Congress approves Bioterrorism bill - Updata - Brief Article

Healthcare Financial Management, July, 2002

Bioterrorism legislation, haggled over since late 2001, was recently approved by both chambers of Congress and now awaits President Bush's signature. Provisions of interest to the healthcare industry include:

* Development of training materials for recognizing and identifying bioweapons and care of their victims;

* Grants for training and education of certain health professionals (with amounts identified as "such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2002 through 2006");

* $520 million in grants to states for enhancing preparedness of hospitals, clinics, health centers, and primary care facilities; and

* Enhancement of the systems for readiness, training, and equipment of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In total, the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 is estimated to cost $4.6 billion, although the phrase "such sums as may be necessary" appears throughout the bill.

To read the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search for "HR 3448." To read additional information from the Web site of the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee, go to http://energycommerce.house.gov.