[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2864 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2864

   To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a 
   national strategic action plan to assist health professionals in 
 preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate 
                    change, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 18, 2014

Mr. Markey (for himself, Mrs. Boxer, and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a 
   national strategic action plan to assist health professionals in 
 preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate 
                    change, 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 ``Climate Change Health Protection and 
Promotion Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Federal Government, in 
cooperation with international, State, tribal, and local governments, 
concerned public and private organizations, and citizens, should use 
all practicable means and measures--
            (1) to assist the efforts of public health and health care 
        professionals, first responders, States, tribes, 
        municipalities, and local communities to incorporate measures 
        to prepare health systems to respond to the impacts of climate 
        change;
            (2) to ensure--
                    (A) that the Nation's health professionals have 
                sufficient information to prepare for and respond to 
                the adverse health impacts of climate change;
                    (B) the utility and value of scientific research in 
                advancing understanding of--
                            (i) the health impacts of climate change; 
                        and
                            (ii) strategies to prepare for and respond 
                        to the health impacts of climate change;
                    (C) the identification of communities vulnerable to 
                the health effects of climate change and the 
                development of strategic response plans to be carried 
                out by health professionals for those communities;
                    (D) the improvement of health status and health 
                equity through efforts to prepare for and respond to 
                climate change; and
                    (E) the inclusion of health policy in the 
                development of climate change responses;
            (3) to encourage further research, interdisciplinary 
        partnership, and collaboration among stakeholders in order to--
                    (A) understand and monitor the health impacts of 
                climate change; and
                    (B) improve public health knowledge and response 
                strategies to climate change;
            (4) to enhance preparedness activities, and public health 
        infrastructure, relating to climate change and health;
            (5) to encourage each and every American to learn about the 
        impacts of climate change on health; and
            (6) to assist the efforts of developing nations to 
        incorporate measures to prepare health systems to respond to 
        the impacts of climate change.

SEC. 3. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.

    Nothing in this Act limits the authority provided to or 
responsibility conferred on any Federal department or agency by any 
provision of any law (including regulations) or authorizes any 
violation of any provision of any law (including regulations), 
including any health, energy, environmental, transportation, or any 
other law or regulation.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN.

    (a) Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, not later than 2 years 
        after the date of enactment of this Act, on the basis of the 
        best available science, and in consultation pursuant to 
        paragraph (2), shall publish a strategic action plan to assist 
        health professionals in preparing for and responding to the 
        impacts of climate change on public health in the United States 
        and other nations, particularly developing nations.
            (2) Consultation.--In developing or making any revision to 
        the national strategic action plan, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) consult with the Director of the Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention, the Administrator of 
                the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of 
                the National Institutes of Health, the Secretary of 
                Energy, other appropriate Federal agencies, Indian 
                tribes, State and local governments, public health 
                organizations, and scientists, and other interested 
                stakeholders; and
                    (B) provide opportunity for public input.
    (b) Contents.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
        of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall assist 
        health professionals in preparing for and responding 
        effectively and efficiently to the health effects of climate 
        change through measures including--
                    (A) developing, improving, integrating, and 
                maintaining domestic and international disease 
                surveillance systems and monitoring capacity to respond 
                to health-related effects of climate change, including 
                on topics addressing--
                            (i) water, food, and vector-borne 
                        infectious diseases and climate change;
                            (ii) pulmonary effects, including responses 
                        to aeroallergens;
                            (iii) cardiovascular effects, including 
                        impacts of temperature extremes;
                            (iv) air pollution health effects, 
                        including heightened sensitivity to air 
                        pollution;
                            (v) hazardous algal blooms;
                            (vi) mental and behavioral health impacts 
                        of climate change;
                            (vii) the health of refugees, displaced 
                        persons, and vulnerable communities;
                            (viii) the implications for communities 
                        vulnerable to health effects of climate change, 
                        as well as strategies for responding to climate 
                        change within these communities; and
                            (ix) local and community-based health 
                        interventions for climate-related health 
                        impacts;
                    (B) creating tools for predicting and monitoring 
                the public health effects of climate change on the 
                international, national, regional, State, and local 
                levels, and providing technical support to assist in 
                their implementation;
                    (C) developing public health communications 
                strategies and interventions for extreme weather events 
                and disaster response situations;
                    (D) identifying and prioritizing communities and 
                populations vulnerable to the health effects of climate 
                change, and determining actions and communication 
                strategies that should be taken to inform and protect 
                these communities and populations from the health 
                effects of climate change;
                    (E) developing health communication, public 
                education, and outreach programs aimed at public health 
                and health care professionals, and the general public, 
                to promote preparedness and response strategies 
                relating to climate change and public health, including 
                the identification of greenhouse gas reduction 
                behaviors that are health-promoting;
                    (F) developing academic and regional centers of 
                excellence devoted to--
                            (i) researching relationships between 
                        climate change and health;
                            (ii) expanding and training the public 
                        health workforce to strengthen the capacity of 
                        such workforce to respond to and prepare for 
                        the health effects of climate change;
                            (iii) creating and supporting academic 
                        fellowships focusing on the health effects of 
                        climate change; and
                            (iv) training senior health ministry 
                        officials from developing nations to strengthen 
                        the capacity of such nations to--
                                    (I) prepare for and respond to the 
                                health effects of climate change; and
                                    (II) build an international network 
                                of public health professionals with the 
                                necessary climate change knowledge 
                                base;
                    (G) using techniques, including health impact 
                assessments, to assess various climate change public 
                health preparedness and response strategies on 
                international, national, State, regional, tribal, and 
                local levels, and make recommendations as to the 
                strategies that best protect the public health;
                    (H)(i) assisting in the development, 
                implementation, and support of State, regional, tribal, 
                and local preparedness, communication, and response 
                plans (including with respect to the health departments 
                of such entities) to anticipate and reduce the health 
                threats of climate change; and
                    (ii) acting through the Director of the Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention or an appropriate 
                Federal agency, pursuing collaborative efforts to 
                develop, integrate, and implement such plans;
                    (I) acting through the Director of the Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention or an appropriate 
                Federal agency, creating a program to advance research 
                as it relates to the effects of climate change on 
                public health across Federal agencies, including 
                research to--
                            (i) identify and assess climate change 
                        health effects preparedness and response 
                        strategies;
                            (ii) prioritize critical public health 
                        infrastructure projects related to potential 
                        climate change impacts that affect public 
                        health; and
                            (iii) coordinate preparedness for climate 
                        change health impacts, including the 
                        development of modeling and forecasting tools;
                    (J) providing technical assistance for the 
                development, implementation, and support of 
                preparedness and response plans to anticipate and 
                reduce the health threats of climate change in 
                developing nations; and
                    (K) carrying out other activities determined 
                appropriate by the Secretary to plan for and respond to 
                the impacts of climate change on public health.
    (c) Revision.--The Secretary shall revise the national strategic 
action plan not later than July 1, 2017, and every 4 years thereafter, 
to reflect new information collected pursuant to implementation of the 
national strategic action plan and otherwise, including information 
on--
            (1) the status of critical environmental health parameters 
        and related human health impacts;
            (2) the impacts of climate change on public health; and
            (3) advances in the development of strategies for preparing 
        for and responding to the impacts of climate change on public 
        health.
    (d) Implementation.--
            (1) Implementation through hhs.--The Secretary shall 
        exercise the Secretary's authority under this Act and other 
        Federal statutes to achieve the goals and measures of the 
        national strategic action plan.
            (2) Other public health programs and initiatives.--The 
        Secretary and Federal officials of other relevant Federal 
        agencies shall administer public health programs and 
        initiatives authorized by statutes other than this Act, subject 
        to the requirements of such statutes, in a manner designed to 
        achieve the goals of the national strategic action plan.
            (3) CDC.--In furtherance of the national strategic action 
        plan, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention shall--
                    (A) conduct scientific research to assist health 
                professionals in preparing for and responding to the 
                impacts of climate change on public health;
                    (B) provide funding for--
                            (i) research on the health effects of 
                        climate change; and
                            (ii) preparedness planning on the 
                        international, national, State, regional, and 
                        local levels to respond to or reduce the burden 
                        of health effects of climate change; and
                    (C) carry out other activities determined 
                appropriate by the Director to prepare for and respond 
                to the impacts of climate change on public health.

SEC. 5. ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a permanent 
science advisory board comprised of not less than 10 and not more than 
20 members.
    (b) Appointment of Members.--The Secretary shall appoint the 
members of the science advisory board from among individuals who--
            (1) are recommended by the President of the National 
        Academy of Sciences; and
            (2) have expertise in public health and human services, 
        climate change, and other relevant disciplines.
    (c) Functions.--The science advisory board shall--
            (1) provide scientific and technical advice and 
        recommendations to the Secretary on the domestic and 
        international impacts of climate change on public health, 
        populations and regions particularly vulnerable to the effects 
        of climate change, and strategies and mechanisms to prepare for 
        and respond to the impacts of climate change on public health; 
        and
            (2) advise the Secretary regarding the best science 
        available for purposes of issuing the national strategic action 
        plan.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

    (a) Needs Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall seek to enter into, by 
        not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this 
        Act, an agreement with the National Research Council and the 
        Institute of Medicine to complete a report that--
                    (A) assesses the needs for health professionals to 
                prepare for and respond to climate change impacts on 
                public health; and
                    (B) recommends programs to meet those needs.
            (2) Submission.--The agreement under paragraph (1) shall 
        require the completed report to be submitted to Congress and 
        the Secretary and made publicly available not later than 1 year 
        after the date of the agreement.
    (b) Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Reports.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall offer to enter into, 
        not later than 6 months after the submission of the report 
        under subsection (a)(2), an agreement with the National 
        Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, under which the 
        National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine will 
        prepare periodic reports to aid health professionals in 
        preparing for and responding to the adverse health effects of 
        climate change that--
                    (A) review scientific developments on health 
                impacts of climate change; and
                    (B) recommend changes to the national strategic 
                action plan.
            (2) Submission.--The agreement under paragraph (1) shall 
        require a report to be submitted to Congress and the Secretary 
        and made publicly available not later than July 1, 2016, and 
        every 4 years thereafter.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Health impact assessment.--The term ``health impact 
        assessment'' means a combination of procedures, methods, and 
        tools by which a policy, program, or project may be judged as 
        to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the 
        distribution of those effects within the population.
            (2) National strategic action plan.--The term ``national 
        strategic action plan'' means the plan issued and revised under 
        section 4.
            (3) Secretary.--Unless otherwise specified, the term 
        ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
    (b) Appropriations to HHS.--All funds appropriated to carry out 
this Act shall be appropriated to the Secretary.
    (c) Distribution of Funds by HHS.--In carrying out this Act, the 
Secretary may make funds appropriated pursuant to this section 
available to--
            (1) other departments, agencies, and offices of the Federal 
        Government;
            (2) foreign, State, tribal, and local governments; and
            (3) such other entities as the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    (d) Supplement, Not Replace.--It is the intent of Congress that 
funds appropriated to carry out this Act should be used to supplement, 
and not replace, existing sources of funding for public health.
                                 <all>