HR 1269 IH

To improve global health by increasing assistance to developing nations with high levels of infectious disease and premature death, by improving children's and women's health and nutrition, by reducing unintended pregnancies, and by combating the spread of infectious diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, and for other purposes.

March 28, 2001

Mr. CROWLEY (for himself, Mrs. LOWEY, Mrs. MORELLA, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Mr. FROST, Mr. PASTOR, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. WEXLER, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. BACA, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. FRANK, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. WAXMAN, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. FILNER, Ms. RIVERS, Mr. OWENS, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. RUSH, Ms. LEE, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Ms. WATERS, Mr. WEINER, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. BOUCHER, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SABO, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. LAMPSON, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. NADLER, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, and Mr. SHERMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

To improve global health by increasing assistance to developing nations with high levels of infectious disease and premature death, by improving children's and women's health and nutrition, by reducing unintended pregnancies, and by combating the spread of infectious diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, 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 `Global Health Act of 2001'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Approximately 1/2 of all childhood deaths each year in developing nations, or 4,900,000 childhood deaths, are caused by pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, malaria, or measles. Every day approximately 13,500 children in developing nations die from such conditions.

(2) Despite progress in making family planning services available, more than 150,000,000 married women in developing nations still want to space or limit child bearing, but do not have access to modern contraceptives.

(3) According to the World Health Organization, approximately 500,000 women die each year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and more than 50,000,000 women suffer from acute pregnancy-related health conditions that can be permanently disabling.

(4) According to the World Health Organization, 13,000,000 people die annually from infectious diseases, most of which are preventable or curable, and 6 diseases account for 90 percent of these deaths: pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, measles, tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

(5) HIV/AIDS has become the world's leading infectious disease threat, with 36,100,000 people infected worldwide, and more than 15,000 new infections daily, of which more than 6,000 cases occur in people between the ages of 15 and 24.

SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE GLOBAL HEALTH.

(a) EMPHASIS ON DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TO DISEASE OUTBREAKS- Section 104(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(8) Congress recognizes the growing threat that infectious diseases and other global health problems pose to Americans and people everywhere. Accordingly, activities supported under this subsection shall include activities to improve the capacity of developing nations to conduct disease surveillance and prevention programs and to respond promptly and effectively to disease outbreaks.'.

(b) INCREASE IN USAID ASSISTANCE FOR FY 2002 AND SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEARS-

(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- To carry out the purposes of section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b) for fiscal year 2002 and for each subsequent fiscal year, there are authorized to be appropriated, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, the following amounts for the following purposes:

(A) The amount equal to the aggregate of amounts made available for the immediately preceding fiscal year to carry out that section with respect to the health and survival of children, the health and nutrition of pregnant women and mothers, voluntary family planning, combating HIV/AIDS, and the prevention and control of infectious diseases other than HIV/AIDS, to be used for such purposes.

(B) $1,000,000,000, to be available in accordance with paragraph (2).

(2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS- Of the amount authorized to be appropriated in paragraph (1)(B)--

(A) $275,000,000 should be available for combating HIV/AIDS;

(B) $225,000,000 should be available for the health and survival of children;

(C) $200,000,000 should be available for the prevention and control of infectious diseases other than HIV/AIDS;

(D) $200,000,000 should be available for voluntary family planning; and

(E) $100,000,000 should be available for the health and nutrition of pregnant women and mothers.

(3) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until expended.

(c) COORDINATION AMONG FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES- It is the sense of Congress that the President, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, should coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, and other appropriate Federal departments and agencies to ensure that United States funds made available to carry out section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b) are utilized effectively.

SEC. 4. DEFINITION.

In this Act, the term `HIV/AIDS' means infection with the human immunodeficiency virus. Such term includes the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

END