What This Bill Does
This bill creates a new advisory committee called the Public Health Information and Communications Advisory Committee. The committee will make recommendations about how the government communicates health information to the public during public health emergencies (like disease outbreaks). The bill also requires the government to fund educational programs that teach people how to recognize false health information.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (the federal official who oversees public health). Members of Congress who receive reports about the committee's work. The public, who will receive educational programs about identifying false health information. Academic institutions, community organizations, and non-profit groups that may receive funding for educational initiatives.
Key Provisions
• The Secretary must establish an advisory committee with federal officials who cannot vote and experts in public health, medicine, communications, technology, psychology and national security who can vote (Sec. 2).
• The committee must make recommendations about how to communicate accurate health information during emergencies, including how to address false information and reach populations most affected by misinformation (Sec. 2).
• The Secretary must submit a report to Congress within 180 days describing what actions the government plans to take based on the committee's recommendations (Sec. 2).
• The Secretary must award funding to develop educational programs that teach the public to identify false health information and understand credible medical science, with special focus on underserved populations and communities targeted by health misinformation (Sec. 2).
• The committee will automatically end 4 years after the law is enacted (Sec. 2).
What Changes
The government will create a new committee structure for handling health communications during emergencies. Congress will receive progress reports about government actions on health communication. Educational programs will be funded to help Americans identify false health information.
Important Definitions
The bill does not provide explicit definitions of key terms.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 406
To establish the Public Health Information and Communications Advisory
Committee for purposes of providing recommendations and reports, and
to support educational initiatives on communication and dissemination
of information during public health emergencies.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 14, 2023
Mr. MURPHY (for himself and Mr. LUJA´N) introduced the following bill; which
was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To establish the Public Health Information and Communica-
tions Advisory Committee for purposes of providing rec-
ommendations and reports, and to support educational
initiatives on communication and dissemination of infor-
mation during public health emergencies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting Public
4
Health Information Act’’.
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•S 406 IS
SEC. 2. STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICA-
1
TION.
2
Section 319F of the Public Health Service Act (42
3
U.S.C. 247d–6) is amended—
4
(1) in subsection (b), to read as follows:
5
‘‘(b) PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION AND COMMU-
6
NICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—
7
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
8
lish an advisory committee to be known as the Pub-
9
lic Health Information and Communications Advi-
10
sory Committee (referred to in this subsection as the
11
‘Advisory Committee’).
12
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Advisory Committee shall
13
make recommendations to the Secretary and report
14
on—
15
‘‘(A) critical aspects of communication and
16
dissemination of scientific and evidence-based
17
public health information during public health
18
emergencies, including—
19
‘‘(i) the role and impact of misin-
20
formation on the response to such public
21
health emergencies;
22
‘‘(ii) the role of risk communication
23
before and during such public health emer-
24
gencies; and
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•S 406 IS
‘‘(iii) other relevant factors, as the
1
Secretary determines appropriate;
2
‘‘(B) information from academic institu-
3
tions,
community-based
organizations,
and
4
other nongovernmental organizations related to
5
evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies
6
and best practices to effectively communicate
7
and disseminate such information; and
8
‘‘(C) strategies to improve communication
9
and dissemination of scientific and evidence-
10
based public health information to the public,
11
and, as appropriate, to address misinformation
12
during public health emergencies, including
13
strategies to—
14
‘‘(i) identify the most effective meth-
15
ods for the dissemination of information
16
during a public health emergency;
17
‘‘(ii) determine best practices and
18
communicate information to populations
19
that may be impacted by such misinforma-
20
tion; and
21
‘‘(iii) adapt approaches for the dis-
22
semination of information, as appropriate,
23
to address emerging trends related to mis-
24
information.
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•S 406 IS
‘‘(3) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Committee
1
shall be composed of—
2
‘‘(A) appropriate Federal officials, ap-
3
pointed by the Secretary, who shall serve as
4
nonvoting members; and
5
‘‘(B) individuals, appointed by the Sec-
6
retary, with expertise in public health, medicine,
7
communications, related technology, psychology,
8
national security, and other areas, as the Sec-
9
retary determines appropriate, who shall serve
10
as voting members.
11
‘‘(4) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary shall re-
12
view the recommendations of the Advisory Com-
13
mittee and, not later than 180 days after receipt of
14
the report under paragraph (2), shall submit to the
15
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
16
sions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy
17
and Commerce of the House of Representatives a re-
18
port describing any actions planned by the Secretary
19
related to the communication and dissemination of
20
scientific and evidence-based public health informa-
21
tion, including addressing misinformation, as appro-
22
priate.
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•S 406 IS
‘‘(5) TERMINATION.—The Advisory Committee
1
shall terminate 4 years after the date of enactment
2
of the Promoting Public Health Information Act.’’;
3
(2) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub-
4
section (g);
5
(3) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol-
6
lowing:
7
‘‘(f) EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES.—
8
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award
9
assistance for the development of evidence-based ini-
10
tiatives to promote fact-based public health and
11
medical science information to the public and edu-
12
cate the public on how to identify misinformation,
13
disinformation, and credible information.
14
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the initia-
15
tives under this subsection, the Secretary shall con-
16
sult with—
17
‘‘(A) the Public Health Information and
18
Communications Advisory Committee estab-
19
lished under subsection (b);
20
‘‘(B) experts in the fields of public health
21
and medicine, communication, technology, be-
22
havioral science, and other relevant disciplines
23
as appropriate; and
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•S 406 IS
‘‘(C) relevant Federal agencies, as appro-
1
priate.
2
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—The initiatives estab-
3
lished under this subsection shall—
4
‘‘(A) be an evidence-based or evidence-in-
5
formed media and public engagement initiative
6
that includes partnerships with national and
7
local organizations;
8
‘‘(B) ensure that official scientific and
9
public health guidance is accessible and commu-
10
nicated effectively to the public with specific
11
focus on populations that are underserved or
12
with low health literacy; and
13
‘‘(C) ensure that activities are tailored to-
14
wards subgroups that are being targeted for
15
health misinformation and disinformation, or
16
are especially susceptible to health misinforma-
17
tion and disinformation, in a culturally- and lin-
18
guistically-appropriate manner.’’; and
19
(4) by adding at the end of subsection (g), as
20
so redesignated, the following:
21
‘‘(3) FUNDING FOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND
22
EDUCATIONAL
INITIATIVES.—There are authorized
23
to be appropriated $45,000,000 for each of fiscal
24
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•S 406 IS
years 2023 through 2027 for purposes of carrying
1
out subsections (b) and (f).’’.
2
Æ
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