Combating antimicrobial resistance

The Secretary shall establish an Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary and coordinate Federal programs relating to antimicrobial resistance. The Secretary may appoint or select a committee, or other organization in existence as of November 13, 2000, to serve as such a task force, if such committee, or other organization meets the requirements of this section. The task force described in paragraph (1) shall be composed of representatives from such Federal agencies, and shall seek input from public health constituencies, manufacturers, veterinary and medical professional societies and others, as determined to be necessary by the Secretary, to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to address the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance. The task force described in paragraph (1) shall consider factors the Secretary considers appropriate, including— The Secretary, in consultation with the task force described in paragraph (1) and State and local public health officials, shall— The task force described under paragraph (1) shall convene not less than twice a year, or more frequently as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. The Secretary and the Director of Agricultural Research Services, consistent with the recommendations of the task force established under subsection (a), shall directly or through awards of grants or cooperative agreements to public or private entities provide for the conduct of research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, and studies in the health sciences that are related to— The Secretary, after consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Surgeon General, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, members of the task force described in subsection (a), professional organizations and societies, and such other public health officials as may be necessary, shall— The Secretary shall award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to increase the capacity to detect, monitor, and combat antimicrobial resistance. Eligible entities for grants under paragraph (1) shall be State or local public health agencies, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, or other public or private nonprofit entities. An eligible entity receiving a grant under paragraph (1) shall use funds from such grant for activities that are consistent with the factors identified by the task force under subsection (a)(3), which may include activities that— The Secretary shall award competitive grants to eligible entities to establish demonstration programs to promote judicious use of antimicrobial drugs or control the spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. Eligible entities for grants under paragraph (1) may include hospitals, clinics, institutions of long-term care, professional medical societies, schools or programs that train medical laboratory personnel, or other public or private nonprofit entities. The Secretary shall provide appropriate technical assistance to eligible entities that receive grants under paragraph (1). The Secretary shall encourage reporting on aggregate antimicrobial drug use and antimicrobial resistance to antimicrobial drugs and the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs by health care facilities of the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Indian Health Service and shall provide technical assistance to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as appropriate and upon request. Not later than 1 year after December 13, 2016, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and make publicly available data and information concerning— coordination between the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs with respect to the monitoring of— The Secretary shall, as appropriate, disseminate guidance, educational materials, or other appropriate materials related to the development and implementation of evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship programs or practices at health care facilities, such as nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, dialysis centers, outpatient clinics, and hospitals, including community and rural hospitals. The Secretary shall continue to work with State and local public health departments on statewide or regional programs related to antimicrobial resistance. Such efforts may include activities to related to— For the purposes of supporting stewardship activities, examining changes in antimicrobial resistance, and evaluating the effectiveness of section 356(h) of title 21, the Secretary shall— evaluate— The Secretary shall use available systems, including the National Healthcare Safety Network or other systems identified by the Secretary, to fulfill the requirements or conduct activities under this section. The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall, as appropriate, maintain a network of antibiotic resistance laboratory sites to ensure the maintenance of appropriate capabilities, within existing laboratory capacity maintained or supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to— The Secretary shall ensure that such capacity and capabilities are appropriately distributed among the geographical regions of the United States. Activities supported under this subsection may be based in an academic center, a State health department, or other facility operated by a public or private entity that carries out relevant laboratory or public health surveillance activities. The Secretary, in coordination with heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall support activities related to addressing antimicrobial resistance internationally, including by— In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary may award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public and private entities, including nongovernmental organizations, with applicable expertise, for purposes of supporting new and innovative approaches to the prevention, detection, and mitigation of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. For purposes of subsections (f) through (j), the term “antimicrobial” includes any antibacterial or antifungal drugs, and may include drugs that eliminate or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms, as appropriate. Funds appropriated under this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, and local public funds provided for activities under this section. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2002 and 2003, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2006.