,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bfge  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october #bc1  
#bjai,mr4 ,booker introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to authorize the ,secretary of 
,health and ,human ,services to carry   
out activities relating to neglected    
diseases of poverty4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the ,study1  
,treat1 ,observe1 and ,prevent          
,neglected ,diseases of ,poverty ,act or
 the ,,stop ,neglected ,diseases of     
,poverty ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress 
finds as follows3 7#a7 ,neglected       
diseases of poverty1 many of which are  
also known as neglected tropical        
diseases1 are a group of diseases that  
disproportionately affect vulnerable    
populations living in extreme poverty4  
7#b7 ,more than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj people   
worldwide are affected by neglected     
diseases of poverty4  7#c7 ,neglected   

diseases of poverty can be transmitted--
  7,a7 through contaminated food1 water1
 and soil2  7,b7 through parasites1     
insects1 blood transfusion1 and organ   
transplant2 and  7,c7 in some cases1    
congenitally4  7#d7 ,neglected diseases 
of poverty have a high rate of morbidity
 and mortality and can lead to health   
complications such as heart disease1    
epilepsy1 asthma1 blindness1            
developmental delays1 stillbirth1 low   
birthweight1 and gastrointestinal       
disorders4  7#e7 ,some neglected        
diseases of poverty can be asymptomatic 
at the outset1 but debilitating or      
dangerous symptoms can emerge over time 
or under certain conditions1 such as    
pregnancy4 ,it is estimated that        
millions of people are living with these
 diseases and are not aware that they   
are infected4  7#f7 ,for tens of        
thousands of individuals1 diseases of   
poverty that are chronic and neglected  
can manifest into severe illness later  
in life4  7#g7 ,neglected diseases of   

poverty place a significant financial   
burden on affected individuals and      
communities due to the health care costs
 associated with these diseases and     
because these diseases limit            
individuals' productivity and ability to
 be active contributors to their        
communities4 ,this burden could largely 
be prevented through early screening and
 treatment1 which are highly cost       
effective4  7#h7 ,since its inception in
 #bjjf1 the ,neglected ,tropical        
,diseases ,program at the ,united       
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development and its partners1 including
 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and 
,prevention1 have delivered more than   
#a1fjj1jjj1jjj treatments to more than  
#gdc1jjj1jjj people4  7#i7 ,due to the  
support provided by the ,united ,states 
,agency for ,international ,development 
and its partners1 #adj1jjj1jjj people   
live in regions where they are no longer
 at risk of contracting lymphatic       
filariasis1 and #fe1jjj1jjj people live 

in regions where they are no longer at  
risk of contracting trachoma4  7#aj7    
,although the exact prevalence and      
burden of these diseases in the ,united 
,states is unknown because of stigma and
 limited reporting1 surveillance1 and   
awareness1 one study estimates that     
there are #ab1jjj1jjj individuals living
 with a neglected disease of poverty    
throughout the country4 ,these diseases 
disproportionately affect racial and    
ethnic minorities living in poverty and 
in regions where water quality and      
sanitation are substandard4  7#aa7 ,the 
major neglected diseases of poverty in  
the ,united ,states that predominantly  
occur among those living in poverty are 
the following3 ,toxocariasis1           
cysticercosis1 ,chagas disease1         
toxoplasmosis1 trichomoniasis1 and      
,dengue ,fever4  7#ab7 ,there is a lack 
of diagnostic and treatment programs1   
including for early diagnosis and       
treatment1 for neglected diseases of    
poverty4 ,these programs would be highly

 cost effective and would significantly 
reduce the burden of morbidity and      
mortality of these diseases4  7#ac7     
,funding for research1 preventive       
strategies1 and the development of      
treatments and diagnostic tests for     
neglected diseases of poverty in the    
,united ,states is limited4  #c4 ,sense 
of ,congress ,it is the sense of        
,congress that there is a need to study 
the prevalence and incidence of         
neglected diseases of poverty in the    
,united ,states1 identify preventive    
methods to combat neglected diseases of 
poverty1 conduct research that will lead
 to more treatments and diagnostic tests
 for neglected diseases of poverty1 and 
supply health care providers1 public    
health professionals1 and affected      
individuals and communities with        
educational resources on neglected      
diseases of poverty4  #d4 ,definition of
 neglected diseases of poverty ,in this 
,act1 the term neglected diseases of    
poverty has the meaning given such term 

in section #cii,,oo7e7 of the ,public   
,health ,service ,act1 as added by      
section #e4  #e4 ,programs relating to  
neglected diseases of poverty ,title    
,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service   
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bda et seq47 is    
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  ,w ,programs relating to    
neglected diseases of poverty in the    
,united ,states  #cii,,oo4 ,interagency 
,task ,force on ,neglected ,diseases of 
,poverty in the ,united ,states  7a7    
,establishment ,not later than #ahj days
 after the date of enactment of the     
,study1 ,treat1 ,observe1 and ,prevent  
,neglected ,diseases of ,poverty ,act1  
the ,secretary shall establish an       
,interagency ,task ,force on ,neglected 
,diseases of ,poverty in the ,united    
,states to provide advice and           
recommendations to the ,secretary and   
,congress to prevent1 treat1 and        
diagnose neglected diseases of poverty  
in the ,united ,states4  7b7 ,members   
,the task force shall be comprised of   

representatives of-- 7#a7 the           
,department of ,health and ,human       
,services1 including the ,assistant     
,secretary for ,health and              
representatives from the ,centers for   
,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the  
,food and ,drug ,administration1 the    
,health ,resources and ,services        
,administration1 the ,national          
,institutes of ,health1 and the         
,biomedical ,advanced ,research and     
,development ,authority2  7#b7 the      
,department of ,state2  7#c7 the ,united
 ,states ,agency for ,international     
,development2  7#d7 the ,department of  
,agriculture2  7#e7 the ,department of  
,housing and ,urban ,development2  7#f7 
the ,environmental ,protection ,agency2 
and  7#g7 any other ,federal agency that
 has jurisdiction over1 or is affected  
by1 neglected diseases of poverty       
policies and projects1 as determined by 
the ,secretary4  7c7 ,initial report    
7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj   
days after the date of enactment of the 

,study1 ,treat1 ,observe1 and ,prevent  
,neglected ,diseases of ,poverty ,act1  
the task force shall submit a report to 
the ,secretary based on a review of     
relevant literature to identify gaps in 
efforts1 and guide future efforts1 to   
prevent1 identify1 and treat neglected  
diseases of poverty in the ,united      
,states1 particularly toxocariasis1     
cysticercosis1 ,chagas disease1         
toxoplasmosis1 trichomoniasis1 and      
,dengue ,fever4 ,the report shall       
include a summary of findings with      
respect to--  7,a7 estimated prevalence 
of neglected diseases of poverty in the 
,united ,states2  7,b7 geographic       
distribution and major distribution     
routes of neglected diseases of poverty 
in the ,united ,states2  7,c7           
disparities with respect to the burden  
of neglected diseases of poverty in the 
,united ,states2  7,d7 risk factors for 
neglected diseases of poverty in the    
,united ,states2  7,e7 existing tools   
for surveillance1 prevention1 diagnosis1

 and treatment of neglected diseases of 
poverty in the ,united ,states2  7,f7   
barriers to access to information and   
tools for surveillance1 prevention1     
diagnosis1 and treatment of neglected   
diseases of poverty in the ,united      
,states2  7,g7 comorbidities associated 
with neglected diseases of poverty in   
the ,united ,states2  7,h7 awareness    
among health care providers and public  
health professionals regarding neglected
 diseases of poverty in the ,united     
,states2  7,i7 public awareness of      
neglected diseases of poverty in the    
,united ,states1 particularly among     
high-risk groups2  7,j7 the economic    
burden of neglected diseases of poverty 
in the ,united ,states2 and  7,k7       
strategies and lessons learned from the 
,united ,states ,agency for             
,international ,development ,neglected  
,tropical ,diseases ,program1           
particularly those that are most        
applicable to efforts to prevent1       
diagnose1 and treat neglected diseases  

of poverty in the ,united ,states4  7#b7
 ,consultation ,in developing the       
initial report under paragraph 7#a71 the
 task force shall consult with          
appropriate external parties1 including 
,states1 local communities1 scientists1 
researchers1 health care providers and  
public health professionals1 and        
national and international              
nongovermental organizations4  7d7      
,duties ,the task force shall-- 7#a7    
review and evaluate the current actions 
and future plans of each applicable     
agency represented on the task force as 
described in subsection 7b7 to prevent1 
diagnose1 and treat neglected diseases  
of poverty in the ,united ,states2  7#b7
 identify current and potential areas of
 partnership and coordination between   
,federal agencies and develop a unified 
implementation plan to prevent1         
diagnose1 and treat neglected diseases  
of poverty in the ,united ,states2  7#c7
 make efforts to apply applicable       
strategies and lessons learned from the 

,united ,states ,agency for             
,international ,development ,neglected  
,tropical ,diseases ,program when       
developing the implementation plan under
 paragraph 7#b72  7#d7 establish        
specific goals within and across        
,federal agencies to prevent1 diagnose1 
and treat neglected diseases of poverty 
in the ,united ,states1 including       
metrics to assess progress towards      
reaching those goals2  7#e7 coordinate  
plans to communicate research and       
relevant accomplishments across ,federal
 agencies and with ,states and local    
communities relating to the prevention1 
diagnosis1 and treatment of neglected   
diseases of poverty2  7#f7 develop      
consensus guidelines for health care    
providers and public health             
professionals for the prevention1       
diagnosis1 and treatment of             
toxocariasis1 cysticercosis1 ,chagas    
disease1 toxoplasmosis1 trichomoniasis1 
,dengue ,fever1 and other neglected     
diseases of poverty2  7#g7 biannually   

make recommendations to ,congress on    
strategies for the development of       
affordable tools to prevent1 diagnose1  
and treat neglected diseases of poverty1
 including drugs1 diagnostics1 and      
vaccines2 and  7#h7 in developing the   
guidelines and recommendations under    
paragraphs 7#f7 and 7#g71 consult with  
external parties1 including ,states1    
local communities1 scientists1          
researchers1 health care providers and  
public health professionals1 national   
and international nongovernmental       
organizations1 and centers of excellence
 with expertise in neglected diseases of
 poverty1 including the centers of      
excellence described in section         
#cii,,oo-#e4  7e7 ,definition of        
neglected diseases of poverty ,in this  
part1 the term neglected diseases of    
poverty-- 7#a7 means chronic and        
disabling diseases that are caused by   
parasites1 bacteria1 and other pathogens
 and that primarily impact people living
 in extreme poverty2 and  7#b7 includes 

the following3 7,a7 ,chagas disease4    
7,b7 ,cysticercosis4  7,c7              
,toxocariasis4  7,d7 ,toxoplasmosis4    
7,e7 ,trichomoniasis4  7,f7 ,dengue     
,fever4  7,g7 ,other neglected tropical 
diseases1 including those defined by the
 ,world ,health ,organization1 such as  
the following3  7i7 ,buruli ulcer4  7ii7
 ,chikungunya4  7iii7 ,dracunculiasis4  
7iv7 ,echinococcosis4  7v7 ,foodborne   
trematodiases4  7vi7 ,human ,african    
trypanosomiasis4  7vii7 ,leishmaniases4 
7viii7 ,leprosy4  7ix7 ,lymphatic       
filariasis4  7x7 ,mycetoma4  7xi7       
,onchocerciasis4  7xii7 ,rabies4  7xiii7
 ,schistosomiasis4  7xiv7               
,soil-transmitted helminthiases4  7xv7  
,taeniasis and neurocysticercosis4      
7xvi7 ,trachoma4  7xvii7 ,yaws4         
#cii,,oo-#a4 ,surveillance regarding    
neglected diseases of poverty in the    
,united ,states  7a7 ,in general ,the   
,secretary1 acting through the ,director
 of the ,centers for ,disease ,control  
and ,prevention1 shall award grants to  

,states to carry out activities relating
 to implementing a surveillance system  
to determine the prevalence1 incidence1 
and distribution of neglected diseases  
of poverty1 particularly those that most
 impact individuals in the ,united      
,states1 including toxocariasis1        
cysticercosis1 ,chagas disease1         
toxoplasmosis1 trichomoniasis1 and      
,dengue ,fever4  7b7 ,considerations ,in
 awarding grants under subsection 7a71  
the ,secretary shall use the findings in
 the initial report of the ,interagency 
,task ,force on ,neglected ,diseases of 
,poverty in the ,united ,states under   
section #cii,,oo7c7 to identify and     
prioritize geographic locations and     
communities that have the highest       
estimated prevalence of1 or have        
populations at greatest risk of         
acquiring1 neglected diseases of        
poverty1 particularly those described in
 subsection 7a74  #cii,,oo-#b4 ,support 
for individuals at risk for neglected   
diseases of poverty  7a7 ,in general    

,the ,secretary1 acting through the     
,director of the ,centers for ,disease  
,control and ,prevention1 shall award   
grants or cooperative agreements to     
,federally qualified health centers to  
implement and analyze the guidelines    
developed under section #cii,,oo7d77#f74
  7b7 ,initial awards ,the ,secretary   
shall-- 7#a7 using the findings in the  
initial report of the ,interagency ,task
 ,force on ,neglected ,diseases of      
,poverty in the ,united ,states under   
section #cii,,oo7c71 identify the       
geographic locations in the ,united     
,states that have the highest estimated 
prevalence of1 or have populations at   
greatest risk of acquiring1 neglected   
diseases of poverty1 particularly those 
that most impact individuals in the     
,united ,states1 including toxocariasis1
 cysticercosis1 ,chagas disease1        
toxoplasmosis1 trichomoniasis1 and      
,dengue ,fever2 and  7#b7 prioritize    
,federally qualified health centers     
located in such geographic locations in 

awarding initial grants or cooperative  
agreements under subsection 7a74  7c7   
,definition of federally qualified      
health center ,in this section1 the term
 ,federally qualified health center has 
the meaning given the term in section   
#ahfa7;aa7 of the ,social ,security     
,act4  #cii,,oo-#c4 ,education of       
medical and public health personnel and 
the public regarding neglected diseases 
of poverty in the ,united ,states ,the  
,secretary shall consult with the       
,assistant ,secretary for ,health1 the  
,director of the ,centers for ,disease  
,control and ,prevention1 and the       
,administrator of the ,health ,resources
 and ,services ,administration1         
professional organizations and          
societies1 and such other public health 
officials as may be necessary1 including
 the centers of excellence described in 
section #cii,,oo-#e1 to--  7#a7 develop 
and implement educational programs to   
increase the awareness of health care   
providers and public health             

professionals with respect to the risk  
factors1 signs1 and symptoms of         
neglected diseases of poverty and       
strategies to prevent1 diagnose1 and    
treat such diseases2 and  7#b7 develop  
and implement educational programs to   
increase the awareness of the public    
with respect to the risk factors1 signs1
 and symptoms of neglected diseases of  
poverty and strategies to prevent such  
diseases4  #cii,,oo-#d4 ,research and   
development of new drugs1 vaccines1 and 
diagnostics ,consistent with the        
recommendations of the ,interagency     
,task ,force on ,neglected ,diseases of 
,poverty in the ,united ,states         
established under section #cii,,oo1 the 
,secretary shall1 directly or through   
awards of grants or cooperative         
agreements to public or private         
entities1 provide for the conduct of    
research1 investigations1 experiments1  
demonstrations1 and studies1 including  
late-stage and translational research1  
in the health sciences that are related 

to--  7#a7 the development of affordable
 therapeutics1 including vaccines1      
against neglected diseases of poverty2  
and  7#b7 the development of affordable 
medical point-of-care diagnostics to    
detect neglected diseases of poverty4   
#cii,,oo-#e4 ,neglected ,diseases of    
,poverty ,centers of ,excellence  7a7   
,establishment ,the ,secretary1 acting  
jointly through the ,director of the    
,national ,institutes of ,health1 may   
enter into cooperative agreements with1 
and make grants to1 public or private   
nonprofit entities to pay all or part of
 the cost of planning1 establishing1 or 
strengthening1 and providing basic      
operating support for1 one or more      
centers of excellence for research into1
 training in1 and development of        
diagnosis1 prevention1 control1 and     
treatment methods for neglected diseases
 of poverty in the ,united ,states1     
including tools to support prevention4  
7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to     
receive a cooperative agreement or grant

 under subsection 7a71 an entity shall  
have a demonstrated record of research  
on neglected diseases of poverty4  7c7  
,coordination ,the ,secretary shall     
ensure that activities under this       
section are coordinated with similar    
activities of the ,federal ,government  
relating to neglected diseases of       
poverty1 including the task force       
established under section #cii,,oo4  7d7
 ,use of funds ,a cooperative agreement 
or grant awarded under subsection 7a7   
may be used for-- 7#a7 staffing1        
administrative1 and other basic         
operating costs1 including such patient 
care costs as are required for research2
  7#b7 clinical training1 including     
training for allied health              
professionals1 continuing education for 
health professionals and allied health  
professions personnel1 and information  
programs for the public with respect to 
neglected diseases of poverty2  7#c7    
research and development programs1      
including the end-to-end research and   

development of new treatments1          
diagnostics1 and vaccines2  7#d7        
epidemiological surveillance and        
transmission studies capabilities2 and  
7#e7 health education programs to raise 
awareness and reduce stigma of neglected
 diseases of poverty among high-risk    
populations4  7e7 ,period of ,support2  
,additional ,periods  7#a7 ,in general  
,a cooperative agreement or grant under 
this section may be provided for a      
period of not more than #e years4  7#b7 
,extensions ,the period specified in    
paragraph 7#a7 may be extended by the   
,secretary for additional periods of not
 more than #e years if--  7,a7 the      
operations of the center of excellence  
involved have been reviewed by an       
appropriate technical and scientific    
peer review group2 and  7,b7 such group 
has recommended to the ,secretary that  
such period be extended4  #cii,,oo-#f4  
,authorization of appropriations ,to    
carry out this part1 there are          
authorized to be appropriated such sums 

as may be necessary for fiscal year     
#bjba and each fiscal year thereafter4  
4