[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1243 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1243
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a
national strategic action plan and program to assist health
professionals and systems in preparing for and responding to the public
health effects of climate change, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 14, 2019
Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Engel, Mr. Khanna, Ms.
Pingree, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Wild, Mr. Cohen, Ms.
Matsui, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Casten of
Illinois, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Rouda, Mr. Green
of Texas, and Ms. Norton) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a
national strategic action plan and program to assist health
professionals and systems in preparing for and responding to the public
health effects of climate change, 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 ``Climate Change Health Protection and
Promotion Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
(a) Findings.--The United States Global Change Research Program
Climate and Health Assessment states that--
(1) the impacts of human-induced climate change are
increasing nationwide;
(2) rising greenhouse gas concentrations result in
increases in temperature, changes in precipitation, increases
in the frequency and intensity of some extreme weather events,
and rising sea levels;
(3) these climate change impacts endanger our health by
affecting our food and water sources, the air we breathe, the
weather we experience, and our interactions with the built and
natural environments; and
(4) as the climate continues to change, the risks to human
health continue to grow.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) climate change is real;
(2) human activity significantly contributes to climate
change;
(3) climate change negatively impacts health;
(4) climate change disproportionately impacts communities
of color and low-income communities; and
(5) the Federal Government, in cooperation with
international, State, Tribal, and local governments, concerned
public, private, and Native American organizations, and
citizens, should use all practicable means and measures--
(A) to assist the efforts of public health and
health care professionals, first responders, health
care systems, States, the District of Columbia,
territories, municipalities, and Native American and
local communities to incorporate measures to prepare
public health and health care systems to respond to the
impacts of climate change;
(B) to ensure--
(i) that the Nation's public health and
health care professionals have sufficient
information to prepare for and respond to the
adverse health impacts of climate change;
(ii) the application of scientific research
in advancing understanding of--
(I) the health impacts of climate
change; and
(II) strategies to prepare for and
respond to the health impacts of
climate change;
(iii) the identification of communities and
populations vulnerable to the health impacts of
climate change, including infants, children,
pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with
disabilities or preexisting illnesses, low-
income populations, and unhoused individuals,
and the development of strategic response plans
to be carried out by public health and health
care professionals for those communities;
(iv) the improvement of health status and
health equity through efforts to prepare for
and respond to climate change; and
(v) the inclusion of health impacts in the
development of climate change responses;
(C) to encourage further research,
interdisciplinary partnership, and collaboration among
stakeholders in order to--
(i) understand and monitor the health
impacts of climate change;
(ii) improve public health knowledge and
response strategies to climate change;
(iii) identify actions and policies that
are beneficial to health and that mitigate
climate health impacts; and
(iv) develop strategies to address water-,
food-, and vector-borne infectious diseases and
other public health emergencies;
(D) to enhance preparedness activities, and health
care and public health infrastructure, relating to
climate change and health;
(E) to encourage each and every community to learn
about the impacts of climate change on health; and
(F) to assist the efforts of developing nations to
incorporate measures to prepare public health and
health care systems to respond to the impacts of
climate change.
SEC. 3. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.
Nothing in this Act limits the authority provided to or
responsibility conferred on any Federal department or agency by any
provision of any law (including regulations) or authorizes any
violation of any provision of any law (including regulations),
including any health, energy, environmental, transportation, or any
other law or regulation.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN AND PROGRAM.
(a) Requirement.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary''), on the basis of
the best available science, and in consultation pursuant to
paragraph (2), shall publish a strategic action plan and
establish a program to ensure the public health and health care
systems are prepared for and can respond to the impacts of
climate change on health in the United States and other
nations.
(2) Consultation.--In developing or making any revision to
the national strategic action plan and program, the Secretary
shall--
(A) consult with the Director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of
the National Institutes of Health, the Under Secretary
of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the Director of the Indian Health
Service, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of
State, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, other
appropriate Federal agencies, Indian Tribes, State and
local governments, public health organizations,
scientists, representatives of at-risk populations, and
other interested stakeholders; and
(B) provide opportunity for public input and
consultation with Indian tribes and Native American
organizations.
(b) Activities.--
(1) National strategic action plan.--Not later than 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and in collaboration with other Federal agencies as
appropriate, shall, on the basis of the best available science,
and in consultation with the entities described in subsection
(a)(2), publish a national strategic action plan under
paragraph (2) to guide the climate and health program and
assist public health and health care professionals in preparing
for and responding to the impacts of climate change on public
health in the United States and other nations, particularly
developing nations.
(2) Assessment of health system capacity.--The national
strategic action plan shall include an assessment of the health
system capacity of the United States to address climate change
including--
(A) identifying and prioritizing communities and
populations vulnerable to the health impacts of climate
change;
(B) providing outreach and communication aimed at
public health and health care professionals and the
public to promote preparedness and response strategies;
(C) providing for programs across Federal agencies
to advance research related to the impacts of climate
change on health;
(D) identifying and assessing existing preparedness
and response strategies for the health impacts of
climate change;
(E) prioritizing critical public health and health
care infrastructure projects;
(F) providing modeling and forecasting tools of
climate change health impacts, including local impacts
where possible;
(G) establishing academic and regional centers of
excellence;
(H) providing technical assistance and support for
preparedness and response plans for the health threats
of climate change in States, municipalities,
territories, Indian Tribes, and developing nations; and
(I) developing, improving, integrating, and
maintaining domestic and international disease
surveillance systems and monitoring capacity to respond
to health-related impacts of climate change, including
on topics addressing--
(i) water-, food-, and vector-borne
infectious diseases and climate change;
(ii) pulmonary effects, including responses
to aeroallergens and toxic exposures;
(iii) cardiovascular effects, including
impacts of temperature extremes;
(iv) air pollution health effects,
including heightened sensitivity to air
pollution;
(v) harmful algal blooms;
(vi) mental and behavioral health impacts
of climate change;
(vii) the health of migrants, refugees,
displaced persons, and vulnerable communities;
(viii) the implications for communities and
populations vulnerable to the health effects of
climate change, as well as strategies for
responding to climate change within these
communities;
(ix) Tribal, local, and community-based
health interventions for climate-related health
impacts;
(x) extreme heat and weather events,
including drought;
(xi) decreased nutritional value of crops;
and
(xii) disruptions in access to routine and
acute medical care.
(3) Climate and health program.--The Secretary, acting
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and in collaboration with other Federal agencies,
as appropriate, shall ensure that the climate and health
program established under this section addresses priority
health actions including the following:
(A) Serve as a credible source of information on
the physical, mental, and behavioral health
consequences of climate change for the United States
population and globally.
(B) Track data on environmental conditions, disease
risks, and disease occurrence related to climate
change.
(C) Expand capacity for modeling and forecasting
health effects that may be climate-related.
(D) Enhance the science base to better understand
the relationship between climate change and health
outcomes.
(E) Identify locations and population groups at
greatest risk for specific health threats and effects,
such as increased heat stress, degraded air and water
quality, food- or water-related infections, vector-
borne illnesses, pulmonary and cardiovascular effects,
mental and behavioral health effects, and food, water,
and nutrient insecurity.
(F) Communicate the health-related aspects of
climate change, including risks and associated costs
and ways to reduce them, to the public, decisionmakers,
public health professionals, and health care providers.
(G) Develop partnerships with other government
agencies, the private sector, nongovernmental
organizations, universities, and international
organizations to more effectively address domestic and
global health aspects of climate change.
(H) Provide leadership to State and local
governments, community leaders, health care
professionals, nongovernmental organizations,
environmental justice networks, faith-based
communities, the private sector, and the public,
domestically and internationally, regarding health
protection from climate change effects.
(I) Develop and implement preparedness and response
plans for health threats such as heat waves, severe
weather events, and infectious diseases.
(J) Provide technical advice and support to State
and local health departments, the private sector, and
others in developing and implementing national and
global preparedness measures related to the health
effects of climate change.
(K) Promote workforce development by helping to
ensure the training of a new generation of competent,
experienced public health and health care professionals
to respond to the health threats posed by climate
change.
(c) Periodic Assessment and Revision.--Not later than 4 years after
the date of enactment of this Act, and every 4 years thereafter, the
Secretary shall periodically assess, and revise as necessary, the
national strategic action plan under subsection (b)(1) and the climate
and health program under subsection (b)(1), to reflect new information
collected pursuant to the implementation of the national strategic
action plan and program and otherwise, including information on--
(1) the status of critical environmental health indicators
and related human health impacts;
(2) the impacts of climate change on public health; and
(3) advances in the development of strategies for preparing
for and responding to the impacts of climate change on public
health.
(d) Implementation.--
(1) Implementation through hhs.--The Secretary shall
exercise the Secretary's authority under this Act and other
Federal statutes to achieve the goals and measures of the
national strategic action plan and climate and health program.
(2) Other public health programs and initiatives.--The
Secretary and Federal officials of other relevant Federal
agencies shall administer public health programs and
initiatives authorized by laws other than this Act, subject to
the requirements of such laws, in a manner designed to achieve
the goals of the national strategic action plan and climate and
health program.
SEC. 5. ADVISORY BOARD.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall, pursuant to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), establish a permanent science
advisory board to be comprised of not less than 10 and not more than 20
members.
(b) Appointment of Members.--The Secretary shall appoint the
members of the science advisory board from among individuals who--
(1) are recommended by the President of the National
Academy of Sciences and the President of the National Academy
of Medicine; and
(2) have expertise in essential public health and health
care services, including those related to vulnerable
populations, climate change, and other relevant disciplines.
(c) Experience.--In appointing the members of the science advisory
board, the Secretary shall ensure that the science advisory board
includes members with practical or lived experience with relevant
issues.
(d) Functions.--The science advisory board shall--
(1) provide scientific and technical advice and
recommendations to the Secretary on the domestic and
international impacts of climate change on public health,
populations and regions particularly vulnerable to the effects
of climate change, and strategies and mechanisms to prepare for
and respond to the impacts of climate change on public health;
and
(2) advise the Secretary regarding the best science
available for purposes of issuing the national strategic action
plan and conducting the climate and health program.
SEC. 6. CLIMATE CHANGE HEALTH PROTECTION AND PROMOTION REPORTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall offer to enter into an
agreement with the National Academies, under which the National
Academies will prepare periodic reports to aid public health and health
care professionals in preparing for and responding to the adverse
health effects of climate change that--
(1) review scientific developments on health impacts of
climate change; and
(2) recommend changes to the national strategic action plan
and climate and health program.
(b) Submission.--The agreement under subsection (a) shall require a
report to be submitted to Congress and the Secretary and made publicly
available not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this
Act, and every 4 years thereafter.
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