To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to designated eligible entities to train school nurses as `first responders' in the event of a biological or chemical attack on the Nation.

January 23, 2002

Mr. ISRAEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to designated eligible entities to train school nurses as `first responders' in the event of a biological or chemical attack on the Nation.

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 `Protecting Our Schools Homeland Defense Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) There are more than 47,000 nurses in the Nation's elementary and secondary schools.

(2) Some children spend up to 10 hours in school each day.

(3) School nurses are the only professional health care providers in many schools.

(4) If a child becomes sick or arrives at school sick, a school nurse is often the first medical professional to see, assess, and treat the child.

(5) In the event of a biological or chemical attack on the United States, school nurses would be among the first medical professionals to respond, would put themselves at risk, and would be responsible for a school's children and teachers, including those not subject to the attack.

(6) School children, including a large number of mainstreamed children with disabilities, may be more vulnerable to biological or chemical attack, and therefore show symptoms sooner than the general population.

(7) School nurses must be prepared for the kind of response that would be necessary if a biological or chemical attack occurs.

(8) The proper training of school nurses could provide for early detection and dramatically slow the spread of disease.

(9) If school nurses were trained to respond to biological or chemical attacks, school nurses could serve as critical `first responders' in the event of such an emergency.

(10) School nurses would perform a valuable service by recognizing a disease early and alerting local public health officials.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

The purpose of this Act is to provide for grants to train school nurses as `first responders' in the event of a biological or chemical attack on the Nation.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`PART H--TRAINING NURSES FOR RESPONDING TO BIOTERRORISM

`SEC. 851. GRANTS FOR BIOTERRORISM RESPONSE.

`(a) AUTHORIZATION- The Secretary shall award grants to designated eligible entities to train nurses to respond to an act of biological or chemical terrorism.

`(b) USE OF FUNDS- A designated eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use funds under such grant to train nurses to respond to an act of biological or chemical terrorism.

`(c) RESERVATION- From the total amount appropriated to carry out this section each fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve at least $20,000,000 for grants under subsection (a) to local educational agencies.

`(d) DEFINITIONS- For purposes of this section:

`(1) DESIGNATED ELIGIBLE ENTITY- The term `designated eligible entity' means an eligible entity that is a State educational agency, local educational agency, or professional organization.

`(2) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY; LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The terms `State educational agency' and `local educational agency' have the meanings given to those terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.'.

END