text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``National Traumatic Brain Injury 
  Research and Treatment Improvement Act of 2015''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      (a) Findings.--The Congress finds as follows:
              (1) State data and monitoring systems provide reliable data 
          on injury causes and risk factors, identify trends in the 
          incidence of traumatic brain injury, enable the development of 
          cause-specific prevention strategies focused on populations at 
          greatest risk, and monitor the effectiveness of such 
          strategies.
              (2) Since 1995, when the Centers for Disease Control and 
          Prevention published Guidelines for Surveillance of Central 
          Nervous System Injury, additional causes of traumatic brain 
          injury have emerged: military-related traumatic brain injuries; 
          sports-related concussions; traffic injuries resulting from 
          texting while driving; and increasing numbers of falls-related 
          traumatic brain injuries among older adults.
              (3) In their 2013 report, Sports-Related Concussions in 
          Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture, the 
          Institute on Medicine and the National Research Council noted 
          that there is currently a lack of data to accurately estimate 
          the incidence of sports-related concussions across a variety of 
          sports and for youth across the pediatric age spectrum. The 
          report recommended that the Centers for Disease Control and 
          Prevention establish and oversee a national surveillance system 
          to accurately determine the incidence of sports-related 
          concussions, including those in youth ages 5 to 21, taking into 
          account Federal efforts to collect information on traumatic 
          brain injury.
              (4) Traumatic brain injury is a substantial public health 
          problem among older persons. As the population of older persons 
          continues to grow in the United States, the need to design and 
          implement proven and cost-effective prevention measures that 
          focus on the leading causes of traumatic brain injury becomes 
          more urgent.
              (5) In order to implement this Act, the Centers for Disease 
          Control and Prevention needs to collaborate with Federal 
          agencies reporting military-related traumatic brain injuries, 
          school systems reporting traumatic brain injuries, Medicaid and 
          other Federal programs, and State agencies.
  
  SEC. 3. ESTABLISHING REQUIREMENTS TO IMPROVE THE RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 
                OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
  
      (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall--
              (1) evaluate existing surveillance and data collections 
          systems that track the incidence and circumstances of traumatic 
          brain injury, including concussion;
              (2) not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of 
          this Act, submit a report to the Congress outlining the 
          findings of the evaluation under paragraph (1); and
              (3) establish a statistically sound, scientifically 
          credible, integrated surveillance system regarding traumatic 
          brain injury, to be known as the ``National Traumatic Brain 
          Injury Surveillance System''.
      (b) Research.--The Secretary shall ensure that the National 
  Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance System is designed in a manner that 
  facilitates further research on brain injury.
      (c) Content.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary--
              (1) shall provide for the collection and storage of 
          information (excluding personally identifiable information) on 
          the incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury, 
          including concussion, in the United States across the lifespan;
              (2) to the extent practicable, shall provide for the 
          collection and storage of other available information 
          (excluding personally identifiable information) on traumatic 
          brain injury, such as information concerning demographics and 
          other information associated with the incidence of a traumatic 
          brain injury, such as--
                      (A) age;
                      (B) race and ethnicity;
                      (C) sex;
                      (D) geographic location;
                      (E) history of head injury (including injury type 
                  and the approximate date of injury);
                      (F) pre-existing conditions, such as learning 
                  disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity 
                  disorder; and
                      (G) co-occurring issues, such as substance abuse or 
                  post-traumatic stress disorder;
              (3) to the extent practicable, shall provide for the 
          collection and storage of information relevant to analysis on 
          traumatic brain injury, such as information concerning--
                      (A) impact location on the body and nature of the 
                  impact;
                      (B) qualifications of personnel making the 
                  traumatic brain injury diagnosis;
                      (C) assessment tool used to make the diagnosis;
                      (D) signs and symptoms consistent with a head 
                  injury;
                      (E) sport or activity and the level of competition 
                  (if a sports-related activity);
                      (F) use of protective equipment and impact 
                  monitoring devices; and
                      (G) severity of the traumatic brain injury; and
              (4) may address issues identified during the consultation 
          process under subsection (d).
      (d) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary 
  shall consult with individuals with appropriate expertise, including--
              (1) epidemiologists with experience in disease surveillance 
          or registries;
              (2) representatives of national health associations that--
                      (A) focus on brain injury; and
                      (B) have demonstrated experience in research, care, 
                  or patient services;
              (3) State public health agencies;
              (4) health information technology experts or other 
          information management specialists;
              (5) clinicians with expertise in brain injury;
              (6) research scientists with experience conducting brain 
          research or utilizing surveillance systems for scientific 
          research purposes;
              (7) medical facilities of the Department of Veterans 
          Affairs; and
              (8) behavioral health centers.
      (e) Grants.--The Secretary may award grants to, or enter into 
  contracts or cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit 
  entities to carry out activities under this section.
      (f) Coordination With Other Federal Agencies.--Subject to 
  subsection (h), the Secretary shall make information and analysis in 
  the National Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance System available, as 
  appropriate, to Federal departments and agencies, such as the National 
  Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, 
  the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
  Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the 
  Department of Education, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the 
  Department of Defense.
      (g) Public Access.--Subject to subsection (h), the Secretary shall 
  make information and analysis in the National Traumatic Brain Injury 
  Surveillance System available, as appropriate, to the public, including 
  researchers.
      (h) Privacy.--The Secretary shall ensure that privacy and security 
  protections applicable to the National Traumatic Brain Injury 
  Surveillance System are at least as stringent as the privacy and 
  security protections under HIPAA privacy and security law, including 
  nondisclosure of personally identifiable information.
      (i) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
  this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress 
  concerning the implementation of this section. Such report shall 
  include information on--
              (1) the development and maintenance of the National 
          Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance System;
              (2) the type of information collected and stored in the 
          System;
              (3) the use and availability of such information, including 
          guidelines for such use; and
              (4) the use and coordination of databases that collect or 
          maintain information on traumatic brain injury.
      (j) Definition.--In this Act:
              (1) National health association.--The term ``national 
          health association'' means a national nonprofit organization 
          with chapters, other affiliated organizations, or networks in 
          States throughout the United States.
              (2) HIPAA privacy and security law.--The term ``HIPAA 
          privacy and security law'' has the meaning given to that term 
          in section 3009 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
          300jj-19).
              (3) Personally identifiable information.--The term 
          ``personally identifiable information'' means information which 
          can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity 
          (such as their name, social security number, or biometric 
          records) either alone or when combined with other personal or 
          identifying information which is linked or linkable to a 
          specific individual (such as date of birth, place of birth, and 
          mother's maiden name).
              (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
          of Health and Human Services.
              (5) Surveillance.--The term ``surveillance'' means the 
          ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and 
          dissemination of data (other than personally identifiable 
          information) regarding a health-related event for use in public 
          health action to reduce morbidity and mortality and to improve 
          health.
              (6) Traumatic brain injury.--The term ``traumatic brain 
          injury'' means an injury to the head arising from blunt or 
          penetrating trauma or from acceleration or deceleration forces 
          associated with one or more of the following: decreased level 
          of consciousness, amnesia, objective neurologic or 
          neuropsychological abnormalities, skull fractures, diagnosed 
          intracranial lesions, or head injury listed as a cause of death 
          in the death certificate.
      (k) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this Act, there 
  are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary.
target: National Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Treatment Improvement Act of 2015 Requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) evaluate existing surveillance and data collection systems that track the incidence and circumstances of traumatic brain injury, including concussion; (2) establish a statistically sound, scientifically credible, and integrated National Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance System; and (3) ensure that the System is designed in a manner that facilitates further research on brain injury.    Requires the CDC to make information and analysis in the System available to the public and ensure that privacy and security protections applicable to the System are at least as stringent as those under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
feat_title: National Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Treatment Improvement Act of 2015