[House Report 118-512]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress   }                                       {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                       {     118-512

======================================================================



 
           POISON CONTROL CENTERS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2024

                                _______
                                

  May 17, 2024.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 7251]

    The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 7251) to amend the Public Health Service Act to 
reauthorize certain poison control programs, having considered 
the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and 
recommends that the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Committee Action.................................................     2
Committee Votes..................................................     3
Oversight Findings and Recommendations...........................     5
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures     5
Congressional Budget Office Estimate.............................     5
Federal Mandates Statement.......................................     5
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     5
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     5
Related Committee and Subcommittee Hearings......................     5
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................     6
Earmark, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits.......     6
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................     6
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................     6
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation...................     6
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     6

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Poison Control Centers Reauthorization 
Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF POISON CONTROL PROGRAMS.

  (a) National Toll-free Number and Other Communication Capabilities.--
Section 1271(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-71(c)) 
is amended by striking ``fiscal years 2020 through 2024'' and inserting 
``fiscal years 2025 through 2029''.
  (b) Promoting Poison Control Center Utilization.--Section 1272(c) of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-72(c)) is amended by 
striking ``fiscal years 2020 through 2024'' and inserting ``fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029''.
  (c) Poison Control Center Grant Program.--Section 1273(g) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-73(g)) is amended by striking 
``fiscal years 2020 through 2024'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2025 
through 2029''.

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 7251 reauthorizes certain poison control programs. 
These programs include the maintenance of the national toll-
free phone number, the promotion of poison control center 
utilization, and the maintenance of a program that awards 
grants to accredited poison control centers.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act was 
originally signed into law in 2000 and established a nationwide 
toll-free number, a media campaign, and authorized resources to 
regional poison control centers to ensure they can continue 
operating.\1\ There are fifty-five poison centers nationwide 
that help with poison emergencies, provide assistance to health 
care professionals, and disseminate poison prevention treatment 
education to the public.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Public Law 106-174: Poison Control Center Enhancement and 
Awareness Act: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-106publ174/pdf/
PLAW-106publ174.pdf.
    \2\Health Resources and Services Administration, Poison Centers. 
https://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/poison-centers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            Committee Action

    On February 14, 2024, the Subcommittee on Health held a 
hearing on H.R. 7251. The title of the hearing was 
``Legislative Proposals to Support Patients and Caregivers.'' 
The Subcommittee received testimony from:
     Andy Shih, PhD, Chief Science Officer, Autism 
Speaks;
     Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Co-Founder and CEO, Dr. 
Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation;
     Joanne Pike, DrPH, President and CEO, Alzheimer's 
Association;
     Gordon Tomaselli, MD, Former President, American 
Heart Association; Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean, Emeritus 
and Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; 
Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School 
of Medicine;
     Michelle Whitten, President, CEO, and Co-Founder, 
Global Down Syndrome Foundation;
     Randy Strozyk, President, American Ambulance 
Association; and
     Christina Annunziata, MD, PhD, Senior Vice 
President of Extramural Discovery Science, American Cancer 
Society.
    On March 12, 2024, the Subcommittee on Health met in open 
markup session and forwarded H.R. 7251, as amended, to the full 
Committee by a record vote of 23 yeas and 0 nays.
    On March 20, 2024, the full Committee on Energy and 
Commerce met in open markup session and ordered H.R. 7251, as 
amended, favorably reported to the House by a record vote of 47 
yeas and 0 nays.

                            Committee Votes

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the 
record votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments 
thereto. The following reflects the record votes taken during 
the Committee consideration: 


    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                 Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    Pursuant to clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII, the Committee held a hearing and made findings that 
are reflected in this report.

   New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee 
finds that H.R. 7251 would result in no new or increased budget 
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or 
revenues.

                  Congressional Budget Office Estimate

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII, at the time this 
report was filed, the cost estimate prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was not available.

                       Federal Mandates Statement

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act.

         Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general 
performance goal or objective of this legislation is to ensure 
that communities and their health care professionals have the 
resources to prevent and respond to poison emergencies.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, no provision of 
H.R. 7251 is known to be duplicative of another Federal 
program, including any program that was included in a report to 
Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 or the 
most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

              Related Committee and Subcommittee Hearings

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(6) of rule XIII, the following 
hearing was used to develop or consider H.R. 7251:
     On February 14, 2024, the Subcommittee on Health 
held a hearing on H.R. 7251. The title of the hearing was 
``Legislative Proposals to Support Patients and Caregivers.'' 
The Subcommittee received testimony from:
           Andy Shih, PhD, Chief Science Officer, 
        Autism Speaks;
           Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Co-Founder and 
        CEO, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation;
           Joanne Pike, DrPH, President and CEO, 
        Alzheimer's Association;
           Gordon Tomaselli, MD, Former President, 
        American Heart Association; Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz 
        Dean, Emeritus and Professor of Medicine, Albert 
        Einstein College of Medicine; Adjunct Professor of 
        Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine;
           Michelle Whitten, President, CEO, and 
        Co-Founder, Global Down Syndrome Foundation;
           Randy Strozyk, President, American 
        Ambulance Association; and
           Christina Annunziata, MD, PhD, Senior 
        Vice President of Extramural Discovery Science, 
        American Cancer Society.

                        Committee Cost Estimate

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee 
adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. At the time this report was 
filed, the estimate was not available.

       Earmark, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits

    Pursuant to clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the 
Committee finds that H.R. 7251 contains no earmarks, limited 
tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits.

                      Advisory Committee Statement

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this 
legislation.

                  Applicability to Legislative Branch

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.

             Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation


Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 provides that the Act may be cited as the 
``Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024''.

Section 2. Reauthorization of poison control programs

    Section 2 reauthorizes certain poison control programs 
through Fiscal Year 2029, including the national toll-free 
poison control hotline and the grants for national poison 
control center operations.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italics, and existing law in which no 
change is proposed is shown in roman):

                       PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT




           *       *       *       *       *       *       *
TITLE XII--TRAUMA CARE

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



                         Part G--Poison Control


SEC. 1271. MAINTENANCE OF THE NATIONAL TOLL-FREE NUMBER AND OTHER 
                    COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary--
          (1) shall provide coordination and assistance to 
        poison control centers for the establishment and 
        maintenance of a nationwide toll-free phone number, to 
        be used to access such centers; and
          (2) may provide coordination and assistance to poison 
        control centers and consult with professional 
        organizations for the establishment, implementation, 
        and maintenance of other communication technologies to 
        be used to access such centers.
  (b) Routing Contacts With Poison Control Centers.--Not later 
than 18 months after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
the Secretary shall coordinate with the Chairman of the Federal 
Communications Commission, to the extent technically and 
economically feasible, to ensure that communications with the 
national toll-free number are routed to the appropriate poison 
control center based on the physical location of the contact 
rather than the area code of the contact device.
  (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section, $700,000 for each of 
[fiscal years 2020 through 2024] fiscal years 2025 through 2029 
for the establishment, implementation, and maintenance 
activities carried out under subsections (a) and (b).

SEC. 1272. PROMOTING POISON CONTROL CENTER UTILIZATION.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out, and expand 
upon, a national media campaign to educate and support outreach 
to the public and health care providers about poisoning and 
toxic exposure prevention and the availability of poison 
control center resources in local communities and to conduct 
advertising campaigns concerning the nationwide toll-free 
number and other available communication technologies 
established, implemented, or maintained under section 1271(a).
  (b) Contract With Entity.--The Secretary may carry out 
subsection (a) by entering into contracts with one or more 
public or private entities, including nationally recognized 
organizations in the field of poison control and national media 
firms, for the development and implementation of a nationwide 
poisoning and toxic exposure prevention and poison control 
center awareness campaign, which may include--
          (1) the development and distribution of poisoning and 
        toxic exposure prevention awareness materials, 
        applicable public health emergency preparedness and 
        response information, and poison control center 
        awareness materials;
          (2) television, radio, Internet, and newspaper public 
        service announcements; and
          (3) other activities to provide for public and 
        professional awareness and education.
  (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section, $800,000 for each of 
[fiscal years 2020 through 2024] fiscal years 2025 through 
2029.

SEC. 1273. MAINTENANCE OF THE POISON CONTROL CENTER GRANT PROGRAM.

  (a) Authorization of Program.--The Secretary shall award 
grants to poison control centers accredited under subsection 
(c) (or granted a waiver under subsection (d)) and professional 
organizations in the field of poison control for the purposes 
of preventing, and providing treatment recommendations for, 
poisonings and toxic exposures and complying with the 
operational requirements needed to sustain the accreditation of 
the center under subsection (c).
  (b) Additional Uses of Funds.--In addition to the purposes 
described in subsection (a), a poison center or professional 
organization awarded a grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement under such subsection may also use amounts received 
under such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement--
          (1) to research, establish, implement, and evaluate 
        best practices in the United States for poisoning and 
        toxic exposure prevention, poison control center 
        outreach, and emergency preparedness and response 
        programs;
          (2) to research, develop, implement, revise, and 
        communicate standard patient management guidelines for 
        commonly encountered toxic exposures;
          (3) to improve national toxic exposure surveillance 
        by enhancing cooperative activities between poison 
        control centers in the United States, the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention, and other government 
        agencies as determined to be appropriate and 
        nonduplicative by the Secretary;
          (4) to research, improve, and enhance the 
        communications and response capability and capacity of 
        the nation's network of poison control centers to 
        facilitate increased access to the centers through the 
        integration and modernization of the current poison 
        control centers communications and data system, 
        including enhancing the network's telephony, Internet, 
        data and social networking technologies;
          (5) to develop, support, and enhance technology and 
        capabilities of professional organizations in the field 
        of poison control to collect national poisoning, toxic 
        occurrence, and related public health data;
          (6) to develop initiatives to foster the enhanced 
        public health utilization of national poison data 
        collected by organizations described in paragraph (5);
          (7) to support and expand the toxicologic expertise 
        within poison control centers; and
          (8) to improve the capacity of poison control centers 
        to answer high volumes of contacts and Internet 
        communications, and to sustain and enhance the poison 
        control center's network capability to respond during 
        times of national crisis or other public health 
        emergencies.
  (c) Accreditation.--Except as provided in subsection (d), the 
Secretary may award a grant to a poison control center under 
subsection (a) only if--
          (1) the center has been accredited by a professional 
        organization in the field of poison control, and the 
        Secretary has approved the organization as having in 
        effect standards for accreditation that reasonably 
        provide for the protection of the public health with 
        respect to poisoning; or
          (2) the center has been accredited by a State 
        government, and the Secretary has approved the State 
        government as having in effect standards for 
        accreditation that reasonably provide for the 
        protection of the public health with respect to 
        poisoning.
  (d) Waiver of Accreditation Requirements.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary may grant a waiver of 
        the accreditation requirements of subsection (c) with 
        respect to a nonaccredited poison control center that 
        applies for a grant under this section if such center 
        can reasonably demonstrate that the center will obtain 
        such an accreditation within a reasonable period of 
        time as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
          (2) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew a waiver under 
        paragraph (1).
          (3) Limitation.--
                  (A) In general.--The sum of the number of 
                years for a waiver under paragraph (1) and a 
                renewal under paragraph (2) may not exceed 5 
                years.
                  (B) Public health emergency.--Notwithstanding 
                any previous waivers, in the case of a poison 
                control center whose accreditation is affected 
                by a public health emergency declared pursuant 
                to section 319, the Secretary may, as the 
                circumstances of the emergency reasonably 
                require, provide a waiver under paragraph (1) 
                or a renewal under paragraph (2), not to exceed 
                2 years. The Secretary may require quarterly 
                reports and other information related to such a 
                waiver or renewal under this paragraph.
  (e) Supplement Not Supplant.--Amounts made available to a 
poison control center under this section shall be used to 
supplement and not supplant other Federal, State or local funds 
provided for such center.
  (f) Maintenance of Effort.--With respect to activities for 
which a grant is awarded under this section, the Secretary may 
require that poison control centers agree to maintain the 
expenditures of the center for such activities at a level that 
is not less than the level of expenditures maintained by the 
center for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which 
the grant is received.
  (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section, $28,600,000 for each 
of [fiscal years 2020 through 2024] fiscal years 2025 through 
2029. The Secretary may utilize an amount not to exceed 6 
percent of the amount appropriated under this preceding 
sentence in each fiscal year for coordination, dissemination, 
technical assistance, program evaluation, data activities, and 
other program administration functions, which are determined by 
the Secretary to be appropriate for carrying out the program 
under this section.
  (h) Biennial Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this subsection, and every 2 
years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives a report concerning the operations of, and 
trends identified by, the Poison Control Network. Such report 
shall include--
          (1) descriptions of the activities carried out 
        pursuant to sections 1271, 1272, and 1273, and the 
        alignment of such activities with the purposes provided 
        under subsection (a);
          (2) a description of trends in volume of contacts to 
        poison control centers;
          (3) a description of trends in poisonings and toxic 
        exposures reported to poison control centers, as 
        applicable and appropriate;
          (4) an assessment of the impact of the public 
        awareness campaign, including any geographic 
        variations;
          (5) a description of barriers, if any, preventing 
        poison control centers from achieving the purposes and 
        programs under this section and sections 1271 and 1272;
          (6) a description of the standards for accreditation 
        described in subsection (c), including any variations 
        in those standards, and any efforts to create and 
        maintain consistent standards across organizations that 
        accredit poison control centers; and
          (7) the number of and reason for any waivers provided 
        under subsection (d).

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