Sponsors (6)
The bill directs federal funding, research, and technical assistance to expand wastewater infectious‑disease surveillance and public reporting to improve early detection and transparency, while raising concerns about privacy, equitable access for under‑resourced jurisdictions, administrative burdens, and additional federal spending.
State, Tribal, and local health departments can receive federal funding to establish or expand wastewater surveillance capacity, enabling earlier detection of infectious-disease outbreaks in communities including rural areas and high‑risk facilities.
Researchers and public health practitioners will get funding to improve assay sensitivity and methods for inferring population-level infection trends from wastewater, which can make surveillance data more accurate and actionable.
The public and health partners will have access to published wastewater surveillance data via a public database/dashboard, improving transparency and enabling cross‑jurisdiction comparisons.
Residents of monitored communities and civil‑liberties advocates could face heightened privacy and civil‑liberties risks if wastewater surveillance data are used to target specific facilities or populations.
Jurisdictions with limited technical capacity or legal constraints may be disadvantaged by incentives that prioritize applicants who publicly share surveillance data.
Small and under-resourced health departments could face new administrative and technical burdens from standardized reporting and assay requirements.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes CDC grants and contracts to expand wastewater‑based infectious disease surveillance, requires guidance and public reporting, and funds related research for FY2026–FY2030.
Introduced March 11, 2026 by Tim Scott · Last progress March 11, 2026
Authorizes the CDC (through HHS) to award grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to state, tribal, and local health departments (or partnerships that include them) to establish, maintain, or improve wastewater-based infectious disease detection and monitoring for public health emergency preparedness and response. Requires applicants to submit plans for activities, site selection, response alignment with existing public health emergency authorities, sustainability, and data sharing; directs HHS/CDC to issue draft surveillance guidance within 180 days and to support related research. Appropriations are authorized as necessary for FY2026–FY2030.