[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2864 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2864

   To provide for the enhancement of United States preparedness for 
     outbreaks of infectious disease to protect homeland security.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 10, 2009

   Mr. Pryor introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for the enhancement of United States preparedness for 
     outbreaks of infectious disease to protect homeland security.

    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 ``Defense Against Infectious Diseases 
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Alternative medical care facility.--The term 
        ``alternative medical care facility'' means a site capable of 
        meeting medical surge capacity needs.
            (2) Commissioned corps of the public health service.--The 
        term ``Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service'' means 
        the Regular Corps and the Reserve Corps of the Public Health 
        Service established under section 203 of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204).
            (3) Medical reserve corps.--The term ``Medical Reserve 
        Corps'' means the Medical Reserve Corps established under 
        section 2813 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-
        15).
            (4) Medical surge.--The term ``medical surge'' means the 
        response capabilities needed for increased demand of medical 
        resources which surpass normal resource capacities or 
        capabilities.
            (5) Metropolitan medical response system.--The term 
        ``Metropolitan Medical Response System'' means the Metropolitan 
        Medical Response System established under section 635 of the 
        Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 
        723).
            (6) Subsistence supplies.--The term ``subsistence 
        supplies'' means the food, water, medicine, and sanitation 
        products necessary for subsistence of disaster population and 
        pets.
            (7) Social distancing.--The term ``social distancing'' 
        means community infection control measures comprised of a 
        variety of non-pharmaceutical strategies designed to limit the 
        transmission of pandemic influenza and other highly infectious 
        diseases and thus permit additional time until sufficient 
        supplies of vaccines, antivirals, or other applicable medical 
        countermeasures become available to support a mass response 
        effort.

SEC. 3. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT INCLUSION IN PLANNING.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the President, or the designee of the President, shall 
convene a consortium of representatives of State, local, and tribal 
governments, including representatives of State, local, and tribal 
intergovernmental and health organizations, to assess the adequacy of 
guidance for State and local government planning in the National 
Strategy for Pandemic Flu and the National Strategy for Pandemic 
Influenza Implementation Plan.
    (b) Update of the Strategy and Plan.--Not later than 1 year after 
the convening of the consortium described under subsection (a), and 
every 4 years thereafter, the President, or the designee of the 
President, shall convene another consortium with representatives 
described under that subsection to review and update the National 
Strategy for Pandemic Flu and the National Strategy for Pandemic 
Influenza Implementation Plan.

SEC. 4. SURVEY OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL CARE FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall conduct a 
survey to identify appropriate alternative medical care facilities, 
including academic, military, and private sector venues for the 
prophylaxis for, and treatment of, infectious diseases outbreaks.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit a 
report on the survey conducted under subsection (a) to the appropriate 
committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.

SEC. 5. ACQUISITION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SUBSISTENCE SUPPLIES.

    The Secretary of Homeland Security shall identify the specific 
resources, including subsistence supplies and personnel, that may be 
required to support the implementation of strategies for social 
distancing and medical surge during a federally declared emergency or 
major disaster to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of 
communicable disease and ensure the proper delivery of crisis and 
medical care.

SEC. 6. FEDERAL PREPAREDNESS FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS AND 
              BIOLOGICAL ATTACKS.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Government Accountability Office shall submit a report to the 
appropriate committees of the Senate and House of Representatives that 
describes the roles and responsibilities, capabilities, and 
coordination of Federal assets for medical response to infectious 
disease outbreaks or biological attacks, including those roles, 
responsibilities, and capabilities relating to--
            (1) the Office of Health Affairs of the Department of 
        Homeland Security;
            (2) the Metropolitan Medical Response System of the 
        Department of Homeland Security;
            (3) the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness 
        and Response of the Department of Health and Human Services;
            (4) the Medical Reserve Corps;
            (5) the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service; 
        and
            (6) the National Disaster Medical System.
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