[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 53 (Thursday, March 24, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1775-S1776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Smith, and Mr. 
        Murphy):
  S. 3913. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act with respect 
to public health data accessibility, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused 
extraordinary challenges for our Nation's public health system and put 
a spotlight on longstanding gaps in public health preparedness. Our 
Nation's public health system needs accurate, timely, and high-quality 
data to protect the public from emerging health threats and to respond 
to existing public health emergencies.
  For far too long, gaps in data infrastructure have prevented 
policymakers and public health officials from quickly translating 
public health data into their decisionmaking. Outdated and inconsistent 
public health data systems have made it hard for Federal, State, local, 
Tribal, and territorial public health departments to get a full picture 
of the COVID-19 crisis. In turn, these data gaps have made it difficult 
for public health departments to tailor their responses. Specifically, 
inconsistent definitions of data, ambiguous reporting requirements, and 
data accessibility issues have hindered the U.S. response to the COVID-
19 pandemic and prevented the timely communication of public health 
data.
  We know that effective pandemic prevention and response requires 
coordinated efforts between public health

[[Page S1776]]

officials across all levels of government. Today, I am pleased to 
introduce with my colleagues, Senators Baldwin, Smith, and Murphy, the 
Improving Data Accessibility Through Advancements in Public Health Act, 
or the Improving DATA in Public Health Act, to use the lessons learned 
from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that our Nation's public health 
system has the data capabilities to address and prevent future 
pandemics.
  The Improving DATA in Public Health Act amends public health data 
systems' modernization provisions in current law by establishing a 
timeline for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to 
disseminate data standards to improve the exchange of electronic public 
health data. The bill also directs the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services to expand the access, exchange, and use of 
public health data by improving data sharing between Federal Agencies 
and State and local public health systems when preparing for, 
identifying, monitoring, and responding to public health emergencies.
  The Improving DATA in Public Health Act also expands upon existing 
data modernization efforts by commissioning a study on improving 
electronic data standards and reporting between laboratories and public 
health data systems. Finally, the legislation calls for the development 
of best practices to improve the quality and completeness of 
demographic data to support equitable public health responses.
  The Improving DATA in Public Health Act will strengthen our public 
health data systems and take commonsense steps to improve our ability 
to prevent and respond to future pandemics.
                                 ______