Public Health Improvement Act

This bill would narrow the CDC’s focus, set term limits for top health leaders, shift several CDC offices to the NIH, and tighten rules on federal public health powers. It limits CDC planning to “diseases” and removes broader areas like injuries and environmental or occupational hazards . It caps the CDC and NIH directors at a total of 12 years in the job . It also changes who sits on the CDC Director’s advisory committee, adding more members picked by congressional leaders and the Comptroller General, with a few chosen by the HHS Secretary (including one HHS representative and one public health official) .

The bill narrows HHS’s disease-control rules to specific actions like inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest control, or destroying contaminated animals or items, to stop diseases spreading between states or from abroad . It changes how federal public health emergencies get approved by Congress . Two years after it becomes law, several CDC centers (including those focused on birth defects, chronic disease, environmental health, toxic substances, health statistics, HIV/viral hepatitis/STD/TB, injury prevention, and occupational safety and health) would move to the NIH . HHS must issue needed regulations within 90 days, and the bill overrides any conflicting federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local rules or guidance .

Key points

• Who is affected: CDC and NIH leaders; staff and programs in several CDC centers; state and local health agencies due to preemption; the public during health emergencies .
• What changes: 12-year term limits for CDC/NIH directors; narrower CDC planning focus; restructured CDC advisory committee; limited federal disease-control tools to listed actions; revised process needing congressional approval for public health emergencies; transfer of multiple CDC offices to NIH; new HHS regulations; broad preemption of conflicting rules .
• When: Transfers take effect two years after enactment; HHS must issue regulations within 90 days after enactment .