[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8080 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8080
To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to establish and implement a department-wide
after-action program and a risk communication strategy, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 18, 2024
Mr. Torres of New York introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to establish and implement a department-wide
after-action program and a risk communication strategy, 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 ``Coordinated Agency Response
Enhancement Act'' or the ``CARE Act''.
SEC. 2. HHS AFTER-ACTION PROGRAM.
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 399V-8. DEPARTMENT-WIDE AFTER-ACTION PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish, maintain, and
implement an after-action program to--
``(1) identify and implement solutions for issues found
following any public health emergency response of the
Department of Health and Human Services; and
``(2) encourage collaboration among the agencies of the
Department, including by integrating any public health
emergency after-action programs of such agencies.
``(b) Deadline.--The Secretary shall establish and begin
implementation of the after-action program under subsection (a) not
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section.
``(c) Coordination With Stakeholders.--The after-action program
under subsection (a) shall include input from, and coordinate with,
relevant external stakeholders involved in each public health emergency
response of the Department of Health and Human Services, such as other
Federal agencies, jurisdictions, and nongovernmental partners.
``(d) Oversight by Inspector General.--The Inspector General of the
Department of Health and Human Services shall, on an annual basis--
``(1) evaluate the efficacy and compliance of the after-
action program under subsection (a), including by evaluating
the ability of the program to identify challenges, propose
solutions, and prevent issues from reoccurring; and
``(2) submit to Congress a report summarizing the
evaluation under paragraph (1).
``(e) Comprehensive Guidelines for After-Action Program Reports.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may, as the Secretary
determines appropriate, incorporate in any report of the after-
action program under subsection (a) the elements described in
subparagraphs (A) through (M) of paragraph (2).
``(2) Elements described.--
``(A) Emergency operations plan, continuity of
operations plan, and business continuity plan
reviews.--A description of the process and outcomes of
reviewing and updating emergency operations plans,
continuity of operations plans, and business continuity
plans both annually and after significant public health
emergencies. Such description may include insights into
the relevancy and efficiency of such plans in practice.
``(B) Information sharing, situational awareness.--
A description of the establishment and effectiveness of
protocols for efficient information sharing and
situational awareness among health care facilities and
partners, including the development and deployment of
an integrated public joint information system.
``(C) Coordination with state, local, health care
coalition, and community partners.--Descriptions of--
``(i) strategies for coordination with
State, local, health care coalition, and
community partners, focusing on active
engagement and information sharing;
``(ii) information technology solutions
used for coordination during public health
emergencies; and
``(iii) how medical operations coordination
cells were implemented for effective patient
load balancing during surges to assure regional
health care coordination.
``(D) Incident management.--A description of
incident management structures, including the
maintenance of the incident command system and the
establishment of an incident action planning process.
``(E) Communications, information sharing.--A
description of strategies for the development and
maintenance of a dynamic communications framework for
real-time information sharing and situational
awareness.
``(F) Staff, space, and resident management.--A
description of strategies for comprehensive staff
management plans, scalable space management strategies,
and policies adopted to maintain patient and resident
well-being.
``(G) Logistics and supply chain management.--A
description of strategies for developing comprehensive
logistics and supply chain management strategies to
ensure a steady and sufficient supply of personal
protective equipment, medical equipment,
pharmaceuticals, and other items.
``(H) Resource management.--A description of
strategies for implementing crisis standards of care
protocols to optimize the allocation and use of medical
and non-medical assets during emergencies, including
guidelines for the conservation, reuse, or repurposing
of supplies.
``(I) Infection prevention.--A description of
strategies for enhancing infection prevention measures,
including staff training, environmental cleaning, and
patient screening, to mitigate the spread of infectious
diseases within health care facilities.
``(J) Treatment, transport, and discharge
protocols.--A description of how treatment, transport,
and discharge protocols were standardized to ensure
consistency and efficiency in patient care and
movement, including the incorporation of telehealth and
remote monitoring solutions where feasible, explaining
the choices made, the technologies used, and the
outcomes of the interventions.
``(K) Case management protocols.--Descriptions of--
``(i) how case management protocols were
refined to address both clinical and non-
clinical needs of patients and residents; and
``(ii) the measures taken to ensure
coordinated care and support throughout the
treatment and recovery phases, detailing the
challenges faced and the strategies employed to
overcome such challenges.
``(L) Medical countermeasures.--Descriptions of--
``(i) the strategy employed to accelerate
the development, distribution, and
administration of medical countermeasures, such
as vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostic tests,
and treatments; and
``(ii) strategies to streamline the
emergency use authorization process for such
countermeasures, including any challenges
encountered and how such challenges were
addressed.
``(M) Recovery.--A description of any implemented
recovery strategies focusing on administrative,
financial, policy, and equity considerations.''.
SEC. 3. RISK COMMUNICATION STRATEGY.
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280g et seq.), as amended by section 2, is further amended by adding at
the end the following:
``SEC. 399V-9. RISK COMMUNICATION STRATEGY.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish, maintain, and
implement a comprehensive strategy to ensure that communications about
infectious diseases and other public health risks by agencies and
offices of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are clear, accurate,
inclusive, and culturally sensitive.
``(b) Components.--The strategy under subsection (a) shall be
designed to--
``(1) clearly identify at-risk populations during public
health emergencies;
``(2) ensure that communications are targeted,
understandable, and accessible; and
``(3) ensure the translation of public health
communications into multiple languages, including most commonly
spoken languages within each demographic in each area targeted
by the communications, which languages might include Spanish,
Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic, French
(including Cajun), Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Haitian, Hindi,
or any other language that the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
``(c) Initial Strategy.--The Secretary shall establish and begin
implementation of the initial strategy under subsection (a) not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section.''.
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