use amounts received under 
        a grant under this subsection to carry out a pilot project 
        designed to develop State Network enhancements and to develop 
        programs to address specific local and regional concerns, 
        including--
                    ``(A) the expansion of the State Network to include 
                additional chronic diseases or environmental exposures;
                    ``(B) the conduct of investigations of local 
                concerns of increased incidence or prevalence of 
                priority chronic conditions and health effects and 
                environmental exposures; and
                    ``(C) the carrying out of other activities as 
                determined to be a priority by the State or consortium 
                of regional States and the Secretary.
            ``(3) Results.--The Secretary may consider the results of 
        the pilot projects under this subsection for inclusion into the 
        Coordinated Network.
    ``(d) Advisory Committee.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 9 months after the 
        date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary acting 
        jointly with the Administrator and the Director of Center, 
        shall establish an Advisory Committee in accordance with the 
        Federal Advisory Committee Act.
            ``(2) Composition.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Advisory Committee shall be 
                composed of 16 members to be appointed by the 
                Secretary. Each member of the Advisory Committee shall 
                serve a 3-year term, except that the Secretary may 
                appoint the initial members of the Advisory Committee 
                for lesser terms in order to comply with the following 
                sentence. In appointing the members of the Advisory 
                Committee, the Secretary shall ensure that the terms of 
                5 or 6 members expire each year.
                    ``(B) Qualifications.--The Advisory Committee shall 
                include at least--
                            ``(i) 9 members that have experience in the 
                        areas of--
                                    ``(I) public health;
                                    ``(II) the environment, especially 
                                toxic chemicals and human exposure;
                                    ``(III) epidemiology;
                                    ``(IV) biomonitoring and other 
                                relevant exposure technologies; and
                                    ``(V) human disease genetics; and
                            ``(ii) 1 member representing nonprofit 
                        organizations with expertise in environmental 
                        health, community-based participatory research, 
                        and developing a community response to priority 
                        chronic conditions and health effects.
            ``(3) Reporting.--The Advisory Committee shall not later 
        than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this title, 
        and at least once every 12 months thereafter, report to 
        Congress on the progress of the Coordinated Network.
            ``(4) Hearings.--The Advisory Committee shall hold such 
        hearings, sit and act at such times and places, take such 
        testimony, and receive such evidence as the Committee considers 
        appropriate to carry out the objectives of the Coordinated 
        Network.
            ``(5) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall--
                    ``(A) review and provide input for each Status 
                Report and Coordinated Network Health and Environment 
                Report prior to publication, and make recommendations 
                as to the progress of the Coordinated Network, 
                including identifying information gaps in the network;
                    ``(B) assist in developing the minimum standards 
                and procedures for the State Networks under subsection 
                (a)(4) and developing coordinated and standardized 
                guidelines to respond to priority chronic conditions 
                and health effects; and
                    ``(C) provide ongoing public input to the 
                Coordinated Network.
    ``(e) Privacy.--In establishing and operating the Coordinated 
Network under subsection (a), and in making grants under subsections 
(b) and (c), the Secretary shall ensure the protection of privacy of 
individually identifiable health information, including ensuring 
protection consistent with the regulations promulgated under section 
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 
1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note).
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for fiscal year 
2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 
through 2012.

``SEC. 3002. INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH PERSONNEL CAPACITY.

    ``(a) Schools or Programs of Public Health Centers of Excellence.--
            ``(1) Grants.--Beginning in fiscal year 2008, the Secretary 
        may award grants to at least 5 accredited schools or programs 
        of public health for the establishment, maintenance, and 
        operation of Centers of Excellence for research and 
        demonstration with respect to priority chronic conditions and 
        health effects and relevant environmental factors.
            ``(2) Activities.--A Center of Excellence established or 
        operated under paragraph (1) shall undertake research and 
        development projects in at least 1 of the following areas:
                    ``(A) Investigating causal connections between 
                priority chronic conditions and health effects and 
                environmental factors.
                    ``(B) Increasing the understanding of the causes of 
                higher than expected incidence and prevalence rates of 
                priority chronic conditions and health effects and 
                developing more effective intervention methods for when 
                such elevated rates occur.
                    ``(C) Identifying additional chronic conditions and 
                environmental factors that could be tracked by the 
                Coordinated Network.
                    ``(D) Improving translation of Coordinated Network 
                tracking results into effective prevention activities.
                    ``(E) Improving training of the public health 
                workforce in environmental epidemiology, public health 
                surveillance, and effective risk communication.
                    ``(F) Establishing links to the Coordinated Network 
                and the State Networks to identify associations that 
                warrant further study.
            ``(3) Requirements for centers of excellence.--To be 
        eligible to receive a grant under paragraph (1), a school or 
        program of public health shall provide assurances that the 
        school or program--
                    ``(A) meets the minimum requirements as established 
                by the Secretary in consultation with the Director;
                    ``(B) maintains privacy for public health 
                information if appropriate to the project, including 
                the protections described in section 3001(e); and
                    ``(C) makes public information regarding the 
                findings and results of the programs.
            ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $5,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
    ``(b) John H. Chafee Public Health Scholar Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award scholarships, 
        to be known as John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships, to 
        eligible students who are enrolled in an accredited school of 
        public health or medicine. The Secretary shall determine both 
        the criteria and eligibility requirements for such 
        scholarships, after consultation with the Committee.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $2,500,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
    ``(c) Applied Epidemiology Fellowship Programs.--
            ``(1) In general.--Beginning in fiscal year 2008, the 
        Secretary, acting through the Director, shall enter into a 
        cooperative agreement with the Council of State and Territorial 
        Epidemiologists to train and place, in State and local health 
        departments, applied epidemiology fellows to enhance State and 
        local public health capacity in the areas of environmental 
        health, chronic and other noninfectious diseases and 
        conditions, and public health surveillance.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $2,500,000 for 
        fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary in each of 
        fiscal years 2009 through 2012.

``SEC. 3003. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    ``(a) Appropriations Account.--All authorizations of appropriations 
established in this title are authorizations exclusively for 
appropriations to the account that, among appropriations accounts for 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is designated 
`Environmental Health'.
    ``(b) Date Certain for Obligation of Appropriations.--With respect 
to the process of receiving applications for and making awards of 
grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts under this title, the 
Secretary, acting through the Director, shall to the extent practicable 
design the process to ensure that amounts appropriated under this title 
for such awards for a fiscal year are obligated not later than the 
beginning of the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, subject to 
compliance with section 1512 of title 31, United States Code (relating 
to deficiency or supplemental appropriations), and other applicable law 
regarding appropriations accounting.
    ``(c) Coordination With Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 
Registry.--In carrying out this title, the Secretary, acting through 
the Director, shall coordinate activities and responses with the Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
    ``(d) Coordination With Existing Tracking Program Through CDC.--The 
Secretary shall integrate the enactment of this title with all 
environmental health tracking programs funded prior to the date of 
enactment of this title, including by integrating the programs, in 
existence on the date of enactment of this title, to develop State 
Network enhancements and to develop programs to address specific local 
and regional concerns.

``SEC. 3004. EXPANSION OF BIOMONITORING CAPABILITIES AND DATA 
              COLLECTION.

    ``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to expand the 
scope and amount of biomonitoring data collected by the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, State laboratories, and consortia of 
State laboratories, in order to obtain robust information, including 
information by geographically defined areas and subpopulations, about a 
range of environmental exposures.
    ``(b) In General.--In meeting the purpose of this section, the 
Secretary shall ensure that biomonitoring data are collected through 
appropriate sources, including the National Health and Nutrition 
Examination Survey, and shall, as appropriate, enter into collaboration 
or partnerships with other entities to obtain additional information 
regarding vulnerable subpopulations or other subpopulations.
    ``(c) Cooperative Agreements.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall enter into cooperative agreements with States or 
        consortia of States to support the purposes of this title.
            ``(2) Applications.--Applications for such cooperative 
        agreements by consortia of States shall address the manner in 
        which such States will coordinate activities with other States 
        in the region, and shall designate a lead State for 
        administrative purposes.
            ``(3) Geographic distribution.--In entering into 
        cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall, 
        to the extent practicable, take appropriate measures to provide 
        for an equitable geographic distribution of such agreements.
    ``(d) Privacy.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall 
ensure the protection of privacy of individually identifiable health 
information, including ensuring protection consistent with the 
regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance 
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note).
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 
2008, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 
through 2012.''.
                                 <all>