[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3737 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3737
To establish the Public Health Information and Communications Advisory
Committee for purposes of providing recommendations and reports, and to
support educational initiatives on communication and dissemination of
information during public health emergencies.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 2, 2022
Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Lujan) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Public Health Information and Communications Advisory
Committee for purposes of providing recommendations and reports, and to
support educational initiatives on communication and dissemination of
information during public health emergencies.
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 ``Promoting Public Health Information
Act''.
SEC. 2. STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICATION.
Section 319F of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d-6) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (b), to read as follows:
``(b) Public Health Information and Communications Advisory
Committee.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish an
advisory committee to be known as the Public Health Information
and Communications Advisory Committee (referred to in this
subsection as the `Advisory Committee').
``(2) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall make
recommendations to the Secretary and report on--
``(A) critical aspects of communication and
dissemination of scientific and evidence-based public
health information during public health emergencies,
including--
``(i) the role and impact of misinformation
on the response to such public health
emergencies;
``(ii) the role of risk communication
before and during such public health
emergencies; and
``(iii) other relevant factors, as the
Secretary determines appropriate;
``(B) information from academic institutions,
community-based organizations, and other
nongovernmental organizations related to evidence-based
or evidence-informed strategies and best practices to
effectively communicate and disseminate such
information; and
``(C) strategies to improve communication and
dissemination of scientific and evidence-based public
health information to the public, and, as appropriate,
to address misinformation during public health
emergencies, including strategies to--
``(i) identify the most effective methods
for the dissemination of information during a
public health emergency;
``(ii) determine best practices and
communicate information to populations that may
be impacted by such misinformation; and
``(iii) adapt approaches for the
dissemination of information, as appropriate,
to address emerging trends related to
misinformation.
``(3) Composition.--The Advisory Committee shall be
composed of--
``(A) appropriate Federal officials, appointed by
the Secretary, who shall serve as nonvoting members;
and
``(B) individuals, appointed by the Secretary, with
expertise in public health, medicine, communications,
related technology, psychology, national security, and
other areas, as the Secretary determines appropriate,
who shall serve as voting members.
``(4) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall review the
recommendations of the Advisory Committee and, not later than
180 days after receipt of the report under paragraph (2), shall
submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce
of the House of Representatives a report describing any actions
planned by the Secretary related to the communication and
dissemination of scientific and evidence-based public health
information, including addressing misinformation, as
appropriate.
``(5) Termination.--The Advisory Committee shall terminate
4 years after the date of enactment of the Promoting Public
Health Information Act.'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g);
(3) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
``(f) Educational Initiatives.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award assistance for
the development of evidence-based initiatives to promote fact-
based public health and medical science information to the
public and educate the public on how to identify
misinformation, disinformation, and credible information.
``(2) Consultation.--In developing the initiatives under
this subsection, the Secretary shall consult with--
``(A) the Public Health Information and
Communications Advisory Committee established under
subsection (b);
``(B) experts in the fields of public health and
medicine, communication, technology, behavioral
science, and other relevant disciplines as appropriate;
and
``(C) relevant Federal agencies, as appropriate.
``(3) Requirements.--The initiatives established under this
subsection shall--
``(A) be an evidence-based or evidence-informed
media and public engagement initiative that includes
partnerships with national and local organizations;
``(B) ensure that official scientific and public
health guidance is accessible and communicated
effectively to the public with specific focus on
populations that are underserved or with low health
literacy; and
``(C) ensure that activities are tailored towards
subgroups that are being targeted for health
misinformation and disinformation, or are especially
susceptible to health misinformation and
disinformation, in a culturally and linguistically
appropriate manner.''; and
(4) by adding at the end of subsection (g), as so
redesignated, the following:
``(3) Funding for advisory committee and educational
initiatives.--There are authorized to be appropriated
$45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 for
purposes of carrying out subsections (b) and (f).''.
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