Authorizing Legislation: PHSA

Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project

OMB 0920-0307

Sancta St. Cyr, Project Officer

Attachment 1: Authorizing Legislation

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT

[As Amended Through P.L. 116–215, Enacted December 11, 2020]

[Currency: This publication is a compilation of the text of title III of Chapter 373 of the 78th Congress. It was last amended by the public law listed in the As Amended Through note above and below at the bottom of each page of the pdf version and reflects current law through the date of the enactment of the public law listed at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/comps/]

[Note: While this publication does not represent an official version of any Federal statute, substantial efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents. The official version of Federal law is found in the United States Statutes at Large and in the United States Code. The legal effect to be given to the Statutes at Large and the United States Code is established by statute (1 U.S.C. 112, 204).]

TITLE III—GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

PART A—RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATION

IN GENERAL

SEC. 301. [241] (a) The Secretary shall conduct in the Service, and encourage, cooperate with, and render assistance to other appropriate public authorities, scientific institutions, and scientists in the conduct of, and promote the coordination of, research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, and studies relating to the causes, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of physical and mental diseases and impairments of man, including water purification, sewage treatment, and pollution of lakes and streams. In carrying out the foregoing the Secretary is authorized to—

(1) collect and make available through publications and other appropriate means, information as to, and the practical application of, such research and other activities;

(2) make available research facilities of the Service to appropriate public authorities, and to health officials and scientists engaged in special study;

(3) make grants-in-aid to universities, hospitals, laboratories, and other public or private institutions, and to individuals for such research projects as are recommended by the advisory council to the entity of the Department supporting such projects and make, upon recommendation of the advisory council to the appropriate entity of the Department, grants-in-aid to public or nonprofit universities, hospitals, laboratories, and other institutions for the general support of their research;

(4) secure from time to time and for such periods as he deems advisable, the assistance and advice of experts, scholars, and consultants from the United States or abroad;

(5) for purposes of study, admit and treat at institutions, hospitals, and stations of the Service, persons not otherwise eligible for such treatment;

(6) make available, to health officials, scientists, and appropriate public and other nonprofit institutions and organizations, technical advice and assistance on the application of statistical methods to experiments, studies, and surveys in health and medical fields;

(7) enter into contracts, including contracts for research in accordance with and subject to the provisions of law applicable to contracts entered into by the military departments under title 10, United States Code, sections 2353 and 2354, except that determination, approval, and certification required thereby shall be by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; and

(8) adopt, upon recommendations of the advisory councils to the appropriate entities of the Department or, with respect to mental health, the National Advisory Mental Health Council, such additional means as the Secretary considers necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section.

(b)(1) The Secretary shall conduct and may support through grants and contracts studies and testing of substances for carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, and other harmful biological effects. In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary shall consult with entities of the Federal Government, outside of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, engaged in comparable activities. The Secretary, upon request of such an entity and under appropriate arrangements for the payment of expenses, may conduct for such entity studies and testing of substances for carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, and other harmful biological effects.

(2)(A) The Secretary shall establish a comprehensive program of research into the biological effects of low-level ionizing radiation under which program the Secretary shall conduct such research and may support such research by others through grants and contracts.

(B) The Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive review of Federal programs of research on the biological effects of ionizing radiation.

(3) The Secretary shall conduct and may support through grants and contracts research and studies on human nutrition, with particular emphasis on the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of disease and on the maintenance and promotion of health, and programs for the dissemination of information respecting human nutrition to health professionals and the public. In carrying out activities under this paragraph, the Secretary shall provide for the coordination of such of these activities as are performed by the different divisions within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and shall consult with entities of the Federal Government, outside of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, engaged in comparable activities. The Secretary, upon request of such an entity and under appropriate arrangements for the payment of expenses, may conduct and support such activities for such entity.

(4) The Secretary shall publish a biennial report which contains—

(A) a list of all substances (i) which either are known to be carcinogens or may reasonably be anticipated to be carcinogens and (ii) to which a significant number of persons residing in the United States are exposed;

(B) information concerning the nature of such exposure and the estimated number of persons exposed to such substances;

(C) a statement identifying (i) each substance contained in the list under subparagraph (A) for which no effluent, ambient, or exposure standard has been established by a Federal agency, and (ii) for each effluent, ambient, or exposure standard established by a Federal agency with respect to a substance contained in the list under subparagraph (A), the extent to which, on the basis of available medical, scientific, or other data, such standard, and the implementation of such standard by the agency, decreases the risk to public health from exposure to the substance; and

(D) a description of (i) each request received during the year involved—

(I) from a Federal agency outside the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare for the Secretary, or

(II) from an entity within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to any other entity within the Department, to conduct research into, or testing for, the carcinogenicity of substances or to provide information described in clause (ii) of subparagraph (C), and (ii) how the Secretary and each such other entity, respectively, have responded to each such request.

(5) The authority of the Secretary to enter into any contract for the conduct of any study, testing, program, research, or review, or assessment under this subsection shall be effective for any fiscal year only to such extent or in such amounts as are provided in advance in Appropriation Acts.

(c) The Secretary may conduct biomedical research, directly or through grants or contracts, for the identification, control, treatment, and prevention of diseases (including tropical diseases) which do not occur to a significant extent in the United States.

(d)(1)(A) If a person is engaged in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, or other research, in which identifiable, sensitive information is collected (including research on mental health and research on the use and effect of alcohol and other psychoactive drugs), the Secretary, in coordination with other agencies, as applicable—

(i) shall issue to such person a certificate of confidentiality to protect the privacy of individuals who are the subjects of such research if the research is funded wholly or in part by the Federal Government; and

(ii) may, upon application by a person engaged in research, issue to such person a certificate of confidentiality to protect the privacy of such individuals if the research is not so funded. (B) Except as provided in subparagraph

(C), any person to whom a certificate is issued under subparagraph (A) to protect the privacy of individuals described in such subparagraph shall not disclose or provide to any other person not connected with the research the name of such an individual or any information, document, or biospecimen that contains identifiable, sensitive information about such an individual and that was created or compiled for purposes of the research. (C) The disclosure prohibition in subparagraph (B) shall not apply to disclosure or use that is—

(i) required by Federal, State, or local laws, excluding instances described in subparagraph (D);

(ii) necessary for the medical treatment of the individual to whom the information, document, or biospecimen pertains and made with the consent of such individual;

(iii) made with the consent of the individual to whom the information, document, or biospecimen pertains; or

(iv) made for the purposes of other scientific research that is in compliance with applicable Federal regulations governing the protection of human subjects in research.

(D) Any person to whom a certificate is issued under subparagraph (A) to protect the privacy of an individual described in such subparagraph shall not, in any Federal, State, or local civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, or other proceeding, disclose or provide the name of such individual or any such information, document, or biospecimen that contains identifiable, sensitive information about the individual and that was created or compiled for purposes of the research, except in the circumstance described in subparagraph (C)(iii).

(E) Identifiable, sensitive information protected under subparagraph (A), and all copies thereof, shall be immune from the legal process, and shall not, without the consent of the individual to whom the information pertains, be admissible as evidence or used for any purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial, legislative, or administrative proceeding.

(F) Identifiable, sensitive information collected by a person to whom a certificate has been issued under subparagraph (A), and all copies thereof, shall be subject to the protections afforded by this section for perpetuity.

(G) The Secretary shall take steps to minimize the burden to researchers, streamline the process, and reduce the time it takes to comply with the requirements of this subsection.

(2) The Secretary shall coordinate with the heads of other applicable Federal agencies to ensure that such departments have policies in place with respect to the issuance of a certificate of confidentiality pursuant to paragraph (1) and other requirements of this subsection.

(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit the access of an individual who is a subject of research to information about himself or herself collected during such individual’s participation in the research.

(4) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘‘identifiable, sensitive information’’ means information that is about an individual and that is gathered or used during the course of research described in paragraph (1)(A) and—

(A) through which an individual is identified; or

(B) for which there is at least a very small risk, as determined by current scientific practices or statistical methods, that some combination of the information, a request for the information, and other available data sources could be used to deduce the identity of an individual.

(e) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality.

(f)(1) The Secretary may exempt from disclosure under section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code, biomedical information that is about an individual and that is gathered or used during the course of biomedical research if—

(A) an individual is identified; or

(B) there is at least a very small risk, as determined by current scientific practices or statistical methods, that some combination of the information, the request, and other available data sources could be used to deduce the identity of an individual.

(2)(A) Each determination of the Secretary under paragraph (1) to exempt information from disclosure shall be made in writing and accompanied by a statement of the basis for the determination.

(B) Each such determination and statement of basis shall be available to the public, upon request, through the Office of the Chief FOIA Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services.

(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit a research participant’s access to information about such participant collected during the participant’s participation in the research.

(g) Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, shall not apply to the voluntary collection of information during the conduct of research by the National Institutes of Health.

(h)(1) The Secretary may make available to individuals and entities, for biomedical and behavioral research, substances and living organisms. Such substances and organisms shall be made available under such terms and conditions (including payment for them) as the Secretary determines appropriate.

(2) Where research substances and living organisms are made available under paragraph (1) through contractors, the Secretary may direct such contractors to collect payments on behalf of the Secretary for the costs incurred to make available such substances and organisms and to forward amounts so collected to the Secretary, in the time and manner specified by the Secretary.

(3) Amounts collected under paragraph (2) shall be credited to the appropriations accounts that incurred the costs to make available the research substances and living organisms involved, and shall remain available until expended for carrying out activities under such accounts.

SEC. 318. [247c] (a) The Secretary may provide technical assistance to appropriate public and non-profit private entities and to scientific institutions for their research in, and training and public health programs for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases.

(b) The Secretary may make grants to States, political subdivisions of States, and any other public and nonprofit private entity for—

(1) research into the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases;

(2) demonstration projects for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases;

(3) public information and education programs for the prevention and control of such diseases; and

(4) education, training, and clinical skills improvement activities in the prevention and control of such diseases for health professionals (including allied health personnel).

(c) The Secretary is also authorized to make project grants to States and, in consultation with the State health authority, to political subdivisions of States, for—

(1) sexually transmitted diseases surveillance activities, including the reporting, screening, and followup of diagnostic tests for, and diagnosed cases of, sexually transmitted diseases;

(2) casefinding and case followup activities respecting sexually transmitted diseases, including contact tracing of infectious cases of sexually transmitted diseases and routine testing, including laboratory tests and followup systems;

(3) interstate epidemiologic referral and followup activities respecting sexually transmitted diseases; and

(4) such special studies or demonstrations to evaluate or test sexually transmitted diseases prevention and control strategies and activities as may be prescribed by the Secretary.

(d) The Secretary may make grants to States and political subdivisions of States for the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases.

(e)(1) For the purpose of making grants under subsections (b) through (d), there are authorized to be appropriated $85,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1995 through 1998.

(2) Each recipient of a grant under this section shall keep such records as the Secretary shall prescribe including records which fully disclose the amount and disposition by such recipient of the proceeds of such grant, the total cost of the project or undertaking in connection with which such grant was given or used and the amount of that portion of the cost of the project or undertaking supplied by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective audit.

(3) The Secretary and the Comptroller General of the United States, or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall have access for the purpose of audit and examination to any books, documents, papers, and records of the recipients of grants under this section that are pertinent to such grants.

(4) The Secretary, at the request of a recipient of a grant under this section, may reduce such grant by the fair market value of any supplies or equipment furnished to such recipient and by the amount of pay, allowances, travel expenses, and any other costs in connection with the detail of an officer or employee of the United States to the recipient when the furnishing of such supplies or equipment or the detail of such an officer or employee is for the convenience of and at the request of such recipient and for the purpose of carrying out the program with respect to which the grant under this section is made. The amount by which any such grant is so reduced shall be available for payment by the Secretary of the costs incurred in furnishing the supplies, equipment, or personal services on which the reduction of such grant is based.

(5) All information obtained in connection with the examination, care, or treatment of any individual under any program which is being carried out with a grant made under this section shall not, without such individual’s consent, be disclosed except as may be necessary to provide service to him or as may be required by a law of a State or political subdivision of a State. Information derived from any such program may be disclosed—

(A) in summary, statistical, or other form; or

(B) for clinical or research purposes; but only if the identity of the individuals diagnosed or provided care or treatment under such program is not disclosed.

(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any State or any political subdivision of a State to have a sexually transmitted diseases program which would require any person, who objects to any treatment provided under such a program, to be treated under such a program.

318A. [247c–1] (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may make grants to States, political subdivisions of States, and other public or nonprofit private entities for the purpose of carrying out the activities described in subsection (c) regarding any treatable sexually transmitted disease that can cause infertility in women if treatment is not received for the disease.

(b) AUTHORITY REGARDING INDIVIDUAL DISEASES.—With respect to diseases described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall, in making a grant under such subsection, specify the particular disease or diseases with respect to which the grant is to be made. The Secretary may not make the grant unless the applicant involved agrees to carry out this section only with respect to the disease or diseases so specified.

(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—With respect to any sexually transmitted disease described in subsection (a), the activities referred to in such subsection are—

(1) screening women for the disease and for secondary conditions resulting from the disease, subject to compliance with criteria issued under subsection (f);

(2) providing treatment to women for the disease;

(3) providing counseling to women on the prevention and control of the disease (including, in the case of a woman with the disease, counseling on the benefits of locating and providing such counseling to any individual from whom the woman may have contracted the disease and any individual whom the woman may have exposed to the disease);

(4) providing follow-up services;

(5) referrals for necessary medical services for women screened pursuant to paragraph (1), including referrals for evaluation and treatment with respect to acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases;

(6) in the case of any woman receiving services pursuant to any of paragraphs (1) through (5), providing to the partner of the woman the services described in such paragraphs, as appropriate;

(7) providing outreach services to inform women of the availability of the services described in paragraphs (1) through (6);

(8) providing to the public information and education on the prevention and control of the disease, including disseminating such information; and

(9) providing training to health care providers in carrying out the screenings and counseling described in paragraphs (1) and (3).

(d) REQUIREMENT OF AVAILABILITY OF ALL SERVICES THROUGH EACH GRANTEE.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that each activity authorized in subsection (c) will be available through the applicant. With respect to compliance with such agreement, the applicant may expend the grant to carry out any of the activities directly, and may expend the grant to enter into agreements with other public or nonprofit private entities under which the entities carry out the activities.

(e) REQUIRED PROVIDERS REGARDING CERTAIN SERVICES.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that, in expending the grant to carry out activities authorized in subsection (c), the services described in paragraphs (1) through (7) of such subsection will be provided only through entities that are State or local health departments, grantees under section 329, 330, 340A, or 1001, or are other public or nonprofit private entities that provide health services to a significant number of low-income women.

(f) QUALITY ASSURANCE REGARDING SCREENING FOR DISEASES.—For purposes of this section, the Secretary shall establish criteria for ensuring the quality of screening procedures for diseases described in subsection (a).

(g) CONFIDENTIALITY.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees, subject to applicable law, to maintain the confidentiality of information on individuals with respect to activities carried out under subsection (c).

(h) LIMITATION ON IMPOSITION OF FEES FOR SERVICES.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that, if a charge is imposed for the provision of services or activities under the grant, such charge—

(1) will be made according to a schedule of charges that is made available to the public;

(2) will be adjusted to reflect the income of the individual involved; and

(3) will not be imposed on any individual with an income of less than 150 percent of the official poverty line, as established by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and revised by the Secretary in accordance with section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981.

(i) LIMITATIONS ON CERTAIN EXPENDITURES.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that not less than 80 percent of the grant will be expended for the purpose of carrying out paragraphs (1) through (7) of subsection (c).

(j) REPORTS TO SECRETARY.—

(1) COLLECTION OF DATA.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees, with respect to any disease selected under subsection (b) for the applicant, to submit to the Secretary, for each fiscal year for which the applicant receives such a grant, a report providing—

(A) the incidence of the disease among the population of individuals served by the applicant;

(B) the number and demographic characteristics of individuals in such population;

(C) the types of interventions and treatments provided by the applicant, and the health conditions with respect to which referrals have been made pursuant to subsection (c)(5);

(D) an assessment of the extent to which the activities carried pursuant to subsection (a) have reduced the incidence of infertility in the geographic area involved; and

(E) such other information as the Secretary may require with respect to the project carried out with the grant.

(2) UTILITY AND COMPARABILITY OF DATA.—The Secretary shall carry out activities for the purpose of ensuring the utility and comparability of data collected pursuant to paragraph (1).

(k) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—With respect to activities for which a grant under subsection (a) is authorized to be expended, the Secretary may make such a grant only if the applicant involved agrees to maintain expenditures of non-Federal amounts for such activities at a level that is not less than the average level of such expenditures maintained by the applicant for the 2-year period preceding the fiscal year for which the applicant is applying to receive such a grant.

(l) REQUIREMENT OF APPLICATION.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if an application for the grant is submitted to the Secretary, the application contains the plan required in paragraph (2), and the application is in such form, is made in such manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this section.

(2) SUBMISSION OF PLAN FOR PROGRAM OF GRANTEE.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved submits to the Secretary a plan describing the manner in which the applicant will comply with the agreements required as a condition of receiving such a grant, including a specification of the entities through which activities authorized in subsection (c) will be provided.

(B) PARTICIPATION OF CERTAIN ENTITIES.—The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant provides assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that the plan submitted under subparagraph (A) has been prepared in consultation with an appropriate number and variety of—

(i) representatives of entities in the geographic area involved that provide services for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases, including programs to provide to the public information and education regarding such diseases; and

(ii) representatives of entities in such area that provide family planning services.

(m) DURATION OF GRANT.—The period during which payments are made to an entity from a grant under subsection (a) may not exceed 3 years. The provision of such payments shall be subject to annual approval by the Secretary of the payments and subject to the availability of appropriations for the fiscal year involved to make the payments in such year. The preceding sentence may not be construed to establish a limitation on the number of grants under such subsection that may be made to an entity.

(n) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND SUPPLIES AND SERVICES IN LIEU OF GRANT FUNDS.—

(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may provide training and technical assistance to grantees under subsection (a) with respect to the planning, development, and operation of any program or service carried out under such subsection. The Secretary may provide such technical assistance directly or through grants or contracts.

(2) SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, AND EMPLOYEE DETAIL.—The Secretary, at the request of a recipient of a grant under subsection (a), may reduce the amount of such grant by—

(A) the fair market value of any supplies or equipment furnished the grant recipient; and

(B) the amount of the pay, allowances, and travel expenses of any officer or employee of the Government when detailed to the grant recipient and the amount of any other costs incurred in connection with the detail of such officer or employee;

when the furnishing of such supplies or equipment or the detail of such an officer or employee is for the convenience of and at the request of such grant recipient and for the purpose of carrying out a program with respect to which the grant under subsection (a) is made. The amount by which any such grant is so reduced shall be available for payment by the Secretary of the costs incurred in furnishing the supplies or equipment, or in detailing the personnel, on which the reduction of such grant is based, and such amount shall be deemed as part of the grant and shall be deemed to have been paid to the grant recipient.

(o) EVALUATIONS AND REPORTS BY SECRETARY.—

(1) EVALUATIONS.—The Secretary shall, directly or through contracts with public or private entities, provide for annual evaluations of programs carried out pursuant to subsection (a) in order to determine the quality and effectiveness of the programs.

(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year after the date on which amounts are first appropriated pursuant to subsection (q), and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate, a report—

(A) summarizing the information provided to the Secretary in reports made pursuant to subsection (j)(1), including information on the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases described in subsection (a); and

(B) summarizing evaluations carried out pursuant to paragraph (1) during the preceding fiscal year.

(p) COORDINATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS.—The Secretary shall coordinate the program carried out under this section with any similar programs administered by the Secretary (including coordination between the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Director of the National Institutes of Health).

(q) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of carrying out this section, other than subsections (o) and (r), there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1994 through 1998.

(r) SEPARATE GRANTS FOR RESEARCH ON DELIVERY OF SERVICES.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants for the purpose of conducting research on the manner in which the delivery of services under subsection (a) may be improved. The Secretary may make such grants only to grantees under such subsection and to public and nonprofit private entities that are carrying out programs substantially similar to programs carried out under such subsection.

(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of carrying out paragraph (1), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1993 through 1998.

DATA COLLECTION REGARDING PROGRAMS UNDER TITLE XXVI

SEC. 318B. [247c–2] For the purpose of collecting and providing data for program planning and evaluation activities under title XXVI, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary (acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005. Such authorization of appropriations is in addition to other authorizations of appropriations that are available for such purpose.