text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Public Health Coordinating Council 
  Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH COORDINATING COUNCIL.
  
      (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
  (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), acting in 
  collaboration with the Surgeon General, shall establish a National 
  Public Health Coordinating Council (referred to in this section as the 
  ``Council'') to facilitate and strengthen sustained communication and 
  coordination across Federal agencies and offices regarding public 
  health and to review and make recommendations concerning adequate and 
  needed socio-economic and environmental policies to reduce health 
  disparities and improve the public's health.
      (b) Composition.--The Council shall be composed of--
              (1) the heads of each Federal department or agency (or 
          their designees) that administers a program related to, or 
          affected by, public health policies and projects (including 
          medical and population-based public health programs), including 
          the Secretary, the Surgeon General, the heads of the institutes 
          and agencies within the Department of Health and Human 
          Services, the heads of those Centers for Disease Control and 
          Prevention centers determined appropriate by the Secretary, and 
          the heads of other Federal departments and agencies, including 
          the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the 
          Department of Defense, the Department of Education, the 
          Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
          Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of 
          Homeland Security, the Department of the Interior, the 
          Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the 
          Department of Transportation;
              (2) representatives from each of the 10 regional health 
          offices of the Department of Health and Human Services, who 
          shall provide a State, local, and tribal perspective;
              (3) health advisors or other members of the President's 
          domestic policy and domestic security councils;
              (4) public health experts who are not employed by the 
          Federal Government, of whom--
                      (A) two individuals shall be appointed by the 
                  President pro tempore of the Senate upon the 
                  recommendation of the Majority Leader of the Senate, 
                  after consultation with the Chairman of the Committee 
                  on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
                  Senate;
                      (B) two individuals shall be appointed by the 
                  President pro tempore of the Senate upon the 
                  recommendation of the Minority Leader of the Senate, 
                  after consultation with the ranking minority member of 
                  the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                  Pensions;
                      (C) three individuals shall be appointed by the 
                  Speaker of the House of Representatives, after 
                  consultation with the Chairman of the Committee on 
                  Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; 
                  and
                      (D) three individuals shall be appointed by the 
                  Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, after 
                  consultation with the ranking minority member of the 
                  Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
                  Representatives; and
              (5) other individuals determined appropriate by the 
          Secretary or the co-chairpersons of the Council.
      (c) Administrative Provisions.--
              (1) Chairperson.--The Surgeon General and the Assistant 
          Secretary for Health shall serve as the co-chairpersons of the 
          Council.
              (2) Terms.--Members of the Council appointed under 
          subsection (b)(4) shall serve for a term of 2 years and members 
          appointed under subsection (b)(5) shall serve for a term of 3 
          years, except that the initial terms of the members appointed 
          under subsection (b)(4) shall be staggered. Such members may be 
          reappointed for one or more additional term. Any member 
          appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term shall be 
          appointed for the remainder of such term. A member may serve 
          after the expiration of the member's term until a successor has 
          taken office.
              (3) Meetings.--The Council shall meet at the call of the 
          chairperson, but not fewer than 2 times each year. All meetings 
          of the Council shall be public and shall include appropriate 
          time periods for questions and presentations by the public.
              (4) Subcommittees; establishment and membership.--In 
          carrying out its functions, the Council may establish 
          subcommittees and convene workshops and conferences. Such 
          subcommittees shall be composed of Council members and may hold 
          such meetings as are necessary to enable the subcommittees to 
          carry out their duties.
              (5) Support.--The Council shall receive necessary and 
          appropriate administrative and other support from the 
          Secretary, including the detailing of Department of Health and 
          Human Services staff. The heads of the Federal entities 
          represented on the Council shall share information, data, 
          resources, and staff as appropriate.
      (d) Duties.--The Secretary shall determine the duties of the 
  Council, which shall at a minimum include--
              (1) reviewing existing Federal health programs and 
          policies, the Federal administration of such programs, and 
          whether such program provide for the availability of equitable 
          public health services across communities;
              (2) making recommendations for the modification of such 
          Federal programs and policies to improve public health;
              (3) making recommendations for the funding of such Federal 
          programs at levels that would improve public health;
              (4) seeking to strengthen the impact of Federal public 
          health efforts by improving interagency collaboration and 
          promoting a dialogue on broad public health issues;
              (5) making recommendations to improve the efficiency of 
          Federal health programs;
              (6) providing for the demonstration of Federal health 
          leadership through the activities of the council;
              (7) improving Federal communication regarding health 
          programs and policies through--
                      (A) the sharing of health-related information, 
                  knowledge, and data and the identification of gaps in 
                  comparable data and knowledge needed to improve the 
                  public's health; and
                      (B) the facilitation of new health-related 
                  partnerships, and enhancing existing networks across 
                  Federal agencies;
              (8) identifying needed technical assistance to State and 
          local public health agencies; and
              (9) carrying out other activities determined appropriate by 
          the Council to improve public health.
      (e) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the 
  Council is established, and biennially thereafter, the Council shall 
  submit to the President, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
  Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
  House of Representatives, a report that contains--
              (1) a description of the demonstrated strategic 
          collaboration among Federal entities with respect to health 
          programs and policies;
              (2) a summary of any evidence of improvements in 
          communication and collaboration between such Federal entities 
          with respect to Federal health programs and policies;
              (3) a description of any improvements in efficiencies of 
          activities by such Federal entities with respect to such health 
          programs and policies;
              (4) a description of the impact on public health of any 
          modifications to such Federal programs and policies made as a 
          result of the activities of the Council;
              (5) a description of progress made in meeting national 
          health objectives and the public health infrastructure required 
          to meet such objectives; and
              (6) recommendations for policies and programs to reduce 
          health disparities.
      (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section, such sums as may be necessary.
target: Public Health Coordinating Council Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a National Public Health Coordinating Council to: (1) facilitate and strengthen sustained communication and coordination across federal agencies and offices regarding public health; and (2) review and make recommendations concerning socioeconomic and environmental policies to reduce health disparities and improve the public's health.
  
  Requires the Secretary to determine the duties of the Council, which shall include: (1) reviewing existing federal health programs and policies for the availability of equitable public health services across communities; (2) making recommendations for the modification of such federal programs and policies to improve public health; and (3) seeking to strengthen the impact of federal public health efforts by improving interagency collaboration and promoting a dialogue on broad public health issues.
feat_title: A bill to establish a National Public Health Coordinating Council to assess the impact of Federal health-related socio-economic and environmental policies across Federal agencies to improve the public's health.