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Background
The Public Health Improvement Act, a comprehensive package of public health bills, was signed into law on November 13, 2000 as P.L. 106-505. The Act authorizes funding for a wide range of public health initiatives. Title I of the Act, the Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act, addresses the national need to combat threats to public health, and to provide grants to state and local governments to help them prepare for public health emergencies, including emergencies resulting from acts of bioterrorism. Title I provides the authority under which FY 2002 funds for state public health and bioterrorism preparedness are distributed. It amends Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, codified under Title 42 of the United States Code, Section 243, et seq.
The Act establishes opportunities for grants and cooperative agreements for states and local governments to conduct evaluations of public health emergency preparedness, and enhance public health infrastructure and the capacity to prepare for and respond to those emergencies. Other grants support efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, improve public health laboratory capacity, and support collaborative efforts to detect, diagnose, and respond to acts of bioterrorism.
Congress did not appropriate funds to implement the Act until December 2001, when the Act was included as part of the Fiscal Year 2002 Department of Defense appropriation. The President signed the Defense appropriation into law on January 10, 2002 (P.L. 107-117). The Secretary of Health and Human Services was authorized to distribute the funds through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration. Initial allotments were made to states and territories beginning in February of 2002, with the remaining disbursements contingent on the development of state bioterrorism preparedness and response plans. With a few exceptions, the states have completed their plans and the Secretary has distributed the remaining funds.
The 107th Congress: H.R. 3448 (P.L. 107-188)
In an effort to further enhance federal and state efforts to prepare for and respond to the threat of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies, the 107th Congress enacted "The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act of 2002" (H.R. 3448). The President signed H.R. 3448 into Public Law 107-188 on June 12, 2002. The Act addresses national, state, and local preparedness and response planning and security issues. It reauthorizes or amends several important grant programs established under the Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act and the Public Health Service Act, and also provides significant new grant opportunities for states and local governments. The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act authorizes $1.6 billion to implement state plans and conduct additional preparedness activities, subject to congressional appropriation. The Act also addresses other related public health security issues. Some of these provisions include:
- new controls on biological agents and toxins,
- additional safety and security measures affecting the nation's food and drug supply,
- additional safety and security measures affecting the nation's drinking water,
- measures affecting the Strategic National Stockpile and development of priority countermeasures to bioterrorism.
Overview of Amendments and Grants Programs
This document provides an overview of Section 319 grant programs and other assistance to states reauthorized by or newly established under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act. (Click here for the full document in pdf format) The overview generally includes a description of the grants or other awards, eligible entities, allowable uses of funds, and the potential amount and duration of funding support. Also included are summaries of additional provisions related to state bioterrorism and public health emergency planning and response.
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