text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Health Empowerment Zone Act of 
  2003''.
  
  SEC. 2. HEALTH EMPOWERMENT ZONES.
  
      (a) Health Empowerment Zone Programs.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
          Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health 
          Resources and Services Administration and the Director of the 
          Office of Minority Health, and in cooperation with the Director 
          of the Office of Community Services and the Director of the 
          National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities--
                      (A) shall designate health empowerment zones in 
                  accordance with paragraph (2); and
                      (B) shall make grants in accordance with paragraph 
                  (3).
              (2) Designation of health empowerment zones.--The Secretary 
          may designate a community as a health empowerment zone if--
                      (A) a community partnership seeking a grant under 
                  this section requests that the community be designated 
                  as a health empowerment zone; and
                      (B) the community partnership demonstrates, to the 
                  Secretary's satisfaction, that the community is a 
                  community of color that experiences disproportionate 
                  disparities in health status and health care.
              (3) Grants.--The Secretary shall make grants to community 
          partnerships of private and public entities to establish health 
          empowerment zone programs.
              (4) Use of funds.--Grants under this section shall be used 
          for the establishment of a health empowerment zone program to 
          assist individuals, businesses, schools, minority health 
          associations, nonprofit organizations, community-based 
          organizations, hospitals, health care clinics, and foundations 
          in a health empowerment zone that are seeking--
                      (A) to effectively access Federal programs to 
                  improve the health or environment of 1 or more minority 
                  individuals in the community and eliminate racial and 
                  ethnic disparities in health status and health care; 
                  and
                      (B) to coordinate the efforts of governmental and 
                  private entities regarding the elimination of racial 
                  and ethnic disparities in health status and health 
                  care.
              (5) Establishment in territory or possession.--The 
          Secretary shall make at least 1 grant under this section to a 
          community partnership for a health empowerment zone program in 
          a health empowerment zone that is located in a territory or 
          possession of the United States.
              (6) Application.--To seek the designation of a community as 
          a health empowerment zone and to obtain a grant under this 
          section, a community partnership shall submit to the Secretary 
          an application in such form and in such manner as the Secretary 
          may require. An application under this paragraph shall--
                      (A) demonstrate that the community to be served is 
                  a community of color that experiences disproportionate 
                  disparities in health status and health care;
                      (B) set forth a strategic plan for the proposed 
                  health empowerment zone program, by--
                              (i) describing the coordinated health, 
                          economic, human, community, and physical 
                          development plan and related activities 
                          proposed for the community involved;
                              (ii) describing the inclusion of the 
                          community involved as a full partner in the 
                          process of developing, implementing, 
                          monitoring, and evaluating the strategic plan 
                          and the extent to which local institutions and 
                          organizations have contributed to the planning 
                          process;
                              (iii) identifying the projected amount of 
                          Federal, State, local, and private resources 
                          that will be available in the area and the 
                          private and public community partnerships to be 
                          used (including any participation by or 
                          cooperation with universities, colleges, 
                          foundations, nonprofit organizations, medical 
                          centers, hospitals, health clinics, school 
                          districts, or other private and public 
                          entities);
                              (iv) identifying the funding requested 
                          under any Federal program in support of the 
                          proposed health, economic, human, community, 
                          and physical development, and related 
                          activities;
                              (v) identifying baselines, methods, health 
                          outcomes, and benchmarks for measuring the 
                          success of carrying out the strategic plan;
                              (vi) demonstrating the ability to 
                          effectively reach and service the targeted 
                          underserved minority community populations in a 
                          culturally appropriate and linguistically 
                          responsive manner;
                              (vii) demonstrating a capacity and 
                          infrastructure to provide long-term community 
                          response that is culturally appropriate and 
                          linguistically responsive to a community of 
                          color that experiences disproportionate 
                          disparities in health status and health care; 
                          and
                              (viii) identifying the individuals who have 
                          agreed to serve as members of a health 
                          empowerment zone coordinating committee for the 
                          community involved; and
                      (C) include such other information as the Secretary 
                  may require.
              (7) Preference.--In awarding grants under this subsection, 
          the Secretary shall give preference to proposals from 
          indigenous community entities that have an expertise in 
          providing culturally appropriate and linguistically responsive 
          services to communities of color that experience 
          disproportionate disparities in health status and health care.
      (b) Federal Assistance for Health Empowerment Zone Grant 
  Programs.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
  Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Secretary of 
  Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and 
  the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall each--
              (1) where appropriate, provide entity-specific technical 
          assistance and evidence-based strategies to communities of 
          color that experience disproportionate disparities in health 
          status and health care to further the purposes of a health 
          empowerment zone program described in subsection (a)(5);
              (2) identify all programs administered by the Department of 
          Health and Human Services, the Small Business Administration, 
          the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the 
          Department of Labor, and the Department of Housing and Urban 
          Development, respectively, that may be used to further the 
          purposes of a health empowerment zone program described in 
          subsection (a)(5); and
              (3) in administering any program identified under paragraph 
          (2), give priority to any individual or entity located in a 
          community served by a health empowerment zone program under 
          subsection (a) if such priority would further the purposes of 
          the health empowerment zone program described in subsection 
          (a)(5).
      (c) Health Empowerment Zone Coordinating Committee.--
              (1) Establishment.--For each health empowerment zone 
          program established with a grant under subsection (a), the 
          Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of 
          Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health Resources 
          and Services Administration, shall establish a health 
          empowerment zone coordinating committee.
              (2) Duties.--Each coordinating committee established, in 
          coordination with the Director of the Office of Minority Health 
          and the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
          Administration, shall provide technical assistance and 
          evidence-based strategies to the grant recipient involved, 
          including providing guidance on research, strategies, health 
          outcomes, program goals, management, implementation, 
          monitoring, assessment, and evaluation processes.
              (3) Membership.--
                      (A) Appointment.--The Director of the Office of 
                  Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health 
                  Resources and Services Administration, in consultation 
                  with the respective grant recipient, shall appoint the 
                  members of each coordinating committee.
                      (B) Composition.--The Director of the Office of 
                  Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health 
                  Resources and Services Administration shall ensure that 
                  each coordinating committee--
                              (i) has not more than 20 members;
                              (ii) includes individuals from communities 
                          of color that experience disproportionate 
                          disparities in health status and health care;
                              (iii) includes community leaders and 
                          leaders of community-based organizations;
                              (iv) includes representatives of academia 
                          and lay and professional organizations and 
                          associations including those having expertise 
                          in medicine, technical, social and behavioral 
                          science, health policy, advocacy, cultural and 
                          linguistic competency, research management, and 
                          organization; and
                              (v) represents a reasonable cross-section 
                          of knowledge, views, and application of 
                          expertise on societal, ethical, behavioral, 
                          educational, policy, legal, cultural, 
                          linguistic, and workforce issues related to 
                          eliminating disparities in health and health 
                          care.
                      (C) Qualifications.--The Director of the Office of 
                  Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health 
                  Resources and Services Administration shall ensure that 
                  the members of each coordinating committee meet the 
                  following:
                              (i) No member is employed by the Federal 
                          Government.
                              (ii) Each member has appropriate 
                          experience, including experience in the areas 
                          of community development, cultural and 
                          linguistic competency, reducing and eliminating 
                          racial and ethnic disparities in health and 
                          health care, or minority health.
                              (iii) A majority of the members reside in 
                          the health empowerment zone involved.
                      (D) Selection.--In selecting individuals to serve 
                  on a coordinating committee, the Director of the Office 
                  of Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health 
                  Resources and Services Administration shall give due 
                  consideration to the recommendations of the Congress, 
                  industry leaders, the scientific community (including 
                  the Institute of Medicine), academia, community based 
                  nonprofit organizations, minority health and related 
                  organizations, the education community, State and local 
                  governments, and other appropriate organizations.
                      (E) Chairperson.--The Director of the Office of 
                  Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health 
                  Resources and Services Administration, in consultation 
                  with the members of the coordinating committee 
                  involved, shall designate a chairperson of the 
                  coordinating committee, who shall serve for a term of 3 
                  years and who may be reappointed at the expiration of 
                  each such term.
                      (F) Terms.--Each member of a coordinating committee 
                  shall be appointed for a term of 1 to 3 years in 
                  overlapping staggered terms, as determined by the 
                  Director of the Office of Minority Health and the 
                  Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
                  Administration at the time of appointment, and may be 
                  reappointed at the expiration of each such term.
                      (G) Vacancies.--A vacancy on a coordinating 
                  committee shall be filled in the same manner in which 
                  the original appointment was made.
                      (H) Compensation.--The members of a coordinating 
                  committee shall serve without pay.
                      (I) Travel expenses.--Each member of a coordinating 
                  committee shall receive travel expenses, including per 
                  diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with 
                  applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 
                  of title 5, United States Code.
              (4) Staff; experts and consultants.--
                      (A) Staff.--The chairperson of a coordinating 
                  committee may appoint and fix the pay of additional 
                  personnel as the chairperson considers appropriate.
                      (B) Experts and consultants.--The chairperson of a 
                  coordinating committee may procure temporary and 
                  intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, 
                  United States Code.
              (5) Meetings.--A coordinating committee shall meet 3 to 5 
          times each year, at the call of the coordinating committee's 
          chairperson and in consultation with the Director of the Office 
          of Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health 
          Resources and Services Administration.
              (6) Report.--Each coordinating committee shall transmit to 
          the Congress an annual report that, with respect to the health 
          empowerment zone program involved, includes the following:
                      (A) A review of the program's effectiveness in 
                  achieving stated goals and outcomes, and overcoming 
                  challenges.
                      (B) A review of the program's management and 
                  coordination of the entities involved.
                      (C) A review of the activities in the program's 
                  portfolio and components.
                      (D) An identification of policy issues raised by 
                  the program.
                      (E) An assessment of program's results including 
                  that of capacity, infrastructure, number of underserved 
                  minority communities reached and retained in the effort 
                  in a defined time frame.
                      (F) Recommendations for new program goals, research 
                  areas, enhanced approaches, community partnerships, 
                  coordination and management mechanisms, and projects to 
                  be established to achieve the program's stated goals, 
                  to improve outcomes, assessments, monitoring, and 
                  evaluation.
                      (G) A review of the degree of minority entities 
                  participation in the program, and an identification of 
                  a strategy to increase such participation.
                      (H) Any other reviews or recommendations determined 
                  to be appropriate by the coordinating committee.
      (d) Report.--The Director of the Office of Minority Health and the 
  Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration shall 
  submit a joint annual report to the appropriate committees of the 
  Congress on the results of the implementation of programs under this 
  section.
      (e) Definitions.--In this section:
              (1) Coordinating committee.--The term ``coordinating 
          committee'' means a health empowerment zone coordinating 
          committee established under this section.
              (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
          of Health and Human Services.
      (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for fiscal year 
  2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2005 
  through 2010.
target: Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate a community as a health empowerment zone if a participating community partnership: (1) requests such designation; and (2) demonstrates that the community is a community of color experiencing disproportionate disparities in health status and health care.
  
   Directs the Secretary to make: (1) grants to community partnerships of private and public entities to establish health empowerment zone programs to assist individuals, businesses, schools, minority health associations, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, health care clinics, and foundations in a health empowerment zone that are seeking to improve the health or environment of minority individuals and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health status and health care; (2) at least one grant in a health empowerment zone in a U.S. territory or possession; and (3) establish a health empowerment zone coordinating committee for each zone.
  
  Directs the Secretary, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance for such programs.
feat_title: To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish health empowerment zone programs in communities that disproportionately experience disparities in health status and health care, and for other purposes.