Pandemic Darlings The pandemic economy, in original documents
Home Source documents S. 4262, COVID–19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2020

S. 4262, COVID–19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2020

Summary

S. 4262, the COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2020, was introduced in the Senate of the United States on July 22, 2020 by Mr. Menendez (for himself and others) and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop an action plan, make targeted grants, and develop public awareness campaigns with respect to COVID-19 and its disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities and other vulnerable populations. The table of contents lists health disparity-informed contact tracing grants, a COVID-19 health disparities action plan, a vaccine safety public awareness campaign, and an addendum to testing plans to address disparities.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Issuer
Congressional materials
Document type
Bills Bills 116S4262Is Bills 116S4262Is
Case
Bills Bills 116S4262Is Bills 116S4262Is

Cite this document

“S. 4262, COVID–19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2020.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/bills-bills-116s4262is-bills-116s4262is/, SHA-256 6cd7976340e70c0021aaa8befc23ae264efdc26fd87634706b3fbe7be8b60d2e.

Full text

                                                                                                                                                                        II




                                                                     116TH CONGRESS
                                                                        2D SESSION
                                                                                                            S. 4262
                                                                     To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop an action
                                                                         plan, make targeted grants, and develop public awareness campaigns
                                                                         with respect to COVID–19 and the disproportionate impact of the
                                                                         COVID–19 pandemic on racial and ethnic minorities and other vulnerable
                                                                         populations.




                                                                                 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
                                                                                                   JULY 22, 2020
                                                                     Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN,
                                                                         Mr. MARKEY, Ms. SMITH, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr.
                                                                         MERKLEY, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. SANDERS, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr.
                                                                         BLUMENTHAL, Ms. ROSEN, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. WARNER, and
                                                                         Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
                                                                         referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions




                                                                                                               A BILL
                                                                     To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
                                                                        develop an action plan, make targeted grants, and de-
                                                                        velop public awareness campaigns with respect to
                                                                        COVID–19 and the disproportionate impact of the
                                                                        COVID–19 pandemic on racial and ethnic minorities and
                                                                        other vulnerable populations.

                                                                       1              Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
                                                                       2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS


                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00001   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                2
                                                                       1     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

                                                                       2              (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
                                                                       3 ‘‘COVID–19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2020’’.
                                                                       4              (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for
                                                                       5 this Act is as follows:
                                                                             Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
                                                                             Sec. 2. Health disparity-informed contact tracing grants.
                                                                             Sec. 3. COVID–19 health disparities action plan.
                                                                             Sec. 4. Federal public awareness campaigns to address health disparities.
                                                                             Sec. 5. Grant program for public awareness campaigns to address health dis-
                                                                                               parities.
                                                                             Sec. 6. Vaccine safety public awareness campaign.
                                                                             Sec. 7. Addendum to testing plans to address disparities.
                                                                             Sec. 8. Definitions.

                                                                       6     SEC. 2. HEALTH DISPARITY-INFORMED CONTACT TRACING

                                                                       7                             GRANTS.

                                                                       8              (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and
                                                                       9 Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec-
                                                                     10 retary’’), acting through the Director of the Centers for
                                                                     11 Disease Control and Prevention and in coordination with
                                                                     12 the Office of Minority Health of the Department of Health
                                                                     13 and Human Services, and, as appropriate, in coordination
                                                                     14 with the relevant Offices of Minority Health of the Depart-
                                                                     15 ment of Health and Human Services, the National Insti-
                                                                     16 tute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the
                                                                     17 Indian Health Service, shall award grants to eligible enti-
                                                                     18 ties to conduct contact tracing operations, using amounts
                                                                     19 appropriated under the heading ‘‘Public Health and Social




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     20 Services Emergency Fund’’ under the heading ‘‘Office of
                                                                     21 the Secretary’’ under the heading ‘‘Department of Health

                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00002   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                3
                                                                       1 and Human Services’’ of title I of division B of the Pay-
                                                                       2 check Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement
                                                                       3 Act (Public Law 116–139).
                                                                       4              (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—
                                                                       5                       (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant
                                                                       6              under this section, an entity shall—
                                                                       7                                 (A) be a State, local, Tribal, or territorial
                                                                       8                       health department, a nonprofit community-
                                                                       9                       based organization, a nonprofit faith-based or-
                                                                     10                        ganization, an urban Indian organization, a
                                                                     11                        Tribal organization, or a health care provider,
                                                                     12                        serving one or more of the grant regions de-
                                                                     13                        scribed in paragraph (2); and
                                                                     14                                  (B) submit an application to the Secretary
                                                                     15                        at such time, in such manner, and containing
                                                                     16                        such information as the Secretary may require,
                                                                     17                        including demographic data on the entity’s em-
                                                                     18                        ployees or projected hires at the time of submis-
                                                                     19                        sion.
                                                                     20                        (2) GRANT                 REGIONS.—The                      Secretary may
                                                                     21               award grants to eligible entities serving one or more
                                                                     22               of the following:
                                                                     23                                  (A) A State.
                                                                     24                                  (B) A territory.



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25                                  (C) An Indian Tribe.


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00003   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                4
                                                                       1                                 (D) A Tribal organization.
                                                                       2                                 (E) An urban Indian organization.
                                                                       3                                 (F) A county.
                                                                       4                                 (G) A metropolitan statistical area.
                                                                       5                                 (H) Any other city, town, or other public
                                                                       6                       body created by, or pursuant to, State law.
                                                                       7                       (3) PROHIBITION                      ON DISCRIMINATION.—Pro-

                                                                       8              grams funded under this section shall not discrimi-
                                                                       9              nate on the basis of actual or perceived sex, race,
                                                                     10               color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sexual ori-
                                                                     11               entation, gender identity, or religion. Nothing in this
                                                                     12               section shall be construed to invalidate or limit
                                                                     13               rights, remedies, procedures, or legal standards
                                                                     14               available under any other Federal law or any law of
                                                                     15               a State or a political subdivision of a State, includ-
                                                                     16               ing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000a
                                                                     17               et seq.), title IX of the Education Amendments of
                                                                     18               1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), section 504 of the
                                                                     19               Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), the
                                                                     20               Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
                                                                     21               12101 et seq.), and section 1557 of the Patient Pro-
                                                                     22               tection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18116).
                                                                     23               (c) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under sub-
                                                                     24 section (a), the Secretary shall give special consideration



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25 to eligible entities that have demonstrated a commitment


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00004   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                5
                                                                       1 to recruiting and retaining employees who are racial and
                                                                       2 ethnic minorities representative of the demographic
                                                                       3 groups of a grant area served by the entity, which may
                                                                       4 include entities that employ, or plan to employ, community
                                                                       5 health workers, as defined in section 2113(f)(4) of the So-
                                                                       6 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397mm(f)(4)).
                                                                       7              (d) REPORTING.—
                                                                       8                       (1) BY ENTITIES.—An eligible entity receiving
                                                                       9              a grant under this section shall report to the Sec-
                                                                     10               retary demographic information of employees di-
                                                                     11               rectly involved in contact tracing operations sup-
                                                                     12               ported by such grant not later than 60 days after
                                                                     13               receipt of such grant.
                                                                     14                        (2) BY THE SECRETARY.—Beginning not later
                                                                     15               than 90 days after the date on which the first grant
                                                                     16               is awarded under this section, the Secretary, in co-
                                                                     17               ordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
                                                                     18               Minority Health, the Director of the Centers for
                                                                     19               Disease Control and Prevention, and the Director of
                                                                     20               the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity at
                                                                     21               the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
                                                                     22               shall make public the data reported under paragraph
                                                                     23               (1).




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00005   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                6
                                                                       1     SEC. 3. COVID–19 HEALTH DISPARITIES ACTION PLAN.

                                                                       2              (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the
                                                                       3 Director of the Office of Minority Health of the Depart-
                                                                       4 ment of Health and Human Services, shall develop an evi-
                                                                       5 dence-based action plan (referred to in this section as the
                                                                       6 ‘‘action plan’’) for addressing health disparities related to
                                                                       7 COVID–19 testing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU ad-
                                                                       8 missions, and deaths among racial and ethnic minority,
                                                                       9 rural, and other vulnerable populations.
                                                                     10               (b) COORDINATION.—In developing the action plan
                                                                     11 described in subsection (a), the Director of the Office of
                                                                     12 Minority Health shall coordinate with—
                                                                     13                        (1) the Director of the Office of Minority
                                                                     14               Health and Health Equity of the Centers for Dis-
                                                                     15               ease Control and Prevention;
                                                                     16                        (2) the Director of the Office of Extramural
                                                                     17               Research, Education, and Priority Populations of
                                                                     18               the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality;
                                                                     19                        (3) the Director of the Office of Minority
                                                                     20               Health of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serv-
                                                                     21               ices;
                                                                     22                        (4) the Director of the Office of Minority
                                                                     23               Health and Health Equity of the Food and Drug
                                                                     24               Administration;




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00006   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                7
                                                                       1                       (5) the Director of the Office of Health Equity
                                                                       2              of the Health Resources and Services Administra-
                                                                       3              tion;
                                                                       4                       (6) the Director of the Office of Behavioral
                                                                       5              Health Equity of the Substance Abuse and Mental
                                                                       6              Health Services Administration;
                                                                       7                       (7) the Director of the National Institute of Mi-
                                                                       8              nority Health and Health Disparities; and
                                                                       9                       (8) the Director of the Indian Health Service.
                                                                     10               (c) LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONSULTATION.—In
                                                                     11 developing the action plan described in subsection (a), the
                                                                     12 Secretary shall—
                                                                     13                        (1) review peer-reviewed literature to identify
                                                                     14               evidence-informed and evidence-based best practices
                                                                     15               for addressing health disparities among racial and
                                                                     16               ethnic minority, rural, and other vulnerable popu-
                                                                     17               lations; and
                                                                     18                        (2) consult with—
                                                                     19                                  (A) community-based organizations with
                                                                     20                        expertise in addressing health disparities that
                                                                     21                        affect racial and ethnic minority, rural, and
                                                                     22                        other vulnerable populations; and
                                                                     23                                  (B) State, local, Tribal, and territorial
                                                                     24                        health officials that serve areas with high con-



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25                        centrations of racial and ethnic minority, rural,


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00007   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                8
                                                                       1                       and other vulnerable populations that have been
                                                                       2                       disproportionately impacted by the COVID–19
                                                                       3                       pandemic.
                                                                       4              (d) REQUIREMENTS.—The action plan shall in-
                                                                       5 clude—
                                                                       6                       (1) a quantitative and qualitative analysis of
                                                                       7              the current barriers to complete and accurate data
                                                                       8              collection on health disparities related to COVID–19
                                                                       9              testing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions,
                                                                     10               and deaths among racial and ethnic minority, rural,
                                                                     11               and other vulnerable populations;
                                                                     12                        (2) a description of the health disparities that
                                                                     13               have been identified with current data related to
                                                                     14               COVID–19 testing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU
                                                                     15               admissions, and deaths among racial and ethnic mi-
                                                                     16               nority, rural, and other vulnerable populations, using
                                                                     17               existing metrics where possible;
                                                                     18                        (3) a description of the actions that the Sec-
                                                                     19               retary will take to address the barriers to complete
                                                                     20               and accurate data collection on health disparities re-
                                                                     21               lated to COVID–19 testing, infections, hospitaliza-
                                                                     22               tions, ICU admissions, and deaths among racial and
                                                                     23               ethnic minority, rural, and other vulnerable popu-
                                                                     24               lations, including specific dates by when such actions



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00008   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                                9
                                                                       1              will be completed and the metrics that will be used
                                                                       2              to evaluate the impact of such actions;
                                                                       3                       (4) the actions that the Secretary will take to
                                                                       4              address the health disparities that have been identi-
                                                                       5              fied with current data related to COVID–19 testing,
                                                                       6              infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and
                                                                       7              deaths among racial and ethnic minority, rural, and
                                                                       8              other vulnerable populations, including specific dates
                                                                       9              by when such actions will be taken and completed
                                                                     10               and the metrics that will be used to evaluate the im-
                                                                     11               pact of such actions; and
                                                                     12                        (5) a summary of any additional resources that
                                                                     13               the Secretary requires in order to fully identify and
                                                                     14               address health disparities related to COVID–19 test-
                                                                     15               ing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and
                                                                     16               deaths among racial and ethnic minority, rural, and
                                                                     17               other vulnerable populations.
                                                                     18               (e) SUBMISSION OF ACTION PLAN AND REPORTS ON
                                                                     19      THE ACTION PLAN.—

                                                                     20                        (1) INITIAL ACTION PLAN.—Not later than 30
                                                                     21               days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
                                                                     22               Secretary shall submit the action plan to the Com-
                                                                     23               mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
                                                                     24               and the Committee on Finance of the Senate and



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25               the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00009   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            10
                                                                       1              Committee on Ways and Means of the House of
                                                                       2              Representatives, and make such plan publicly avail-
                                                                       3              able on the internet website of the Department of
                                                                       4              Health and Human Services.
                                                                       5                       (2) UPDATES.—Not later than 30 days after
                                                                       6              the date of publication of the initial action plan
                                                                       7              under paragraph (1), and at least every 30 days
                                                                       8              thereafter until the date that is 6 months after the
                                                                       9              COVID–19 public health emergency has ended, the
                                                                     10               Secretary shall submit updates to the action plan to
                                                                     11               Congress. Each such update shall provide updates
                                                                     12               on the Secretary’s actions and the relevant evalua-
                                                                     13               tion metrics, and shall include any actions that the
                                                                     14               Secretary has identified since issuance of the initial
                                                                     15               action plan under paragraph (1) and any previous
                                                                     16               updates under this paragraph, as necessary to ad-
                                                                     17               dress health disparities related to COVID–19 test-
                                                                     18               ing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and
                                                                     19               deaths among racial and ethnic minority, rural, and
                                                                     20               other vulnerable populations. The Secretary shall
                                                                     21               make each update publicly available on the internet
                                                                     22               website of the Department of Health and Human
                                                                     23               Services.
                                                                     24                        (3) FINAL REPORT ON ACTION PLANS.—Not



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25               later than 1 year after the end of the COVID–19


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00010   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            11
                                                                       1              public health emergency, the Secretary shall submit
                                                                       2              to Congress a final report analyzing the health dis-
                                                                       3              parities related to COVID–19 testing, infections,
                                                                       4              hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths among
                                                                       5              racial and ethnic minority, rural, and other vulner-
                                                                       6              able populations, including an analysis of the social
                                                                       7              determinants of health and the underlying causes of
                                                                       8              health disparities. The report shall include—
                                                                       9                                 (A) the Secretary’s long-term plan for ad-
                                                                     10                        dressing racial and ethnic health disparities, in-
                                                                     11                        cluding an assessment of any additional re-
                                                                     12                        sources that may be required for the Office of
                                                                     13                        Minority Health of the Department of Health
                                                                     14                        and Human Services, or such department in
                                                                     15                        general, to sustain long-term initiatives to ad-
                                                                     16                        dress racial and ethnic health disparities; and
                                                                     17                                  (B) recommendations for Congress to ad-
                                                                     18                        dress the underlying causes and prevent health
                                                                     19                        disparities among racial and ethnic minority,
                                                                     20                        rural, and other vulnerable populations during
                                                                     21                        future public health emergencies.
                                                                     22               (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
                                                                     23 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
                                                                     24 $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2020.



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00011   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            12
                                                                       1     SEC. 4. FEDERAL PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS TO AD-

                                                                       2                             DRESS HEALTH DISPARITIES.

                                                                       3              (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the
                                                                       4 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
                                                                       5 tion and in coordination with the Office of Minority
                                                                       6 Health and, as appropriate, in coordination with the rel-
                                                                       7 evant Offices of Minority Health in the Department of
                                                                       8 Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Mi-
                                                                       9 nority Health and Health Disparities, and the Indian
                                                                     10 Health Service, shall develop and implement accessible,
                                                                     11 multilingual and culturally competent public awareness
                                                                     12 campaigns about COVID–19 directed at racial and ethnic
                                                                     13 minority, rural, and other vulnerable populations that
                                                                     14 have experienced health disparities during the COVID–19
                                                                     15 public health emergency related to testing, infections, hos-
                                                                     16 pitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths.
                                                                     17               (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The public awareness cam-
                                                                     18 paigns under this section shall—
                                                                     19                        (1) prioritize communities where the greatest
                                                                     20               health disparities have been identified with respect
                                                                     21               to testing access and rates of infections, hospitaliza-
                                                                     22               tions, and deaths related to COVID–19;
                                                                     23                        (2)(A) provide information, based on scientific
                                                                     24               evidence, about the benefits of being tested for




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25               COVID–19, the availability of COVID–19 testing
                                                                     26               with no cost-sharing for most United States resi-
                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00012   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            13
                                                                       1              dents, and the actions that individuals can take to
                                                                       2              protect themselves from COVID–19, including mask-
                                                                       3              ing and social distancing; and
                                                                       4                       (B) dispel misinformation about COVID–19
                                                                       5              symptoms, testing, or treatment; and
                                                                       6                       (3) use print, radio, or internet media, or other
                                                                       7              forms of public communication, including local, inde-
                                                                       8              pendent, or community-based written news and elec-
                                                                       9              tronic publications.
                                                                     10               (c) COORDINATION.—The public awareness cam-
                                                                     11 paigns under this section shall be complementary to, and
                                                                     12 coordinated with, any other Federal, State, and local ef-
                                                                     13 forts, including the action plan described in section 3, as
                                                                     14 appropriate.
                                                                     15               (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 45 days
                                                                     16 after the date on which appropriated funds are made avail-
                                                                     17 able to the Secretary under this section, the Secretary
                                                                     18 shall submit to Congress a report on how such funds have
                                                                     19 been used during such 45-day period and a plan for using
                                                                     20 any remaining funds within the next 45 days.
                                                                     21               (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
                                                                     22 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
                                                                     23 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2020.




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00013   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            14
                                                                       1     SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS CAM-

                                                                       2                             PAIGNS TO ADDRESS HEALTH DISPARITIES.

                                                                       3              (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the
                                                                       4 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
                                                                       5 tion and in coordination with the Office of Minority
                                                                       6 Health, and, as appropriate, in coordination with the rel-
                                                                       7 evant Offices of Minority Health in the Department of
                                                                       8 Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Mi-
                                                                       9 nority Health and Health Disparities, and the Indian
                                                                     10 Health Service, shall award competitive grants to eligible
                                                                     11 entities to support such entities in developing and imple-
                                                                     12 menting accessible, multilingual, and culturally competent
                                                                     13 public awareness campaigns about COVID–19 directed at
                                                                     14 racial and ethnic minority, rural, and other vulnerable
                                                                     15 populations that have experienced health disparities dur-
                                                                     16 ing the COVID–19 public health emergency related to
                                                                     17 testing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and
                                                                     18 deaths.
                                                                     19               (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a
                                                                     20 grant under this section, an entity shall be a State, local,
                                                                     21 Tribal, or territorial health department, a nonprofit com-
                                                                     22 munity-based organization, a Tribal organization, an
                                                                     23 urban Indian organization, or a health care provider, or
                                                                     24 a nonprofit faith-based organization.




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25               (c) PRIORITIZATION.—When awarding grants under
                                                                     26 this section, the Secretary shall prioritize entities serving
                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00014   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            15
                                                                       1 communities where the greatest health disparities exist
                                                                       2 with respect to testing access, infections, hospitalizations,
                                                                       3 and deaths related to COVID–19, impacting racial and
                                                                       4 ethnic minority, rural, and other vulnerable populations.
                                                                       5              (d) REQUIREMENTS.—An entity awarded a grant
                                                                       6 under this section shall conduct a public awareness cam-
                                                                       7 paign that—
                                                                       8                       (1)(A) provides to the public information, based
                                                                       9              on scientific evidence, about the benefits of being
                                                                     10               tested for COVID–19, the availability of COVID–19
                                                                     11               testing with no cost-sharing for most United States
                                                                     12               residents, and the actions that individuals can take
                                                                     13               to protect themselves from COVID–19, including
                                                                     14               masking and social distancing; and
                                                                     15                        (B) dispels misinformation about COVID–19
                                                                     16               symptoms, testing, or treatment;
                                                                     17                        (2) uses print, radio, or internet media, or
                                                                     18               other forms of public communication; and
                                                                     19                        (3) communicates in the language or languages
                                                                     20               necessary to reach racial and ethnic minority, rural,
                                                                     21               and other vulnerable populations in the applicable
                                                                     22               region that have experienced health disparities dur-
                                                                     23               ing the COVID–19 public health emergency related
                                                                     24               to testing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU admis-



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25               sions, and deaths.


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00015   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            16
                                                                       1              (e) COORDINATION.—The public health campaigns
                                                                       2 supported by grants awarded under this section shall be
                                                                       3 complementary to, and coordinated with, any other Fed-
                                                                       4 eral, State, or local efforts, including the action plan de-
                                                                       5 scribed in section 3, as appropriate.
                                                                       6              (f) TIMING.—The Secretary shall award the grants
                                                                       7 under this section not later than 60 days after the date
                                                                       8 of enactment of this Act.
                                                                       9              (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
                                                                     10 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
                                                                     11 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2020.
                                                                     12      SEC. 6. VACCINE SAFETY PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.

                                                                     13               (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the
                                                                     14 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
                                                                     15 tion and in coordination with the Office of Minority
                                                                     16 Health, and, as appropriate, the relevant Offices of Minor-
                                                                     17 ity Health in the Department of Health and Human Serv-
                                                                     18 ices, the National Institute of Minority Health and Health
                                                                     19 Disparities, and the Indian Health Service, shall establish
                                                                     20 grant funding opportunities for eligible entities to dissemi-
                                                                     21 nate COVID–19 vaccination information.
                                                                     22               (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a
                                                                     23 grant under this section, an entity shall be a State, local,
                                                                     24 Tribal, or territorial health department, an urban Indian



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00016   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            17
                                                                       1 organization, a nonprofit community-based organization,
                                                                       2 or a nonprofit faith-based organization.
                                                                       3              (c) USE OF FUNDS.—
                                                                       4                       (1) IN GENERAL.—Entities receiving a grant
                                                                       5              under this section shall use such grant funds to—
                                                                       6                                 (A) increase awareness to the benefit of re-
                                                                       7                       ceiving a COVID–19 vaccine, and include infor-
                                                                       8                       mation on where the vaccine can be obtained;
                                                                       9                       and
                                                                     10                                  (B) create and disseminate culturally and
                                                                     11                        linguistically appropriate messaging.
                                                                     12                        (2) ADDITIONAL                      GRANT            FUNDS.—The          Sec-
                                                                     13               retary shall have discretion to award additional
                                                                     14               grant funding under this section to broaden the
                                                                     15               grant recipient’s vaccine public safety awareness
                                                                     16               campaign to include routine immunizations and gen-
                                                                     17               eral influenza vaccine messaging.
                                                                     18               (d) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under this
                                                                     19 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities
                                                                     20 in either urban or rural communities (or a combination
                                                                     21 of urban and rural communities) that serve vulnerable
                                                                     22 populations, including ethnic minority populations, which
                                                                     23 may include low-income, uninsured, and medically under-
                                                                     24 served individuals or populations with historically low



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25 rates of receiving vaccines.


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00017   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            18
                                                                       1              (e) TIMING.—The Secretary shall awards the grants
                                                                       2 under this section not later than 60 days after the date
                                                                       3 on the earlier of the date on which the Food and Drug
                                                                       4 Administration licenses a COVID–19 vaccine under sec-
                                                                       5 tion 351 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262)
                                                                       6 or the date on which a manufacturer begins to distribute
                                                                       7 a COVID–19 vaccine to public or private entities pursuant
                                                                       8 to an emergency use authorization under section 564 of
                                                                       9 the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
                                                                     10 360bbb–3).
                                                                     11               (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
                                                                     12 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
                                                                     13 $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2020.
                                                                     14      SEC. 7. ADDENDUM TO TESTING PLANS TO ADDRESS DIS-

                                                                     15                              PARITIES.

                                                                     16               (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the
                                                                     17 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
                                                                     18 tion, shall report to the Committee on Appropriations and
                                                                     19 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
                                                                     20 sions of the Senate, and the Committee on Appropriations
                                                                     21 and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
                                                                     22 House of Representatives, on State testing plans referred
                                                                     23 to under the heading ‘‘Public Health and Social Services
                                                                     24 Emergency Fund’’ under the heading ‘‘Office of the Sec-



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
                                                                     25 retary’’ under the heading ‘‘Department of Health and


                                                                                 •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00018   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            19
                                                                       1 Human Services’’ of title I of division B of the Paycheck
                                                                       2 Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
                                                                       3 (Public Law 116–139).
                                                                       4              (b) REQUIREMENT TO DEVELOP ADDENDUM.—
                                                                       5                       (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall solicit
                                                                       6              States, territories, and Indian tribes to develop an
                                                                       7              addendum to testing plans described in subsection
                                                                       8              (a), to specifically address testing plans for racial
                                                                       9              and ethnic minority, rural, and other vulnerable pop-
                                                                     10               ulations experiencing health disparities related to
                                                                     11               COVID–19 testing, infections, hospitalizations, ICU
                                                                     12               admissions, or deaths. The Secretary shall model
                                                                     13               questions for the addendum based on the original
                                                                     14               testing plans.
                                                                     15                        (2) FUNDING.—To carry out this subsection,
                                                                     16               the Secretary shall use amounts appropriated under
                                                                     17               the heading ‘‘Public Health and Social Services
                                                                     18               Emergency Fund’’ under the heading ‘‘Office of the
                                                                     19               Secretary’’ under the heading ‘‘Department of
                                                                     20               Health and Human Services’’ of title I of division B
                                                                     21               of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health
                                                                     22               Care Enhancement Act (Public Law 116–139).
                                                                     23      SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

                                                                     24               In this Act—



pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00019   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            20
                                                                       1                       (1) the term ‘‘COVID–19 public health emer-
                                                                       2              gency’’ means the public health emergency first de-
                                                                       3              clared by the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
                                                                       4              ices under section 319 of the Public Health Service
                                                                       5              Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) on January 31, 2020, with re-
                                                                       6              spect to COVID–19;
                                                                       7                       (2) the term ‘‘ICU’’ means intensive care unit;
                                                                       8                       (3) the terms ‘‘racial and ethnic minority
                                                                       9              group’’ and ‘‘racial and ethnic minority’’ have the
                                                                     10               meaning given the term ‘‘racial and ethnic minority
                                                                     11               group’’ in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Serv-
                                                                     12               ice Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g));
                                                                     13                        (4) the term ‘‘relevant Offices of Minority
                                                                     14               Health in the Department of Health and Human
                                                                     15               Services’’ may include—
                                                                     16                                  (A) the Office of Extramural Research,
                                                                     17                        Education, and Priority Populations of the
                                                                     18                        Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality;
                                                                     19                                  (B) the Office of Minority Health and
                                                                     20                        Health Equity of the Centers for Disease Con-
                                                                     21                        trol and Prevention;
                                                                     22                                  (C) the Office of Minority Health of the
                                                                     23                        Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services;




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00020   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6201   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262
                                                                                                                            21
                                                                       1                                 (D) the Office of Minority Health and
                                                                       2                       Health Equity of the Food and Drug Adminis-
                                                                       3                       tration;
                                                                       4                                 (E) the Office of Health Equity of the
                                                                       5                       Health Resources and Services Administration;
                                                                       6                       and
                                                                       7                                 (F) the Office of Behavioral Health Equity
                                                                       8                       of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
                                                                       9                       Services Administration;
                                                                     10                        (5) the term ‘‘Secretary’’, unless indicated oth-
                                                                     11               erwise, means the Secretary of Health and Human
                                                                     12               Services;
                                                                     13                        (6) the terms ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ and ‘‘Tribal orga-
                                                                     14               nization’’ have the meanings given the terms ‘‘In-
                                                                     15               dian tribe’’ and ‘‘tribal organization’’ in section 4 of
                                                                     16               the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist-
                                                                     17               ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304); and
                                                                     18                        (7) the term ‘‘urban Indian organization’’ has
                                                                     19               the meaning given the term in section 4 of the In-
                                                                     20               dian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C.
                                                                     21               1603).
                                                                                                                                Æ




pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS                                              •S 4262 IS

                                      VerDate Sep 11 2014   04:39 Aug 04, 2020   Jkt 099200   PO 00000   Frm 00021   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6301   E:\BILLS\S4262.IS   S4262


File and source

File
BILLS_bills-116s4262is_bills-116s4262is.pdf
Size
260,422 bytes
SHA-256
6cd7976340e70c0021aaa8befc23ae264efdc26fd87634706b3fbe7be8b60d2e
Our copy
BILLS_bills-116s4262is_bills-116s4262is.pdf
Original
www.govinfo.gov
Back to top