text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Public Health Equity Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds that--
              (1) all communities and individuals are entitled to 
          protection from occupational and other exposure to substances 
          that are hazardous to the public health;
              (2) hazardous substances have had a disproportionate impact 
          on the public health of poor and ethnic minority communities 
          and individuals, resulting in exclusion from participation in, 
          denial of benefits under, and discrimination under, programs 
          and activities receiving Federal financial assistance; and
              (3) each Federal agency has an obligation to ensure that 
          all federally assisted programs and activities that affect 
          human health do not directly or through contractual 
          arrangements use criteria, methods, or practices that cause 
          discrimination on the ground of race, color, or national 
          origin.
  
  SEC. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH EQUITY.
  
      The Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is amended by 
  adding at the end thereof the following new title:
  
                    ``TITLE XXVII--PUBLIC HEALTH EQUITY
  
  ``SEC. 2701. DEFINITIONS.
  
      ``As used in this title:
              ``(1) Activity; program.--The term `program or activity' 
          means any operation of--
                      ``(A)(i) a department, agency, special purpose 
                  district, or other instrumentality of a State or of a 
                  local government; or
                      ``(ii) the entity of such State or local government 
                  that distributes such assistance and each such 
                  department or agency (and each other State or local 
                  government entity) to which the assistance is extended, 
                  in the case of assistance to a State or local 
                  government;
                      ``(B)(i) a college, university, or other 
                  postsecondary institution, or a public system of higher 
                  education; or
                      ``(ii) a local educational agency (as defined in 
                  section 198(a)(10) of the Elementary and Secondary 
                  Education Act of 1965), system of vocational education, 
                  or other school system;
                      ``(C)(i) an entire corporation, partnership, or 
                  other private organization, or an entire sole 
                  proprietorship--
                              ``(I) if assistance is extended to such 
                          corporation, partnership, private organization, 
                          or sole proprietorship as a whole; or
                              ``(II) which is principally engaged in the 
                          business of providing education, health care, 
                          housing, social services, or parks and 
                          recreation; or
                      ``(ii) the entire plant or other comparable, 
                  geographically separate facility to which Federal 
                  financial assistance is extended, in the case of any 
                  other corporation, partnership, private organization, 
                  or sole proprietorship; or
                      ``(D) any other entity which is established by two 
                  or more of the entities described in subparagraph (A), 
                  (B), or (C);
          any part of which is extended Federal financial assistance 
          relating to a covered substance.
              ``(2) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' has the 
          meaning given the term in section 511(7) of the Education for 
          Economic Security Act (20 U.S.C. 4020(7)).
              ``(3) Covered substance.--The term `covered substance' 
          means--
                      ``(A) any material subject to the requirements 
                  concerning material safety data sheets for chemicals 
                  under the Occupational and Safety and Health Act of 
                  1970 (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.);
                      ``(B) any contaminant identified in title XIV;
                      ``(C) any substance described in section 201(q) of 
                  the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 
                  321(q)), and any material registered pursuant to the 
                  Act referred to in such section;
                      ``(D) any chemical listed by the National 
                  Toxicology Program of the Department of Health and 
                  Human Services as a known or probable human carcinogen; 
                  and
                      ``(E) any substance defined in section 101(14) of 
                  the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
                  and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601(14)) and any 
                  chemical subject to section 313 of the Emergency 
                  Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (42 
                  U.S.C. 11023).
  
  ``SEC. 2702. NONDISCRIMINATION.
  
      ``(a) Prohibition of Discrimination.--The President shall ensure 
  that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the 
  benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under, any program or 
  activity, on the ground of race, color, or national origin.
      ``(b) Promulgation of Regulations.--
              ``(1) Subject.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary of 
          Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
          Administrator, and any other head of a Federal agency with 
          responsibility for providing Federal financial assistance to a 
          program or activity shall issue regulations implementing the 
          nondiscrimination requirements described in subsection (a) in 
          accordance with any applicable law. The regulations shall bar 
          acts with discriminatory effects as well as intentionally 
          discriminatory acts. The regulations shall address actions of 
          programs or activities that result in disproportionate exposure 
          to a covered substance on the basis of race, color, or national 
          origin.
              ``(2) Timetable.--In issuing regulations under paragraph 
          (1)--
                      ``(A) not later than 180 days after the date of 
                  enactment of this Act, each individual described in 
                  paragraph (1) shall publish a notice of proposed 
                  rulemaking in the Federal Register;
                      ``(B) each individual described in paragraph (1) 
                  shall provide a public comment period, subject to 
                  section 553 of title 5, United States Code, of 60 days 
                  after the publication of the notice of proposed 
                  rulemaking required under subparagraph (A); and
                      ``(C) not later than 45 days after the close of the 
                  public comment period required under subparagraph (B), 
                  each individual described in paragraph (1) shall 
                  publish final regulations.''.
target: Public Health Equity Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add a new title, title XXVII:  Public Health Equity.  Prohibits, under such title, acts with discriminatory effect as well as intentionally discriminatory acts that result in disproportionate exposure to a covered substance on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Defines a covered substance to include certain hazardous materials, substances, contaminants, or chemicals listed, identified, or defined in specified laws.
feat_title: Public Health Equity Act