42 U.S.C. § 247c–1 — Infertility and sexually transmitted diseases

(a) In general The Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, may give grants to States, political subdivisions of States, and other public or nonprofit private entities to carry out the activities in subsection (c), for any treatable sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can cause infertility in women if it isn't treated. (b) Authority regarding individual diseases For each grant, the Secretary must specify which disease or diseases it covers. The Secretary may not make the grant unless the applicant agrees to use it only for the disease or diseases specified. (c) Authorized activities For a covered disease, the activities a grant can fund are: (1) screening women for the disease and for secondary conditions from it, following the quality criteria set under subsection (f); (2) treating women for the disease; (3) counseling women on preventing and controlling the disease, including — for a woman who has it — counseling on the benefit of notifying and counseling anyone she may have caught it from or exposed it to; (4) follow-up services; (5) referrals for necessary medical services for screened women, including for evaluation and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other STDs; (6) giving a woman's partner the same services described in paragraphs (1) through (5), as appropriate, if the woman is getting those services; (7) outreach to let women know these services are available; (8) giving the public information and education on preventing and controlling the disease; and (9) training health care providers to do the screening and counseling in paragraphs (1) and (3). (d) Requirement of availability of all services through each grantee The Secretary may make a grant only if the applicant agrees that every activity authorized in subsection (c) will be available through it — either by carrying it out directly, or by partnering with other public or nonprofit private entities to carry it out. (e) Required providers regarding certain services The Secretary may make a grant only if the applicant agrees that, for the services in subsection (c)(1) through (7), it will only use State or local health departments, certain entities funded under other sections (254b, 256a, or 300), or other public or nonprofit private entities that serve a significant number of low-income women. (f) Quality assurance regarding screening for diseases The Secretary must set criteria to ensure the quality of screening procedures for the diseases covered by this section. (g) Confidentiality The Secretary may make a grant only if the applicant agrees, subject to applicable law, to keep confidential any information about individuals involved in activities under subsection (c). (h) Limitation on imposition of fees for services The Secretary may make a grant only if the applicant agrees that, if it charges for services under the grant, the charges (1) will follow a fee schedule made available to the public, (2) will be adjusted based on the individual's income, and (3) will never be imposed on anyone with an income below 150 percent of the official federal poverty line. (i) Limitations on certain expenditures The Secretary may make a grant only if the applicant agrees to spend at least 80 percent of the grant on the activities in subsection (c)(1) through (7). (j) Reports to Secretary (1) Collection of data The Secretary may make a grant only if the applicant agrees to send a report each fiscal year, for each disease it is funded for, giving (A) how common the disease is among the population it serves; (B) the number and demographics of that population; (C) the interventions and treatments it provided, and the health conditions people were referred for under subsection (c)(5); (D) an assessment of whether its activities have reduced infertility in its area; and (E) any other information the Secretary requires. (2) Utility and comparability of data The Secretary must work to make sure the data collected under paragraph (1) is useful and can be compared across grantees. (k) Maintenance of effort The Secretary may make a grant only if the applicant agrees to keep spending its own (non-federal) money on these activities at a level at least equal to what it averaged over the 2 years before applying for the grant. (l) Requirement of application (1) In general The Secretary may make a grant only if an applicant submits an application containing the plan required in paragraph (2), in the form, made in the manner, and containing the agreements, assurances, and information the Secretary decides are necessary. (2) Submission of plan for program of grantee (A) The applicant must submit a plan describing how it will meet the grant's required agreements, including which entities will provide the activities in subsection (c). (B) The applicant must give the Secretary assurances that this plan was prepared in consultation with an appropriate number and variety of (i) local entities that provide STD prevention and control services, including public information and education programs, and (ii) local entities that provide family planning services. (m) Duration of grant Payments to an entity from a grant under this section can last no more than 3 years, and are subject to the Secretary's yearly approval and to Congress appropriating the money for that year. This does not limit how many grants an entity may get under this section over time. (n) Technical assistance, and supplies and services in lieu of grant funds (1) Technical assistance The Secretary may give grantees training and technical assistance on planning, developing, and running their programs, either directly or through grants or contracts. (2) Supplies, equipment, and employee detail At a grant recipient's request, the Secretary may reduce the grant by (A) the fair market value of any supplies or equipment given to it, and (B) the pay, allowances, and travel expenses of any federal officer or employee lent to it, and any other related costs — when this is for the recipient's convenience and at its request. The withheld amount still counts as part of the grant and as paid to the recipient, and gets spent on those supplies, equipment, or personnel instead. (o) Evaluations and reports by Secretary (1) Evaluations The Secretary must, directly or through contracts with public or private entities, arrange yearly evaluations of programs under subsection (a) to check their quality and effectiveness. (2) Report to Congress One year after money is first appropriated under subsection (q), and every two years after that, the Secretary must report to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. The report must (A) summarize the information from reports made under subsection (j)(1), including how common the covered STDs are, and (B) summarize the evaluations from paragraph (1) done during the past fiscal year. (p) Coordination of Federal programs The Secretary must coordinate this program with similar federal programs, including by coordinating the CDC Director and the NIH Director. (q) Authorization of appropriations For this section, other than subsections (o) and (r), Congress authorized $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, and whatever was necessary for each fiscal year from 1994 through 1998. (r) Separate grants for research on delivery of services (1) In general The Secretary may give grants to research how to improve how services under subsection (a) are delivered. The Secretary may only give these grants to subsection (a) grantees and to public and nonprofit private entities running programs substantially similar to those under subsection (a). (2) Authorization of appropriations Congress authorized whatever was necessary for each fiscal year from 1993 through 1998 to carry out paragraph (1).