Health STATISTICS Act of 2021
The source supplies the latest action, but no lifecycle stage.
Latest action (5 Feb 2021): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
What this bill does
The Health STATISTICS Act of 2021 (H.R. 831) would amend the Public Health Service Act to strengthen how public health data is collected, standardized, and shared across government levels. It would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the CDC, to adopt uniform data-reporting standards for state and local health departments, guided by a newly created technical working group. It would also require expedited standards specifically for COVID-19 data (such as genomic and outbreak data) and mandate that certain COVID-19 data be shared across agencies and made publicly available. The bill authorizes grants to help public health entities modernize data systems and creates a demonstration program to link federal datasets—including social determinants of health like housing, food security, and race/ethnicity—for research purposes, with privacy safeguards and restrictions on use for law enforcement or benefit eligibility determinations.
The bill would primarily affect federal health agencies (CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, HHS), state and local public health departments, public health laboratories, health care providers, and researchers who work with public health data. It authorizes $450 million for general implementation and $100 million for building statistical research capacity through fiscal year 2025.
The bill was introduced on February 4, 2021, by Rep. Scott Peters and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It did not receive a vote and did not become law during the 117th Congress.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Health Standards To Advance Transparency, Integrity, Science, Technology Infrastructure, and Confidential Statistics Act of 2021 or the Health STATISTICS Act of 2021
This bill requires efforts to standardize reporting of public health data, including for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) data. It also expands access to federal databases for health research.
Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must develop uniform standards for health departments and other entities that report public health data. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants to entities for adopting the uniform standards and otherwise improving their reporting capabilities.
Furthermore, the CDC must, in consultation with the National Institutes of Health, establish specific standards within 30 days for reporting COVID-19 data. HHS must also disseminate this data subject to privacy and other requirements.
Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget must issue guidance on federal health data collection that covers, for example, ensuring data quality and increasing access to health data for research.
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) must carry out a demonstration program to expand an existing program that links different federal data sets for statistical public health research, including research on food insecurity, housing instability, and other social determinants of health. In particular, the program must link to the National Death Index, a database of death records maintained by the NCHS.
Finally, the bill requires the CDC to award grants to research entities and public health departments to increase their capacity for conducting statistical public health research.
Timeline
5 Feb 2021
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 831 do?
- The Health STATISTICS Act of 2021 (H.R. 831) would amend the Public Health Service Act to strengthen how public health data is collected, standardized, and shared across government levels. It would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the CDC, to adopt uniform data-reporting standards for state and local health departments, guided by a newly created technical working group. It would also require expedited standards specifically for COVID-19 data (such as genomic and outbreak data) and mandate that certain COVID-19 data be shared across agencies and made publicly available. The bill authorizes grants to help public health entities modernize data systems and creates a demonstration program to link federal datasets—including social determinants of health like housing, food security, and race/ethnicity—for research purposes, with privacy safeguards and restrictions on use for law enforcement or benefit eligibility determinations. The bill would primarily affect federal health agencies (CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, HHS), state and local public health departments, public health laboratories, health care providers, and researchers who work with public health data. It authorizes $450 million for general implementation and $100 million for building statistical research capacity through fiscal year 2025. The bill was introduced on February 4, 2021, by Rep. Scott Peters and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It did not receive a vote and did not become law during the 117th Congress.
- Has H.R. 831 become law?
- The source does not supply a confirmed lifecycle stage for H.R. 831. Check the latest action and official source below.
- Who sponsored H.R. 831?
- H.R. 831 was sponsored by Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-52] (D-CA), with 5 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 831?
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. (5 Feb 2021).
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