[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 84 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 84

To provide grants to better understand and reduce gestational diabetes, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 7, 2015

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Schatz, and Mr. 
Coons) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
       to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide grants to better understand and reduce gestational diabetes, 
                        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 ``Gestational Diabetes Act'' or the 
``GEDI Act''.

SEC. 2. GESTATIONAL DIABETES.

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

``SEC. 317H-1. GESTATIONAL DIABETES.

    ``(a) Understanding and Monitoring Gestational Diabetes.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 
        consultation with the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency 
        Coordinating Committee established under section 429 and 
        representatives of appropriate national health organizations, 
        shall develop a multisite gestational diabetes research project 
        within the diabetes program of the Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention to expand and enhance surveillance data and 
        public health research on gestational diabetes.
            ``(2) Areas to be addressed.--The research project 
        developed under paragraph (1) shall address--
                    ``(A) procedures to establish accurate and 
                efficient systems for the collection of gestational 
                diabetes data within each State, territory, and 
                possession of the United States;
                    ``(B) the progress of collaborative activities with 
                the National Vital Statistics System, the National 
                Center for Health Statistics, and State health 
                departments with respect to the standard birth 
                certificate, in order to improve surveillance of 
                gestational diabetes;
                    ``(C) postpartum methods of tracking women with 
                gestational diabetes after delivery and targeted 
                interventions proven to lower the incidence of type 2 
                diabetes in that population;
                    ``(D) variations in the distribution of diagnosed 
                and undiagnosed gestational diabetes, and of impaired 
                fasting glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose, 
                within and among groups of women; and
                    ``(E) factors and culturally sensitive 
                interventions that influence risks and reduce the 
                incidence of gestational diabetes and related 
                complications during childbirth, including cultural, 
                behavioral, racial, ethnic, geographic, demographic, 
                socioeconomic, and genetic factors.
            ``(3) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the 
        Secretary shall prepare a report on the findings and 
        recommendations of the research project, including prevalence 
        of gestational diabetes in the multisite area, and disseminate 
        the report to the appropriate Federal and non-Federal agencies.
    ``(b) Expansion of Gestational Diabetes Research.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall expand and intensify 
        public health research regarding gestational diabetes. Such 
        research may include--
                    ``(A) developing and testing novel approaches for 
                improving postpartum diabetes testing or screening and 
                for preventing type 2 diabetes in women with a history 
                of gestational diabetes; and
                    ``(B) conducting public health research to further 
                understanding of the epidemiologic, socioenvironmental, 
                behavioral, translation, and biomedical factors and 
                health systems that influence the risk of gestational 
                diabetes and the development of type 2 diabetes in 
                women with a history of gestational diabetes.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $5,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020.
    ``(c) Demonstration Grants To Lower the Rate of Gestational 
Diabetes.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
        entities for demonstration projects that implement evidence-
        based interventions to reduce the incidence of gestational 
        diabetes, the recurrence of gestational diabetes in subsequent 
        pregnancies, and the development of type 2 diabetes in women 
        with a history of gestational diabetes.
            ``(2) Priority.--In making grants under this subsection, 
        the Secretary shall give priority to projects focusing on--
                    ``(A) helping women who have 1 or more risk factors 
                for developing gestational diabetes;
                    ``(B) working with women with a history of 
                gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy;
                    ``(C) providing postpartum care for women with 
                gestational diabetes;
                    ``(D) tracking cases where women with a history of 
                gestational diabetes developed type 2 diabetes;
                    ``(E) educating mothers with a history of 
                gestational diabetes about the increased risk of their 
                children developing diabetes;
                    ``(F) working to prevent gestational diabetes and 
                prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes in 
                women with a history of gestational diabetes; and
                    ``(G) achieving outcomes designed to assess the 
                efficacy and cost-effectiveness of interventions that 
                can inform decisions on long-term sustainability, 
                including third-party reimbursement.
            ``(3) Application.--An eligible entity desiring to receive 
        a grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary--
                    ``(A) an application at such time, in such manner, 
                and containing such information as the Secretary may 
                require; and
                    ``(B) a plan to--
                            ``(i) lower the rate of gestational 
                        diabetes during pregnancy; or
                            ``(ii) develop methods of tracking women 
                        with a history of gestational diabetes and 
                        develop effective interventions to lower the 
                        incidence of the recurrence of gestational 
                        diabetes in subsequent pregnancies and the 
                        development of type 2 diabetes.
            ``(4) Uses of funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant 
        under this subsection shall use the grant funds to carry out 
        demonstration projects described in paragraph (1), including--
                    ``(A) expanding community-based health promotion 
                education, activities, and incentives focused on the 
                prevention of gestational diabetes and development of 
                type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational 
                diabetes;
                    ``(B) aiding State- and tribal-based diabetes 
                prevention and control programs to collect, analyze, 
                disseminate, and report surveillance data on women 
                with, and at risk for, gestational diabetes, the 
                recurrence of gestational diabetes in subsequent 
                pregnancies, and, for women with a history of 
                gestational diabetes, the development of type 2 
                diabetes; and
                    ``(C) training and encouraging health care 
                providers--
                            ``(i) to promote risk assessment, high-
                        quality care, and self-management for 
                        gestational diabetes and the recurrence of 
                        gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) to prevent the development of type 2 
                        diabetes in women with a history of gestational 
                        diabetes, and its complications in the practice 
                        settings of the health care providers.
            ``(5) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of the 
        enactment of this section, the Secretary shall prepare and 
        submit to Congress a report concerning the results of the 
        demonstration projects conducted through the grants awarded 
        under this subsection.
            ``(6) Definition of eligible entity.--In this subsection, 
        the term `eligible entity' means a nonprofit organization (such 
        as a nonprofit academic center or community health center) or a 
        State, tribal, or local health agency.
            ``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $5,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020.
    ``(d) Postpartum Follow-Up Regarding Gestational Diabetes.--The 
Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, shall work with the State- and tribal-based 
diabetes prevention and control programs assisted by the Centers to 
encourage postpartum follow-up after gestational diabetes, as medically 
appropriate, for the purpose of reducing the incidence of gestational 
diabetes, the recurrence of gestational diabetes in subsequent 
pregnancies, the development of type 2 diabetes in women with a history 
of gestational diabetes, and related complications.''.
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