July 22, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 123 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S4969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             POISON CENTER NETWORK ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2019

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 138, S. 1199.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1199) to amend the Public Health Service Act to 
     revise and extend the poison center network program.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause 
and insert in lieu thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Poison Center Network 
     Enhancement Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL TOLL-FREE NUMBER.

       Section 1271 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300d-71) is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by inserting before the period 
     the following: ``and other communication capabilities''; and
       (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
       ``(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.'';
       (3) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);
       (4) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
       ``(b) Routing Contacts With Poison Control Centers.--Not 
     later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the 
     Poison Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019, 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.''; 
     and
       (5) in subsection (c), as so redesignated--
       (A) by striking ``2015 through 2019'' and inserting ``2020 
     through 2024''; and
       (B) by striking ``maintenance of the nationwide toll free 
     phone number under subsection (a)'' and inserting 
     ``establishment, implementation, and maintenance activities 
     carried out under subsections (a) and (b)''.

     SEC. 3. NATIONWIDE MEDIA CAMPAIGN.

       Section 1272 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300d-72) is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by striking ``nationwide media 
     campaign to promote'' and inserting ``promoting'';
       (2) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by inserting ``and support outreach to'' after 
     ``educate'';
       (B) by striking ``poison prevention'' and inserting 
     ``poisoning and toxic exposure prevention''; and
       (C) by striking ``established under'' and inserting ``and 
     other available communication technologies established, 
     implemented, or maintained under'';
       (3) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
     ``nationwide poison prevention'' and inserting ``nationwide 
     poisoning and toxic exposure prevention''; and
       (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``poison prevention and 
     poison control center'' and inserting ``poisoning and toxic 
     exposure prevention awareness materials, applicable public 
     health emergency preparedness and response information, and 
     poison control center'' after ``distribution of''; and
       (4) by striking subsection (c);
       (5) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c); and
       (6) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), by striking 
     ``2015 through 2019'' and inserting ``2020 through 2024''.

     SEC. 4. MAINTENANCE OF PROGRAM.

       Section 1273 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300d-73) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ``and toxic exposures'' 
     after ``poisonings''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``for poison'' and inserting ``for 
     poisoning and toxic exposure''; and
       (ii) by striking ``and preparedness'' and inserting 
     ``preparedness and response'';
       (B) in paragraph (3)--
       (i) by striking ``United States and'' and inserting 
     ``United States,''; and
       (ii) by inserting before the semicolon the following: ``, 
     and other government agencies as determined to be appropriate 
     and nonduplicative by the Secretary''; and
       (C) in paragraph (8), by striking ``calls'' and inserting 
     ``contacts'';
       (3) in subsection (d) , by striking paragraph (3) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(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.'';
       (4) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the following:
       ``(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.'';
       (5) In subsection (g), by striking ``2015 through 2019'' 
     and inserting ``2020 through 2024''; and
       (6) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(h) Biennial Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years 
     after the date of enactment of the Poison Center Network 
     Enhancement Act of 2019, 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).''.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to and the bill, as 
amended, be considered read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment was agreed to.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the bill having 
been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass?
  The bill (S. 1199), as amended, was passed.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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