[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1300 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1300


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2015

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to make anthrax vaccines 
 and antimicrobials available to emergency response providers, 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 ``First Responder Anthrax Preparedness 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PRE-EVENT ANTHRAX VACCINATION PROGRAM FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE 
              PROVIDERS.

    (a) Anthrax Preparedness.--
            (1) In general.--Title V of the Homeland Security Act of 
        2002 (Public Law 107-296; 6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended by 
        adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 526. ANTHRAX PREPAREDNESS.

    ``(a) Pre-Event Anthrax Vaccination Program for Emergency Response 
Providers.--For the purpose of domestic preparedness for and collective 
response to terrorism, the Secretary, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall establish a program to 
provide anthrax vaccines from the strategic national stockpile under 
section 319F-2(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d-
6b(a)) that will be nearing the end of their labeled dates of use at 
the time such vaccines are to be administered to emergency response 
providers who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax and who 
voluntarily consent to such administration, and shall--
            ``(1) establish any necessary logistical and tracking 
        systems to facilitate making such vaccines so available;
            ``(2) distribute disclosures regarding associated benefits 
        and risks to end users; and
            ``(3) conduct outreach to educate emergency response 
        providers about the voluntary program.
    ``(b) Threat Assessment.--The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) support homeland security-focused risk analysis and 
        risk assessments of the threats posed by anthrax from an act of 
        terror;
            ``(2) leverage existing and emerging homeland security 
        intelligence capabilities and structures to enhance prevention, 
        protection, response, and recovery efforts with respect to an 
        anthrax terror attack; and
            ``(3) share information and provide tailored analytical 
        support on threats posed by anthrax to State, local, and tribal 
        authorities, as well as other national biosecurity and 
        biodefense stakeholders.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 
        1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting at the end of the 
        items relating to title V the following new item:

``Sec. 526. Anthrax preparedness.''.
    (b) Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the pre-event vaccination 
        program authorized in section 526(a) of the Homeland Security 
        Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a), the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services, shall carry out a pilot program to provide 
        anthrax vaccines to emergency response providers as so 
        authorized. The duration of the pilot program shall be 24 
        months from the date the initial vaccines are administered to 
        participants.
            (2) Preliminary requirements.--By not later than 1 year 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act, and prior to 
        implementing the pilot program under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary of Homeland Security shall--
                    (A) establish a communication platform for the 
                pilot program;
                    (B) establish education and training modules for 
                the pilot program;
                    (C) conduct economic analysis of the pilot program; 
                and
                    (D) create a logistical platform for the anthrax 
                vaccine request process under the pilot program.
            (3) Location.--In carrying out the pilot program under this 
        subsection, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall select 
        emergency response providers based in at least two States for 
        participation in the pilot program.
            (4) Distribution of information.--The Secretary of Homeland 
        Security shall provide to each emergency response provider who 
        participates in the pilot program under this subsection 
        disclosures and educational materials regarding the associated 
        benefits and risks of any vaccine provided under the pilot 
        program and of exposure to anthrax.
            (5) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until 1 year 
        after the completion of the pilot program, the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland 
        Security and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
        of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
        Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the progress and 
        results of the pilot program, including the percentage of 
        eligible emergency response providers, as determined by each 
        pilot location, that volunteer to participate, the degree to 
        which participants obtain necessary vaccinations, as 
        appropriate, and recommendations to improve initial and 
        recurrent participation in the pilot program. The report shall 
        include a plan under which the Secretary plans to continue the 
        program to provide vaccines to emergency response providers 
        under section 526(a) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as 
        added by subsection (a).
            (6) Deadline for implementation.--The Secretary of Homeland 
        Security shall begin implementing the pilot program under this 
        subsection by not later than the date that is 1 year after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 29, 2015.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.