Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, Our Nation's public health system needs high quality, timely, and accurate data to protect the public from health threats like opioid overdoses, influenza, measles, and more. Effective prevention and response to health threats requires coordinated efforts between health care providers and public health officials across all levels of government.

Unfortunately, the public health data systems we rely on for our health and safety are antiquated and fragmented. Systems lack the interoperability needed to facilitate timely, secure information exchange. Too often, public health departments are forced to rely on systems with manual processes that are time consuming and error prone, such as paper records, faxes, and phone calls. Only two jurisdictions have begun the process to receive electronic case reports directly from health records, and only for a small number of diseases. Our public health data infrastructure lacks the automation, security, interoperability, and skilled workforce we need to confront the public health threats of today and tomorrow.

Today, I am pleased to introduce with my colleagues, Senator Isakson and Senator King, the Saving Lives Through Better Data Act to assist in building the 21st Century public health data infrastructure our Nation needs. The Saving Lives Through Better Data Act awards grants to State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments to improve data collection and analysis, simplify provider reporting, enhance interoperability, promote electronic case reporting, and support earlier disease detection and response. Grant recipients must support interoperability standards endorsed by the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology or those adopted by the HHS Secretary.

The Saving Lives Through Better Data Act also requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct activities to improve its public health data systems. The CDC must also develop and utilize public-private partnerships to support State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments in modernizing and expanding electronic case reporting and public health data systems. The legislation calls for reporting on barriers public health authorities may face in implementing electronic case reporting or interoperable public health data systems as well as an assessment of the potential public health impact of making such improvements. We make the necessary investment to improve our public health infrastructure by authorizing $100 million per year for each of fiscal years 2020-2024.

The Saving Lives Through Better Data Act will strengthen our public health data systems so we can be well-equipped to identify and respond to public health threats, which will save lives.

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act, with my colleagues Senators Boozman and Tester. Enacting this bill would improve financial stability for Gold Star families across the Nation.

The families of America's servicemembers make sacrifices that often go unrecognized. Among them is packing up and moving frequently, with military spouses regularly having to quit stable employment to move to a new area and start over. This is compounded by the complex system of State licensing and certification requirements, which can limit these spouses' from taking jobs that utilize their expertise and experience. Because of this, military spouses have unemployment rates substantially higher than the national average, and are often underemployed when they do have jobs. Adding to the financial struggle that frequent periods of unemployment and underemployment cause, the rising cost of childcare puts a substantial burden on many military families.

The Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act would help these families in two ways. First, the bill makes military spouses an eligible population for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. This tax credit has been proven effective in improving the employment prospects for other groups, and extending it to military spouses would help them find employment easier after moving to new areas. Second, the bill instructs the administration to implement dependent care flexible spending accounts for all servicemembers. These accounts would allow military families to contribute pre-tax dollars to accounts that they can then use to pay for childcare services, helping ease the financial burden of childcare.

I hope my colleagues will support this bill to help families who have made the greatest sacrifice for our Nation.

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