S 1715 · 107th Congress 2001–2003, ended

Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2001

Introduced Nov 15, 2001 Originated Senate Sponsor William H. Frist R-TN

Fact sheet

Latest action · Nov 15, 2001 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedNov 15, 2001
  2. Passed SenateNot reached
  3. Passed HouseNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add provisions granting additional authorities to the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning bioterrorism preparedness and responding to public health emergencies. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a plan which includes the development of specific criteria enabling measurements to be made of the progress made at the national, State, and local levels toward achieving the national goal of bioterrorism preparedness.

Requires the maintenance of an adequate national pharmaceutical stockpile of vaccines (including a smallpox vaccine), therapies, and medical supplies for use at the Secretary's discretion in the event of a biological threat or attack or other public health emergency.

Expands the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a coordinated network of public health laboratories to assist with the detection of and response to a biological threat or attack.

Provides for the appointment of an Assistant Secretary for Emergency Preparedness who shall head the Office for Emergency Preparedness.

Provides for a National Disaster Medical System to provide appropriate health and social services to respond to a public health emergency, if the Secretary activates the System.

Provides for enhanced regulatory control of biological agents and toxins.

Establishes a State Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Block Grant Program to improve State and local preparedness and response capabilities.

Amends the Clayton Act to provide for a limited antitrust exemption with respect to the development of new countermeasures against bioterrorism.

Requires the development of a crisis communications and education strategy with respect to bioterrorist threats to the food supply. Expands animal and plant health inspection service activities and authorities.

Directs the Secretary to expand the authority of the Food and Drug Administration to: (1) increase inspections to ensure the safety of the food supply; and (2) improve linkages between the Agency and other regulatory agencies of the Federal Government, the States, and Indian tribes with shared responsibilities.

Provides for food manufacturing, processing, and distribution biosecurity, agricultural biosecurity and biosecurity upgrades at the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.

Requires the registration of food manufacturing, processing, and handling facilities.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize existing authorities to expand Agricultural Research Service and Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service programs to protect the food supply of the United States.

Cosponsors 40

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Nov 15, 2001 to Nov 16, 2001, with 39 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-MDBarbara A. MikulskiOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-FLBill NelsonOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-CTChristopher J. DoddOriginalNov 15, 2001
R-MOChristopher S. BondOriginalNov 15, 2001
R-NEChuck HagelOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-HIDaniel K. AkakaOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-CADianne FeinsteinOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-MAEdward M. KennedyOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-INEvan BayhOriginalNov 15, 2001
R-VAGeorge AllenOriginalNov 15, 2001
R-OHGeorge V. VoinovichOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-NYHillary Rodham ClintonOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-RIJack ReedOriginalNov 15, 2001
I-VTJames M. JeffordsOriginalNov 15, 2001
D-MOJean CarnahanOriginalNov 15, 2001
Show all 40 cosponsors

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Nov 15, 2001Introduced in Senate
  2. Nov 15, 2001Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  3. Nov 15, 2001Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S11951-11953)

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 3448Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002Related billJun 12, 2002

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Emergency Management.

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.