,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #djdh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #aa1 #bjbf,mr4 ,scott of ,south ,carolina 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,budd1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 and ,ms4 ,hassan7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service to require the ,secretary to award grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to establish1 maintain1 or improve activities related to the detection and monitoring of infectious diseases through wastewater for public health emergency preparedness and response purposes1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,public health ,response and ,emergency ,detection through ,integrated wastewater ,community ,testing ,act or the ,,predict ,act4 #b4 ,public health response and emergency detection through integrated wastewater surveillance 7a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,c of title ,,xxviii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;hh-#ca et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #bhbg4 ,wastewater surveillance for pathogen detection 7a7 ,wastewater surveillance system ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary71 and in coordination with other ,federal departments and agencies1 shall award grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to establish1 maintain1 or improve activities related to the detection and monitoring of infectious diseases through wastewater for public health emergency preparedness and response purposes4 7b7 ,eligible entities ,to be eligible to receive an award under this section1 an entity shall-- 7#a7 be a ,state1 ,tribal1 or local health department1 or a partnership between such a health department and other public and private entities2 and 7#b7 submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may reasonably require1 which shall include-- 7,a7 a description of activities proposed to be carried out pursuant to an award under subsection 7a72 7,b7 factors such entity proposes to use to select wastewater sampling sites2 7,c7 a plan for responding1 as appropriate1 to findings from such wastewater sampling1 consistent with applicable plans developed by such entity pursuant to section #cai;,c-#a2 7,d7 a plan to sustain such wastewater surveillance activities described in such application following the conclusion of the award period2 and 7,e7 any additional information the ,secretary may require4 7c7 ,consideration ,in making awards under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary may give priority to eligible entities that have submitted an application that-- 7#a7 details plans to provide public access to data generated through such wastewater surveillance activities in a manner that enables comparison to such data generated by other recipients of an award under subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 provides an assessment of community needs related to ongoing infectious disease monitoring1 including burden of infectious diseases that can be detected in wastewater and availability of other forms of infectious disease surveillance4 7d7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity shall use amounts awarded under this section to-- 7#a7 establish1 or enhance existing1 capacity and capabilities to conduct wastewater sampling and related analysis2 7#b7 conduct wastewater surveillance1 as appropriate1 at individual facilities1 institutions1 and locations in rural areas1 in which there is an increased risk of infectious disease outbreaks and wastewater is not treated through the relevant local utility of the jurisdiction2 and 7#c7 implement projects that use evidence-based or promising practices to conduct wastewater surveillance activities4 7e7 ,partnerships ,in carrying out activities under this section1 eligible entities shall identify opportunities to partner with other public or private entities to leverage relevant capabilities maintained by such entities1 as appropriate and consistent with this section4 7f7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the heads of other applicable ,federal agencies and departments1 as appropriate1 shall provide technical assistance to recipients of awards under this section to facilitate the planning1 development1 and implementation of activities described in subsection 7d74 7g7 ,wastewater surveillance guidance ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of the ,,predict ,act1 the ,secretary shall issue draft guidance-- 7#a7 to provide recommendations for recipients of awards under this section regarding-- 7,a7 the use of assays to promote efficient wastewater surveillance2 and 7,b7 the use of assays for data on multiple infectious diseases2 and 7#b7 to establish standards for-- 7,a7 wastewater testing methods and metrics used by such recipients that-- 7i7 use a consistent protocol and process2 and 7ii7 sample using scientifically rigorous and sensitive methods2 and 7,b7 wastewater sample data reporting by such recipients to the ,secretary1 to be published by the ,secretary in a publicly available wastewater surveillance database and dashboard4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 4 7b7 ,wastewater surveillance research 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7in this subsection referred to as the ,secretary7 shall continue to conduct or support research on the use of wastewater surveillance to detect and monitor emerging infectious diseases1 which may include-- 7,a7 research to improve the efficiency of wastewater sample collection and analysis and increase the sensitivity and specificity of wastewater testing methods2 and 7,b7 implementation and development of evidence-based practices to facilitate the estimation of population-level data within a community4 7#b7 ,non-duplication of effort ,the ,secretary shall ensure that activities carried out under this subsection do not unnecessarily duplicate efforts of other agencies and offices within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services related to wastewater surveillance4