U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act

IIB 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3525 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER 15, 2019 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary AN ACT To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protec- tion to establish uniform processes for medical screening of individuals interdicted between ports of entry, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:04 Oct 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3525.RFS H3525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 HR 3525 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘U.S. Border Patrol 2 Medical Screening Standards Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. RESEARCH REGARDING PROVISION OF MEDICAL 4 SCREENING OF INDIVIDUALS INTERDICTED 5 BY U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION 6 BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home- 9 land Security, acting through the Under Secretary for 10 Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland 11 Security, in coordination with the Commissioner of U.S. 12 Customs and Border Protection and the Chief Medical Of- 13 ficer of the Department, shall research innovative ap- 14 proaches to address capability gaps regarding the provi- 15 sion of comprehensive medical screening of individuals, 16 particularly children, pregnant women, the elderly, and 17 other vulnerable populations, interdicted by U.S. Customs 18 and Border Protection between ports of entry and issue 19 to the Secretary recommendations for any necessary cor- 20 rective actions. 21 (b) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the research 22 required under subsection (a), the Under Secretary for 23 Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland 24 Security shall consult with appropriate national profes- 25 sional associations with expertise and non-governmental 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:04 Oct 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3525.RFS H3525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 HR 3525 RFS experts in emergency, nursing, and other medical care, in- 1 cluding pediatric care. 2 (c) REPORT.—The Secretary of Homeland Security 3 shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of 4 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 5 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Sen- 6 ate a report containing the recommendations referred to 7 in subsection (a), together with information relating to 8 what actions, if any, the Secretary plans to take in re- 9 sponse to such recommendations. 10 SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS IMPLEMENTATION. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 12 date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Information 13 Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, in co- 14 ordination with the Chief Medical Officer of the Depart- 15 ment, shall establish within the Department an electronic 16 health record system that can be accessed by all depart- 17 mental components operating along the borders of the 18 United States for individuals in the custody of such com- 19 ponents. 20 (b) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 120 days after the 21 implementation of the electronic health records system, 22 the Chief Information Officer, in coordination with the 23 Chief Medical Officer, shall conduct an assessment of such 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:04 Oct 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3525.RFS H3525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 HR 3525 RFS system to determine system capacity for improvement and 1 interoperability. 2 Passed the House of Representatives September 26, 2019. Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:04 Oct 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3525.RFS H3525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS