[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2422 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.2422
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen
An Act
To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve essential oral health
care for low-income and other underserved individuals by breaking down
barriers to care, 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 Action for Dental Health Act of 2018.
SEC. 2. ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION.
(a) In General.--Section 399LL of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 280k) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``of Oral
Health Education Campaign'' after ``Establishment''; and
(B) by striking ``focused on oral healthcare prevention and
education'' and inserting ``focused on oral health education'';
(2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph (1),
by striking ``campaign'' and inserting ``campaign under subsection
(a)''; and
(3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
``(c) Action for Dental Health Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration,
may award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible
entities to collaborate with State or local public health
officials, tribal health officials, oral health professional
organizations, and others, as appropriate, to develop and implement
initiatives to improve oral health, including activities to prevent
dental disease and reduce barriers to the provision of dental
services, including--
``(A) through community-wide dental disease prevention
programs; and
``(B) by increasing public awareness and education related
to oral health and dental disease prevention.
``(2) Eligible entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant,
contract, or cooperative agreement under this subsection, an entity
shall be--
``(A) a dental association;
``(B) a State or tribal health department or State or
tribal oral health program;
``(C) an accredited dental education, dental hygiene, or
postdoctoral dental education program; or
``(D) a non-profit community-based organization that
partners with public and private non-profit entities, such as
an academic institution, to facilitate the provision of dental
services to underserved populations.'';
(b) Technical Amendment.--Section 399LL-1(d) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280k-1(d)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``shall'' and inserting ``shall, as practicable
and appropriate,'' before ``utilize''; and
(2) by striking ``public education campaign'' and inserting
``oral health education campaign and action for dental health
program''.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of
the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives, a report on the outcomes and effectiveness of programs
and activities conducted under sections 399LL and 399LL-1 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280k and 280k-1).
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS.
Section 340G of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256g) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(5)--
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) the establishment or development of models for the
provision of dental services to children and adults, such as
dental homes, including for the elderly, blind, individuals
with disabilities, and individuals living in long-term care
facilities; and
``(E) the establishment of initiatives to reduce the use of
emergency departments by individuals who seek dental services
more appropriately delivered in a dental primary care
setting;''; and
(2) in subsection (f), by striking ``$25,000,000 for the 5-
fiscal year period beginning with fiscal year 2008'' and inserting
``$13,903,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.