[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 665 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 665

 To provide for the establishment of the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory 
                               Committee.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 2, 2015

 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. Peterson) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the establishment of the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory 
                               Committee.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF A TICK-BORNE DISEASES ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall establish within 
the Office of the Secretary an advisory committee to be known as the 
Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee (referred to in this section as 
the ``Committee'').
    (b) Applicability of FACA.--The Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory 
Committee shall be treated as an advisory committee subject to the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act.
    (c) Duties.--The Committee shall advise the Secretary and the 
Assistant Secretary for Health regarding the manner in which such 
officials can--
            (1) ensure interagency coordination and communication and 
        minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne 
        diseases;
            (2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other 
        Federal agencies and private organizations addressing such 
        diseases;
            (3) ensure interagency coordination and communication with 
        constituency groups;
            (4) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints 
        is represented in public health policy decisions and that 
        information disseminated to the public and physicians is 
        balanced; and
            (5) advise relevant Federal agencies on priorities related 
        to the Lyme and tick-borne diseases.
    (d) Membership.--
            (1) Appointed members.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall appoint the 
                voting members of the Committee from among individuals 
                who are not officers or employees of the Federal 
                Government.
                    (B) Groups.--The voting members of the Committee 
                shall include the following:
                            (i) At least 4 members from the scientific 
                        community representing the broad spectrum of 
                        viewpoints held within the scientific community 
                        related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
                            (ii) At least 2 representatives of tick-
                        borne disease voluntary organizations.
                            (iii) At least 2 health care providers, 
                        including at least 1 full-time practicing 
                        physician, with relevant experience providing 
                        care for individuals with a broad range of 
                        acute and chronic tick-borne diseases.
                            (iv) At least 2 patient representatives who 
                        are individuals who have been diagnosed with a 
                        tick-borne disease or who have had an immediate 
                        family member diagnosed with such a disease.
                            (v) At least 2 representatives of State and 
                        local health departments from States with the 
                        highest incidence of Lyme disease or where Lyme 
                        disease is recognized as an emerging threat, or 
                        national organizations that represent State and 
                        local health professionals.
                    (C) Diversity.--In appointing members under this 
                paragraph, the Secretary shall ensure that such 
                members, as a group, represent a diversity of 
                scientific perspectives relevant to the duties of the 
                Committee.
            (2) Ex officio members.--The Secretary shall designate, as 
        nonvoting, ex officio members of the Committee, representatives 
        overseeing tick-borne disease activities from each of the 
        following Federal agencies:
                    (A) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
                    (B) The National Institutes of Health.
                    (C) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
                    (D) The Food and Drug Administration.
                    (E) The Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
                Health.
                    (F) Such additional Federal agencies as the 
                Secretary determines to be appropriate.
            (3) Co-chairpersons.--The Secretary shall designate the 
        Assistant Secretary for Health as the co-chairperson of the 
        Committee. The appointed members of the Committee shall also 
        elect a public co-chairperson. The public co-chairperson shall 
        serve a 2-year term.
            (4) Term of appointment.--The term of service for each 
        member of the Committee appointed under paragraph (1) shall be 
        4 years.
            (5) Vacancy.--A vacancy in the membership of the Committee 
        shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. 
        Any member appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term 
        shall be appointed for the remainder of that term. Members may 
        serve after the expiration of their terms until their 
        successors have taken office.
    (e) Meetings.--The Committee shall hold public meetings after 
providing notice to the public of such meetings, and shall meet at 
least twice a year with additional meetings subject to the call of the 
co-chairpersons. Agenda items with respect to such meetings may be 
added at the request of the members of the Committee, including the co-
chairpersons. Meetings shall be conducted, and records of the 
proceedings shall be maintained, as required by applicable law and by 
regulations of the Secretary.
    (f) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Committee, through the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the 
Director of the National Institutes of Health, shall submit a report to 
the Secretary. Each such report shall contain, at a minimum--
            (1) a description of the Committee's functions;
            (2) a list of the Committee's members and their 
        affiliations; and
            (3) a summary of the Committee's activities and 
        recommendations during the previous year, including any 
        significant issues regarding the functioning of the Committee.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts made available 
to the Department of Health and Human Services for general departmental 
management for fiscal years 2015 through 2019, there is authorized to 
be appropriated $250,000 for each of such fiscal years to carry out 
this Act. Amounts made available to carry out this Act shall be used 
for the expenses and per diem costs incurred by the Committee under 
this section in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 
except that no voting member of the Committee shall be a permanent 
salaried employee of the Federal Government.
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