Official Summaries

Public Health Improvement Act

This bill narrows the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with respect to the control of communicable diseases and renewals of public health emergencies. It also limits the priorities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to solely communicable diseases. 

Specifically, the bill removes HHS' discretion to take measures it deems necessary to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. It also narrows the objectives and priorities of the CDC by removing noncommunicable diseases, injuries, occupational and environmental hazards, and discretionary priorities from its strategic plan.

Also, the bill removes the authority of HHS to renew a declaration of a public health emergency and instead requires Congress to issue a renewal.

The bill also limits the terms of the directors of the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to 12 years and requires members of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the CDC to be appointed by members of Congress and other officials (currently appointed by the director). Additionally, the bill transfers eight offices from the CDC to the NIH (e.g., the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). 

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 999 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 999

  To reform the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, limit the 
      scope of public health authorities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 12, 2025

 Mr. Schmitt (for himself and Mr. Lee) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To reform the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, limit the 
      scope of public health authorities, 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 ``Public Health Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. TERMS OF CDC AND NIH DIRECTORS.

    (a) Term of CDC Director.--Section 305(a) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242c(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: ``No individual may serve as Director for a total period of 
more than 12 years.''.
    (b) Term of NIH Director.--Section 402(a) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: ``No individual may serve as Director of NIH for a total 
period of more than 12 years.''.

SEC. 3. LIMITING THE CDC STRATEGIC PLAN.

    Section 305(c)(2)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
242c(c)(2)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (i), by striking ``and noncommunicable 
        diseases or conditions, and addressing injuries, and 
        occupational and environmental hazards'' and inserting 
        ``diseases'';
            (2) in clause (ii), by striking ``or conditions'';
            (3) in clause (iii), by adding ``and'' at the end;
            (4) in clause (iv), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon; and
            (5) by striking clause (v).

SEC. 4. ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE CDC DIRECTOR.

    Section 305A(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242c-
1(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``by the Secretary 
        under'' and inserting ``as described in''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) 
        and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) Three members shall be appointed by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services--
                            ``(i) 1 of whom shall be appointed to 
                        represent the Department of Health and Human 
                        Services; and
                            ``(ii) 1 of whom shall be a public health 
                        official.
                    ``(B) Two members shall be appointed by the 
                majority leader of the Senate.
                    ``(C) Two members shall be appointed by the 
                minority leader of the Senate.
                    ``(D) Two members shall be appointed by the Speaker 
                of the House of Representatives.
                    ``(E) Two members shall be appointed by the 
                minority leader of the House of Representatives.
                    ``(F) Four members shall be appointed by the 
                Comptroller General of the United States.''.

SEC. 5. LIMITING THE SCOPE OF REGULATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 
              AND HUMAN SERVICES TO CONTROL COMMUNICABLE DISEASES.

    Section 361(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 264(a)) 
is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) To prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of 
communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or 
possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or 
possession, the Secretary may make and enforce regulations for the 
inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, 
or destruction of animals or articles found to be so infected or 
contaminated as to be sources of dangerous infection to human 
beings.''.

SEC. 6. CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL FOR PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES.

    Section 319(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d(a)) 
is amended by striking the third and fourth sentences and inserting the 
following: ``Determinations that terminate under the preceding sentence 
may be renewed by a majority vote in both chambers of Congress, and 
such a renewal period terminates upon the Secretary declaring that the 
emergency no longer exists or the expiration of the 90-day period 
beginning on the date on which both chambers of Congress have voted in 
favor of such renewal, whichever occurs first. Not later than 48 hours 
after making a determination under this subsection of a public health 
emergency, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress written 
notification of the determination.''.

SEC. 7. TRANSFER OF OFFICES TO NIH.

    (a) In General.--Effective on the date that is 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the offices 
described in subsection (b) shall be transferred from the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention to the National Institutes of Health.
    (b) Offices Described.--The offices described in this subsection 
are the following:
            (1) The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental 
        Disabilities.
            (2) The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and 
        Health Promotion.
            (3) The National Center for Environmental Health.
            (4) The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
            (5) The National Center for Health Statistics.
            (6) The National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and 
        Tuberculosis Prevention.
            (7) The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
            (8) The National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
        Health.

SEC. 8. REGULATIONS.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue such new or revised 
regulations as are necessary to carry out this Act (including the 
amendments made by this Act).

SEC. 9. PREEMPTION.

    The provisions of this Act (including the amendments made by this 
Act) shall supersede any provision of Federal, State, Tribal, 
territorial, or local law, declaration, guidance, or directive to the 
extent that such law, declaration, guidance, or directive is 
inconsistent with this Act (including such amendments).
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