Bronx US lawmaker Richie Torres is reintroducing a reintroduction law aimed at improving the federal response to public health emergencies, Spectrum News NY1 learned.
The bill was initially inspired by concerns the government over the handling of Covid-19 and MPOX, and was previously known as Monkeypox. Torres is reintroducing it in this Congressional session as the US is working on the outbreak of avian flu and measles.
“We are devastatingly prepared for avian flu and many public health emergencies,” Torres said in an interview.
Torres’ bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a department-wide action review programme to ensure that HHS “identify and implement solutions to problems found following any response” in public health emergency, and incorporates analysis from various agencies in the department, such as the Centers for Disease Control. The review also includes people from outside the department.
The Act also requires HHS to implement communications strategies that identify risky groups and ensure outreach is targeted and accessible.
Torres introduced similar laws to the last legislature, but did not receive a vote.
“HHS is on the forefront of public health emergency response. We need an agency that has coordination and communication because without coordination and communication, we don’t have the ability to respond promptly,” Torres said. “And every second matters when you’re in a public health emergency.”
Last April, the Non-Participant Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing how various HHS agencies have no departmental strategy to identify and resolve repeated emergency response challenges.
“This will contribute to the recurrence of these challenges in the MPOX emergency and raise concerns about HHS’ ability to lead and respond to future emergencies,” the report said.
The report also cites issues in HHS identified by GAO during the Covid-19 outbreak and other health emergencies. These drawbacks include effective communication with the public, hurdles to testing and anti-viral drug delivery, and obstacles to local governments seeking to share health data.
The current HHS secretary is Robert Kennedy Jr., a leading vaccine skeptic. Torres called him the “worst leader” for federal agencies.
Torres initially called on GAO to investigate in 2022.
