[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2804 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2804
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to research on
asthma, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 15, 2014
Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself and Mr. Booker) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to research on
asthma, 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 ``Family Asthma Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The number of people ever diagnosed with asthma
increased by 50 percent between 1998 and 2012. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2012 more than
25,500,000 Americans had been diagnosed with asthma, including
an estimated 6,800,000 children.
(2) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, in 2010 more than 3,400 Americans died from asthma.
The rate of mortality from asthma is higher among African-
Americans and women.
(3) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report
that asthma accounted for approximately 480,000
hospitalizations and 2,100,000 visits to hospital emergency
departments in 2009.
(4) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the annual cost of asthma to the United States is
approximately $56,000,000,000, including $5,900,000,000 in
indirect costs from lost productivity.
(5) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 10,500,000 school days and 14,200,000 work days are
missed annually as a result of asthma.
(6) Asthma episodes can be triggered by both outdoor air
pollution and indoor air pollution, including pollutants such
as cigarette smoke and combustion by-products. Asthma episodes
can also be triggered by indoor allergens such as animal dander
and outdoor allergens such as pollen and molds.
(7) Public health interventions and medical care in
accordance with existing guidelines have been proven effective
in the treatment and management of asthma. Better asthma
management could reduce the numbers of emergency department
visits and hospitalizations due to asthma. Studies published in
medical journals have shown that better asthma management
results in improved asthma outcomes at a lower cost.
(8) In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reported that less than half of people with asthma had been
taught how to avoid asthma triggers. More education about
triggers, proper treatment, and asthma management methods is
needed.
(9) The alarming rise in the prevalence of asthma, its
adverse effect on school attendance and productivity, and its
cost for hospitalizations and emergency room visits, highlight
the importance of public health interventions, including
increasing awareness of asthma as a chronic illness, its
symptoms, the role of both indoor and outdoor environmental
factors that exacerbate the disease, and other factors that
affect its exacerbations and severity. The goals of the Federal
Government and its partners in the nonprofit and private
sectors should include reducing the number and severity of
asthma attacks, asthma's financial burden, and the health
disparities associated with asthma.
SEC. 3. ASTHMA-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
AND PREVENTION.
Section 317I of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-10)
is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 317I. ASTHMA-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE
CONTROL AND PREVENTION.
``(a) Program for Providing Information and Education to the
Public.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, shall collaborate with State and local
health departments to conduct activities, including the provision of
information and education to the public regarding asthma including--
``(1) deterring the harmful consequences of uncontrolled
asthma; and
``(2) disseminating health education and information
regarding prevention of asthma episodes and strategies for
managing asthma.
``(b) Development of State Asthma Plans.--The Secretary, acting
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
shall collaborate with State and local health departments to develop
State plans incorporating public health responses to reduce the burden
of asthma, particularly regarding disproportionately affected
populations.
``(c) Compilation of Data.--The Secretary, acting through the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall, in
cooperation with State and local public health officials--
``(1) conduct asthma surveillance activities to collect
data on the prevalence and severity of asthma, the
effectiveness of public health asthma interventions, and the
quality of asthma management, including--
``(A) collection of household data on the local
burden of asthma;
``(B) surveillance of health care facilities; and
``(C) collection of data not containing
individually identifiable information from electronic
health records or other electronic communications;
``(2) compile and annually publish data regarding the
prevalence and incidence of childhood asthma, the child
mortality rate, and the number of hospital admissions and
emergency department visits by children associated with asthma
nationally and in each State and at the county level by age,
sex, race, and ethnicity, as well as lifetime and current
prevalence; and
``(3) compile and annually publish data regarding the
prevalence and incidence of adult asthma, the adult mortality
rate, and the number of hospital admissions and emergency
department visits by adults associated with asthma nationally
and in each State and at the county level by age, sex, race,
ethnicity, industry, and occupation, as well as lifetime and
current prevalence.
``(d) Coordination of Data Collection.--The Director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, in conjunction with State and local
health departments, shall coordinate data collection activities under
subsection (c)(2) so as to maximize the comparability of results.
``(e) Collaboration.--
``(1) In general.--The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention are encouraged to collaborate with national, State,
and local nonprofit organizations to provide information and
education about asthma, and to strengthen such collaborations
when possible.
``(2) Specific activities.--The Division of Adolescent and
School Health is encouraged to expand its activities with non-
Federal partners, especially State-level entities.
``(f) Additional Funding.--In addition to any other authorization
of appropriations that is available to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention for the purpose of carrying out this section, there is
authorized to be appropriated to such Centers such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2019 for the purpose of
carrying out this section.
``(g) Report to Congress.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, in consultation
with patient groups, nonprofit organizations, medical
societies, and other relevant governmental and nongovernmental
entities, submit to Congress a report that--
``(A) catalogs, with respect to asthma prevention,
management, and surveillance--
``(i) the activities of the Federal
Government, including an assessment of the
progress of the Federal Government and States,
with respect to achieving the goals of the
Healthy People 2020 initiative; and
``(ii) the activities of other entities
that participate in the program under this
section, including nonprofit organizations,
patient advocacy groups, and medical societies;
and
``(B) makes recommendations for the future
direction of asthma activities, in consultation with
researchers from the National Institutes of Health and
other member bodies of the National Asthma Education
and Prevention Program who are qualified to review and
analyze data and evaluate interventions, including--
``(i) description of how the Federal
Government may improve its response to asthma
including identifying any barriers that may
exist;
``(ii) description of how the Federal
Government may continue, expand, and improve
its private-public partnerships with respect to
asthma including identifying any barriers that
may exist;
``(iii) the identification of steps that
may be taken to reduce the--
``(I) morbidity, mortality, and
overall prevalence of asthma;
``(II) financial burden of asthma
on society;
``(III) burden of asthma on
disproportionately affected areas,
particularly those in medically
underserved populations (as defined in
section 330(b)(3)); and
``(IV) burden of asthma as a
chronic disease;
``(iv) the identification of programs and
policies that have achieved the steps described
under clause (iii), and steps that may be taken
to expand such programs and policies to benefit
larger populations; and
``(v) recommendations for future research
and interventions.
``(2) Updates to congress.--
``(A) Congressional request.--During the 5-year
period following the submission of the report under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit updates and
revisions of the report upon the request of the
Congress.
``(B) Five-year reevaluation.--At the end of the 5-
year period following the submission of the report
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall evaluate the
analyses and recommendations made under such report and
determine whether a new report to the Congress is
necessary, and make appropriate recommendations to the
Congress.''.
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