§ 247b–21 — Mosquito-borne Diseases; Coordination Grants To States; Assessment And Control Grants To Political Subdivisions

(1) With respect to mosquito control programs to prevent and control mosquito-borne diseases (referred to in this section as “control programs”), the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may make grants to States for the purpose of— (A) coordinating control programs in the State involved; and (B) assisting such State in making grants to political subdivisions of the State to conduct assessments to determine the immediate needs in such subdivisions for control programs, including programs to address emerging infectious mosquito-borne diseases, and to develop, on the basis of such assessments, plans for carrying out control programs in the subdivisions or improving existing control programs. (2) In making grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to States that have one or more political subdivisions with an incidence, prevalence, or high risk of mosquito-borne disease, or a population of infected mosquitoes, that is substantial relative to political subdivisions in other States. (3) A grant may be made under paragraph (1) only if— (A) the State involved has developed, or agrees to develop, a plan for coordinating control programs in the State, and the plan takes into account any assessments or plans described in subsection (b)(3) that have been conducted or developed, respectively, by political subdivisions in the State; (B) in developing such plan, the State consulted or will consult (as the case may be under subparagraph (A)) with political subdivisions in the State that are carrying out or planning to carry out control programs; (C) the State agrees to monitor control programs in the State in order to ensure that the programs are carried out in accordance with such plan, with priority given to coordination of control programs in political subdivisions described in paragraph (2) that are contiguous; (D) the State agrees that the State will make grants to political subdivisions as described in paragraph (1)(B), and that such a grant will not exceed $10,000; and (E) the State agrees that the grant will be used to supplement, and not supplant, State and local funds available for the purpose described in paragraph (1). (4) A grant may be made under paragraph (1) only if the State involved agrees that, promptly after the end of the fiscal year for which the grant is made, the State will submit to the Secretary a report that— (A) describes the activities of the State under the grant; and (B) contains an evaluation of whether the control programs of political subdivisions in the State were effectively coordinated with each other, which evaluation takes into account any reports that the State received under subsection (b)(5) from such subdivisions. (5) A State may not receive more than one grant under paragraph (1). (1) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may make grants to political subdivisions of States or consortia of political subdivisions of States, for the operation, including improvement, of control programs. (2) In making grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to a political subdivision or consortium of political subdivisions that— (A) has— (i) a history of elevated incidence or prevalence of mosquito-borne disease; (ii) a population of infected mosquitoes; (iii) met criteria determined by the Secretary to suggest an increased risk of elevated incidence or prevalence of mosquito-borne disease in the pending fiscal year, including an emerging infectious mosquito-borne disease that presents a serious public health threat; or (iv) a public health emergency due to the incidence or prevalence of a mosquito-borne disease that presents a serious public health threat; (B) demonstrates to the Secretary that such political subdivision or consortium of political subdivisions will, if appropriate to the mosquito circumstances involved, effectively coordinate the activities of the control programs with contiguous political subdivisions; (C) demonstrates to the Secretary (directly or through State officials) that the State in which such a political subdivision or consortium of political subdivisions is located has identified or will identify geographic areas in such State that have a significant need for control programs and will effectively coordinate such programs in such areas; and (i) is located in a State that has received a grant under subsection (a); or (ii) demonstrates to the Secretary that the control program is consistent with existing State mosquito control plans or policies, or other applicable State preparedness plans. (3) A grant may be made under paragraph (1) only if the political subdivision or consortium of political subdivisions involved— (A) has conducted an assessment to determine the immediate needs in such subdivision or consortium for a control program, including an entomological survey of potential mosquito breeding areas; and (B) has, on the basis of such assessment, developed a plan for carrying out such a program. (A) With respect to the costs of a control program to be carried out under paragraph (1) by a political subdivision or consortium of political subdivisions, a grant under such paragraph may be made only if the subdivision or consortium agrees to make available (directly or through donations from public or private entities) non-Federal contributions toward such costs in an amount that is not less than ⅓ of such costs ($1 for each $2 of Federal funds provided in the grant). (B) Non-Federal contributions required in subparagraph (A) may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services. Amounts provided by the Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be included in determining the amount of such non-Federal contributions. (C) The Secretary may waive the requirement established in subparagraph (A) if the Secretary determines that— (i) extraordinary economic conditions in the political subdivision or consortium of political subdivisions involved justify the waiver; or (ii) the geographical area covered by a political subdivision or consortium for a grant under paragraph (1) has an extreme mosquito control need due to— (I) the size or density of the potentially impacted human population; (II) the size or density of a mosquito population that requires heightened control; or (III) the severity of the mosquito-borne disease, such that expected serious adverse health outcomes for the human population justify the waiver. (5) A grant may be made under paragraph (1) only if the political subdivision or consortium of political subdivisions involved agrees that, promptly after the end of the fiscal year for which the grant is made, the subdivision or consortium will submit to the Secretary, and to the State within which the subdivision or consortium is located, a report that describes the control program and contains an evaluation of whether the program was effective. (6) A political subdivision or a consortium of political subdivisions may not receive more than one grant under paragraph (1). (c) A grant may be made under subsection (a) or (b) only if an application for the grant is submitted to the Secretary and the application is in such form, is made in such manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this section. (d) Amounts appropriated under subsection (f) may be used by the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance with respect to the planning, development, and operation of assessments and plans under subsection (a) and control programs under subsection (b). The Secretary may provide such technical assistance directly or through awards of grants or contracts to public and private entities. (e) In this section, the term “political subdivision” means the local political jurisdiction immediately below the level of State government, including counties, parishes, and boroughs. If State law recognizes an entity of general government that functions in lieu of, and is not within, a county, parish, or borough, the Secretary may recognize an area under the jurisdiction of such other entities of general government as a political subdivision for purposes of this section. (1) For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023. (2) In the case of control programs carried out in response to a mosquito-borne disease that constitutes a public health emergency, the authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) is in addition to applicable authorizations of appropriations under this chapter and other medical and public health preparedness and response laws. (3) For fiscal year 2019, 50 percent or more of the funds appropriated under paragraph (1) shall be used to award grants to political subdivisions or consortia of political subdivisions under subsection (b).