§ 247d. Public health emergencies

facilitate coordination between and among Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial entities and public and private health care entities that the Secretary determines may be affected by a public health emergency or potential public health emergency referred to in paragraph (1) (including communication of such entities with relevant international entities, as applicable);

make grants, provide for awards, enter into contracts, and conduct supportive investigations pertaining to a public health emergency or potential public health emergency, including further supporting programs under section 247d–3a, 247d–3b, or 247d–3c of this title;

facilitate and accelerate, as applicable, advanced research and development of security countermeasures (as defined in section 247d–6b of this title), qualified countermeasures (as defined in section 247d–6a of this title), or qualified pandemic or epidemic products (as defined in section 247d–6d of this title), that are applicable to the public health emergency or potential public health emergency under paragraph (1);

strengthen biosurveillance capabilities and laboratory capacity to identify, collect, and analyze information regarding such public health emergency or potential public health emergency, including the systems under section 247d–4 of this title;

support initial emergency operations and assets related to preparation and deployment of intermittent disaster response personnel under section 300hh–11 of this title and the Medical Reserve Corps under section 300hh–15 of this title;

support the initial deployment and distribution of contents of the Strategic National Stockpile, as appropriate; and

carry out other activities, as the Secretary determines applicable and appropriate.

the expenditures made from the Public Health Emergency Fund in such fiscal year, including—

each public health emergency for which the expenditures were made and the activities undertaken with respect to each emergency which was conducted or supported by expenditures from the Fund.

conduct a review of the Fund under this section, including its uses and the resources available in the Fund; and

submit to 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 on such review, including recommendations related to such review, as applicable.

any initial request for temporary reassignment of personnel; and

any request for an extension of such temporary reassignment.

not later than 6 months after

after providing notice and a 60-day period for public comment, finalize such guidance.

a description of how, and under what circumstances, such temporary reassignment has been used by States and Indian tribes;

an analysis of how such temporary reassignment has assisted States and Indian tribes in responding to public health emergencies;

an evaluation of how such temporary reassignment has improved operational efficiencies in responding to public health emergencies;

an analysis of the extent to which, if any, Federal programs from which personnel have been temporarily reassigned have been adversely affected by the reassignment; and

recommendations on how medical surge capacity could be improved in responding to public health emergencies and the impact of the reassignment flexibility under this section on such surge capacity.

the terms “Indian tribe” and “tribal organization” have the meanings given such terms in section 5304 of title 25; and

the term “State” includes, in addition to the entities listed in the definition of such term in section 201 of this title, the Freely Associated States.

the circumstances of such public health emergency, or potential for such significantly likely public health emergency, including the specific preparation for and response to such public health emergency or threat, necessitate a waiver from the requirements of subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44 (commonly referred to as the Paperwork Reduction Act),

address a critical hiring need directly related to responding to a public health emergency declared by the Secretary under this section; or

address a severe shortage of candidates that impacts the operational capacity of the Department of Health and Human Services to respond in the event of a public health emergency declared by the Secretary under this section.

400 individuals under paragraph (1)(A); and

100 individuals under paragraph (1)(B).

the number of positions filled through such authority;

the types of appointments of such positions;

the titles, occupational series, and grades of such positions;

the number of positions publicly noticed to be filled under such authority;

the number of qualified applicants who apply for such positions;

the qualification criteria for such positions; and

the demographic information of individuals appointed to such positions.

information on each such appointment within such fiscal year;

a description of how each such position relates to the requirements of subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1); and

the additional number of personnel, if any, the Secretary anticipates to be necessary to adequately support a response to a public health emergency declared under this section using the authorities described in paragraph (1) within such fiscal year.