text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act of 
  2006''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) Tuberculosis is one of the greatest infectious causes 
          of death of adults worldwide, killing nearly 2,000,000 people 
          per year--one person every 15 seconds.
              (2) One-third of the world's population is infected with 
          the tuberculosis bacterium and an estimated 9,000,000 
          individuals develop active tuberculosis each year.
              (3) Tuberculosis is the leading killer among individuals 
          who are HIV-positive due to their weakened immune systems, and 
          it is estimated that one-third of people with HIV infection 
          have tuberculosis.
              (4) Today, tuberculosis is a leading killer of women of 
          reproductive age.
              (5) There are 22 countries that account for 80 percent of 
          the world's burden of tuberculosis. The People's Republic of 
          China and India account for 35 percent of all estimated new 
          tuberculosis cases each year.
              (6) Driven by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, incidence rates of 
          tuberculosis in Africa have more than doubled on average since 
          1990, making it the only region in the world in which 
          tuberculosis rates are not currently stabilized or declining. 
          The problem is so pervasive that in August 2005, African Health 
          Ministers and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared 
          tuberculosis to be an emergency in Africa.
              (7) The wide extent of drug resistance, including multi-
          drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), in Eastern Europe and 
          other parts of the world represents a critical challenge to the 
          global control of tuberculosis. Drug resistance surveillance 
          reports have confirmed the serious scale and spread of 
          tuberculosis in Eastern Europe with tuberculosis strains often 
          resistant to all first line drugs and also to some second line 
          drugs.
              (8) With more than 50 percent of tuberculosis cases in the 
          United States attributable to foreign-born individuals and with 
          the increase in international travel, commerce, and migration, 
          elimination of tuberculosis in the United States depends on 
          efforts to control the disease in developing countries. Recent 
          research has shown that to invest in tuberculosis control 
          abroad, where treatment and program costs are significantly 
          cheaper than in the United States, would be a cost-effective 
          strategy to reduce tuberculosis-related morbidity and mortality 
          domestically.
              (9) The threat that tuberculosis poses for Americans 
          derives from the global spread of tuberculosis and the 
          emergence and spread of strains of multi-drug resistant 
          tuberculosis, which is far more deadly, and more difficult and 
          costly to treat.
              (10) DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short-course) is one 
          of the most cost-effective health interventions available today 
          and is a core component of the new Stop TB Strategy.
              (11) The Stop TB Strategy, developed by the World Health 
          Organization, builds on the success of DOTS and ongoing 
          challenges so as to serve all those in need and reach targets 
          for prevalence, mortality, and incidence reduction. The Stop TB 
          Strategy includes six components:
                      (A) Pursuing high-quality expansion and enhancement 
                  of DOTS coverage.
                      (B) Implementing tuberculosis and HIV collaborative 
                  activities, preventing, and controlling multi-drug 
                  resistant tuberculosis, and addressing other special 
                  challenges.
                      (C) Contributing to the strengthening of health 
                  systems.
                      (D) Engaging all health care providers, including 
                  promotion of the International Standards for 
                  Tuberculosis Care.
                      (E) Empowering individuals with tuberculosis and 
                  communities.
                      (F) Enabling and promoting research to develop new 
                  diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and program-based 
                  operational research relating to tuberculosis.
              (12) The Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015: Actions for Life 
          is a comprehensive plan developed by the Stop TB Partnership 
          that sets out the actions necessary to achieve the millennium 
          development goal of cutting tuberculosis deaths and disease 
          burden in half by 2015 and thus eliminate tuberculosis as a 
          global health problem by 2050.
              (13) While innovations such as the Global Tuberculosis Drug 
          Facility have enabled low-income countries to treat a standard 
          case of tuberculosis with drugs that cost as little as $16 for 
          a full six-month course of treatment, there are still millions 
          of individuals with no access to effective treatment.
              (14) As the global resource investment in fighting 
          tuberculosis increases, partner nations and international 
          institutions must commit to a corresponding increase in the 
          technical and program assistance necessary to ensure that the 
          most effective and efficient tuberculosis treatments are 
          provided.
              (15) The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and 
          Malaria is an important global partnership established to 
          combat these three infectious diseases that together kill 
          millions of people a year. Expansion of effective tuberculosis 
          treatment programs constitutes a major component of Global Fund 
          investment, along with integrated efforts to address HIV and 
          tuberculosis in areas of high prevalence.
              (16) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
          is actively involved with global tuberculosis control efforts 
          since the global tuberculosis epidemic directly impacts 
          tuberculosis in the United States, and because Congress has 
          strongly urged the CDC each year to increase its involvement 
          with international tuberculosis control efforts.
              (17) The CDC is assisting countries with a high burden of 
          tuberculosis to--
                      (A) implement the World Health Organization-
                  recommended control strategies by improving the 
                  capacity to diagnose and cure individuals with 
                  tuberculosis;
                      (B) improve the capacity to diagnose, treat, and 
                  prevent tuberculosis in HIV-infected individuals and 
                  individuals with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis; and
                      (C) conduct programmatically-relevant operational 
                  research to identify and evaluate new diagnostics, 
                  treatment regimes, and interventions to control 
                  tuberculosis.
  
  SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO COMBAT TUBERCULOSIS.
  
      (a) Policy.--Section 104B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
  (22 U.S.C. 2151b-3(b)) is amended to read as follows:
      ``(b) Policy.--It is a major objective of the foreign assistance 
  program of the United States to control tuberculosis. In all countries 
  in which the United States Agency for International Development has 
  established development programs, the following goals in the battle 
  against tuberculosis should be achieved by not later than December 31, 
  2015:
              ``(1) Reduce by half the tuberculosis death and disease 
          burden from the 1990 baseline.
              ``(2) Sustain or exceed the detection of at least 70 
          percent of cases of tuberculosis infection and the cure of at 
          least 85 percent of those cases detected.''.
      (b) Authorization.--Section 104B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act 
  of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b-3(c)) is amended by striking ``is authorized 
  to'' and inserting ``shall''.
      (c) Priority to Stop TB Strategy.--Section 104B(e) of the Foreign 
  Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b-3(e)) is amended--
              (1) in the heading, to read as follows: ``Priority to Stop 
          TB Strategy.--'';
              (2) in the first sentence, by striking ``In furnishing'' 
          and all that follows through ``, including funding'' and 
          inserting the following:
              ``(1) Priority.--In furnishing assistance under subsection 
          (c), the President shall give priority to--
                      ``(A) activities described in the Stop TB Strategy, 
                  including expansion and enhancement of DOTS coverage, 
                  treatment for individuals infected with both 
                  tuberculosis and HIV and treatment for individuals with 
                  multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), 
                  strengthening of health systems, use of the 
                  International Standards for Tuberculosis Care by all 
                  providers, empowering individuals with tuberculosis, 
                  and enabling and promoting research to develop new 
                  diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines, and program-based 
                  operational research relating to tuberculosis; and
                      ``(B) funding''; and
              (3) in the second sentence--
                      (A) by striking ``In order to'' and all that 
                  follows through ``not less than'' and inserting the 
                  following:
              ``(2) Availability of amounts.--In order to meet the 
          requirements of paragraph (1), the President--
                      ``(A) shall ensure that not less than'';
                      (B) by striking ``for Directly Observed Treatment 
                  Short-course (DOTS) coverage and treatment of multi-
                  drug resistant tuberculosis using DOTS-Plus,'' and 
                  inserting ``to implement the Stop TB Strategy; and''; 
                  and
                      (C) by striking ``including'' and all that follows 
                  and inserting the following:
                      ``(B) should ensure that not less than $15,000,000 
                  of the amount made available to carry out this section 
                  for a fiscal year is used to make a contribution to the 
                  Global Tuberculosis Drug Facility.''.
      (d) Assistance for WHO and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership.--
  Section 104B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b-3) 
  is amended--
              (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and
              (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
          subsection:
      ``(f) Assistance for WHO and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership.--In 
  carrying out this section, the President, acting through the 
  Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
  Development, is authorized to provide increased resources to the World 
  Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to 
  improve the capacity of countries with high rates of tuberculosis and 
  other affected countries to implement the Stop TB Strategy.''.
      (e) Definitions.--Section 104B(g) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
  1961, as redesignated by subsection (d)(1), is amended--
              (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end before the 
          period the following: ``, including low cost and effective 
          diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of tuberculosis, as well 
          as a reliable drug supply, and a management strategy for public 
          health systems, with health system strengthening, promotion of 
          the use of the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care by 
          all care providers, bacteriology under an external quality 
          assessment framework, short-course chemotherapy, and sound 
          reporting and recording systems''; and
              (2) by adding after paragraph (5) the following new 
          paragraph:
              ``(6) Stop tb strategy.--The term `Stop TB Strategy' means 
          the strategy described in the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015: 
          Actions for Life, a comprehensive plan developed by the Stop 
          Tuberculosis Partnership that sets out the actions necessary to 
          achieve the millennium development goal of cutting tuberculosis 
          deaths and disease burden in half by 2015.''.
      (f) Annual Report.--Section 104A(e)(2)(C)(iii) of the Foreign 
  Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b-2(e)(2)(C)(iii)) is amended by 
  adding at the end before the semicolon the following: ``, including the 
  percentage of such United States foreign assistance provided for 
  diagnosis and treatment of individuals with tuberculosis in countries 
  with the highest rates of tuberculosis, as determined by the World 
  Health Organization (WHO)''.
      (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
  appropriated to the President not less than $225,000,000 for fiscal 
  year 2007 and not less than $260,000,000 for fiscal year 2008 to carry 
  out section 104B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
  2151b-3), as amended by subsections (a) through (e) of this section.
  
  SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR GLOBAL TUBERCULOSIS 
                ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND 
                PREVENTION.
  
      For the purpose of carrying out global tuberculosis activities 
  through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 
  authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and such 
  sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008. Such authorization of 
  appropriations is in addition to other authorizations of appropriations 
  that are available for such purposes. Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
  the authorization of appropriations under this section shall remain 
  available until expended.
target: Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act of 2006 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require (currently, authorizes) the President to furnish assistance for tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, and elimination.
  
  Gives priority to activities described in the Stop TB Strategy (as defined by this Act). Revises related fund use provisions.
  
  Authorizes the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide increased resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to improve the capacity of countries with high TB rates and other affected countries to implement the Stop TB Strategy.
  
  Authorizes appropriations for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) TB activities.
feat_title: A bill to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide increased assistance for the prevention, treatment, and control of tuberculosis, and for other purposes.