[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 894 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 894

 To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect and 
disseminate information on concussion and traumatic brain injury among 
                        public safety officers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2023

 Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Braun, Mr. Casey, 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 require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect and 
disseminate information on concussion and traumatic brain injury among 
                        public safety officers.

    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 ``Public Safety Officer Concussion and 
Traumatic Brain Injury Health Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. INFORMATION ON CONCUSSION AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AMONG 
              PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS.

    Part J of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280b et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 393D of such Act 
the following:

``SEC. 393E. INFORMATION ON CONCUSSION AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AMONG 
              PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall collect and make 
publicly available information on concussion and traumatic brain injury 
among public safety officers, including research related to evidence-
based practices and personal protective equipment recommendations, and 
medical information related to diagnosing, protocols for identifying 
and treating, and measures for reducing the incidence of concussion and 
traumatic brain injury among public safety officers.
    ``(b) Dissemination of Information.--
            ``(1) In general.--For purposes of making information 
        available under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) update the website of the Centers for Disease 
                Control and Prevention with respect to traumatic brain 
                injury; and
                    ``(B) develop other means to disseminate such 
                information to--
                            ``(i) medical professionals and public 
                        health professionals, to improve care and 
                        treatment services provided to public safety 
                        officers suffering from concussion or traumatic 
                        brain injury;
                            ``(ii) public safety employers and employee 
                        representatives, to improve strategies and 
                        practices to reduce the incidence of concussion 
                        and traumatic brain injury resulting from 
                        firefighting, fire protection, law enforcement, 
                        and other public safety activities;
                            ``(iii) mental health professionals, to 
                        develop a better understanding of the link 
                        between concussion and traumatic brain injury 
                        and conditions such as trauma and stress 
                        related disorders, mood disorders, and suicidal 
                        ideations;
                            ``(iv) patients and their families, to 
                        improve awareness of health care specialists in 
                        the area of concussion and traumatic brain 
                        injury, and to improve patient understanding of 
                        the effects of concussion and traumatic brain 
                        injury; and
                            ``(v) institutions of higher education, 
                        including medical schools and schools of public 
                        health, and other researchers.
            ``(2) Consultation.--In developing the website under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with the individuals 
        and entities described in clauses (i) through (v) of paragraph 
        (1)(B) to ensure that information collected and disseminated 
        best meets the needs of the public safety community in terms of 
        content, quality, and utility.
            ``(3) Additional dissemination activities.--The Secretary 
        may disseminate information described in subsection (a) through 
        arrangements with nonprofit organizations, labor organizations 
        and employee representatives, other governmental organizations 
        or entities, and the media.
    ``(c) Authorized Activities.--In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary may support public and private efforts to identify and create 
model guidelines, protocols, and evidence-based practices to treat 
concussion and traumatic brain injury in public safety officers, 
including through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.
    ``(d) Definition.--In this section, the term `public safety 
officer' has the meaning given such term in section 1204 of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.''.
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