[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1732 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1732

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for health data 
        regarding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 30, 2009

 Mr. Inouye (for himself and Mr. Akaka) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for health data 
        regarding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

    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 ``Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 
Islander Health Data Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER HEALTH DATA.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317T the following:

``SEC. 317U. NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER HEALTH DATA.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Community group.--The term `community group' means a 
        group of NHOPI who are organized at the community level, and 
        may include a church group, social service group, national 
        advocacy organization, or cultural group.
            ``(2) Nonprofit, nongovernmental organization.--The term 
        `nonprofit, nongovernmental organization' means a group of 
        NHOPI with a demonstrated history of addressing NHOPI issues, 
        including a NHOPI coalition.
            ``(3) Designated organization.--The term `designated 
        organization' means an entity established to represent NHOPI 
        populations and which has statutory responsibilities to 
        provide, or has community support for providing, health care.
            ``(4) Government representatives.--The term `government 
        representatives' means representatives from Hawai`i, American 
        Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the 
        Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Republic of Palau, 
        and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
            ``(5) Native hawaiians and other pacific islanders or 
        nhopi.--The term `Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders' 
        or `NHOPI' means people having origins in any of the original 
        peoples of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
        Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, 
        Hawai`i, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of 
        Palau, or any other Pacific Island.
            ``(6) Insular area.--The term `insular area' means Guam, 
        the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, 
        the United States Virgin Islands, the Federated States of 
        Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, or the Republic of the 
        Marshall Islands.
    ``(b) National Strategy.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the National Center for Health Statistics (referred 
        to in this section as `NCHS') of the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention, and other agencies within the 
        Department of Health and Human Services as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate, shall develop and implement an ongoing 
        and sustainable national strategy for identifying and 
        evaluating the health status and health care needs of NHOPI 
        populations living in the continental United States, Hawai`i, 
        American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Republic 
        of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
            ``(2) Consultation.--In developing and implementing a 
        national strategy, as described in paragraph (1), not later 
        than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Native 
        Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Health Data Act of 2009, 
        the Secretary--
                    ``(A) shall consult with representatives of 
                community groups, designated organizations, and 
                nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations and with 
                government representatives of NHOPI populations; and
                    ``(B) may solicit the participation of 
                representatives from other Federal departments.
    ``(c) Preliminary Health Survey.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of NCHS, shall conduct a preliminary health survey in 
        order to identify the major areas and regions in the 
        continental United States, Hawai`i, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated 
        States of Micronesia, Guam, the Republic of Palau, and the 
        Republic of the Marshall Islands in which NHOPI people reside.
            ``(2) Contents.--The health survey described in paragraph 
        (1) shall include health data and any other data the Secretary 
        determines to be--
                    ``(A) useful in determining health status and 
                health care needs; or
                    ``(B) required for developing or implementing a 
                national strategy.
            ``(3) Methodology.--Methodology for the health survey 
        described in paragraph (1), including plans for designing 
        questions, implementation, sampling, and analysis, shall be 
        developed in consultation with community groups, designated 
        organizations, nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, and 
        government representatives of NHOPI populations, as determined 
        by the Secretary.
            ``(4) Timeframe.--The survey required under this subsection 
        shall be completed not later than 18 months after the date of 
        enactment of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 
        Health Data Act of 2009.
    ``(d) Progress Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Health Data 
Act of 2009, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a progress report, 
which shall include the national strategy described in subsection 
(b)(1).
    ``(e) Study and Report by the IOM.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall enter into an 
        agreement with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a study, 
        with input from stakeholders in insular areas, on the 
        following:
                    ``(A) The standards and definitions of health care 
                applied to health care systems in insular areas and the 
                appropriateness of such standards and definitions.
                    ``(B) The status and performance of health care 
                systems in insular areas, evaluated based upon 
                standards and definitions, as the Secretary determines.
                    ``(C) The effectiveness of donor aid in addressing 
                health care needs and priorities in insular areas.
                    ``(D) The progress toward implementation of 
                recommendations of the Committee on Health Care 
                Services in the United States-Associated Pacific Basin 
                of the Institute of Medicine that are set forth in the 
                1998 report, `Pacific Partnerships for Health: Charting 
                a New Course for the 21st Century'.
            ``(2) Report.--An agreement described in paragraph (1) 
        shall require the Institute of Medicine to submit to the 
        Secretary and to Congress, not later than 2 years after the 
        date of the enactment of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 
        Islander Health Data Act of 2009, a report containing a 
        description of the results of the study conducted under 
        paragraph (1), including the conclusions and recommendations of 
        the Institute of Medicine for each of the items described in 
        subparagraphs (A) through (D) of such paragraph.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2010 through 2015.''.
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