Overview

Title

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, and for other purposes.

ELI5 AI

S. 3775 is a bill that wants to keep helping with Alzheimer's disease by giving $33 million every year to programs and groups that can help people understand and deal with the disease. It’s like setting aside a big piggy bank of money each year to make sure everyone knows more about Alzheimer's and can take better care of those who have it.

Summary AI

S. 3775 aims to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act. The bill focuses on extending programs related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, enhancing cooperative agreements with states and public health departments, and promoting public health awareness. It includes provisions for identifying and integrating findings from clinical studies into community practices and allocates $33 million annually from 2025 to 2029 for these initiatives.

Published

2024-06-18
Congress: 118
Session: 2
Chamber: SENATE
Status: Reported to Senate
Date: 2024-06-18
Package ID: BILLS-118s3775rs

Bill Statistics

Size

Sections:
4
Words:
1,512
Pages:
8
Sentences:
11

Language

Nouns: 456
Verbs: 94
Adjectives: 39
Adverbs: 1
Numbers: 68
Entities: 94

Complexity

Average Token Length:
3.85
Average Sentence Length:
137.45
Token Entropy:
4.66
Readability (ARI):
68.44

AnalysisAI

General Summary of the Bill

The bill titled "Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024", also known as the "BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024", aims to amend the Public Health Service Act. Its primary goal is to reauthorize and extend specific programs dealing with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This legislation focuses on enhancing coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal departments to better manage Alzheimer's programs. A critical component includes allocating funds amounting to $33 million annually from 2025 through 2029 to sustain these efforts.

Summary of Significant Issues

One of the most pressing concerns with this bill is the lack of detail on how the $33 million allocation will be specifically utilized. Without clear information on the intended use of these funds, questions arise about financial accountability and ensuring the efficient use of taxpayer money. Another significant issue is the vague wording regarding the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies involved. Specifically, the language around coordination through the CDC and other federal agencies lacks specificity, which might lead to potential inefficiencies and miscommunication.

Additionally, repeated amendments regarding the capitalization of terms like "Tribe" and "Tribal" point to historical errors and suggest possible oversight issues or ambiguity in previous versions of the legislation. Such lack of attention to detail might have broader implications for the bill's implementation and effectiveness.

Broader Public Impact

The bill's reauthorization intention with dedicated financial backing for Alzheimer's programs reflects a significant commitment to addressing the challenges posed by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. If effectively implemented, the bill could improve public health awareness, foster better coordination among health agencies, and promote community-level evidence-based practices. This, in turn, could lead to improved health outcomes for individuals affected by these conditions and support for their families.

However, the lack of clarity in funding usage and coordination might hinder the intended positive effects, potentially resulting in funds not being optimally utilized. The general public might face challenges in understanding the full implications of the bill due to its complexity, which could affect public trust and engagement with these initiatives.

Impact on Specific Stakeholders

For stakeholders such as public health departments, healthcare professionals, and families impacted by Alzheimer's, the reauthorization could bring increased support, resources, and involvement in crafting effective care and prevention strategies. Public health departments could benefit from the funding to enhance their infrastructure and implement community-level interventions.

On the downside, stakeholders might grapple with navigating the bill's complexities and ambiguity, particularly regarding inter-agency cooperation. Healthcare providers and state health departments might experience challenges due to unclear directives, potentially leading to fragmented efforts in implementing the bill's objectives.

Overall, while the bill promises potential advancements in public health strategies concerning Alzheimer's disease, stakeholders must address the identified issues to ensure transparent, effective, and accountable execution.

Financial Assessment

The bill S. 3775 aims to amend the Public Health Service Act by reauthorizing the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act. A significant provision within this bill involves financial allocations targeted towards programs associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Financial Allocations in the Bill

The bill authorizes an annual allocation of $33 million for each fiscal year from 2025 through 2029. This allocation is meant to support and extend programs focused on Alzheimer's disease, enhancing cooperative agreements, and promoting public health awareness of these conditions.

Relation to Identified Issues

  1. Lack of Specificity on Fund Utilization: A notable issue is the absence of detailed guidelines on how the $33 million annually will be spent or managed. Without clear specifications, there is a risk of financial mismanagement or ineffective use of these funds. Ensuring financial accountability would require a more precise breakdown of how these funds are expected to be utilized, targeting the goals set out in the bill.

  2. Accountability and Efficiency Concerns: There is potential concern over the absence of mechanisms that measure the effectiveness of program outcomes in relation to this funding. Spending $33 million annually without established evaluation frameworks might lead to inefficient allocation of taxpayer money, as it is unclear how the impact of these funds will be measured and what benchmarks or criteria will be used to assess success.

Conclusion

While the financial provisions of the bill propose a substantive investment towards handling Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, the lack of clarity regarding the specific use of these funds presents challenges. To address these issues, the bill could benefit from additional detail and transparency regarding the implementation and oversight of the allocated funds, ensuring efficient use and accountability in achieving the intended benefits.

Issues

  • The reauthorization allocates $33,000,000 annually from 2025 through 2029, but there is a lack of specificity on how these funds will be utilized, which could lead to unclear financial accountability (Section 2).

  • The text of the bill lacks specificity regarding the roles and responsibilities of agencies involved, particularly in the language 'acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies', which could lead to inefficiency or miscommunication (Section 2).

  • The amendments have repeated changes related to capitalization of 'Tribe' and 'Tribal', indicating a lack of attention to detail and potential oversight in previous legislation, suggesting possible historical inaccuracies or legal ambiguities (Section 2).

  • There is a concern that the reauthorized funding might not be effectively spent due to potential lack of guidelines or mechanisms for measuring program impact, risking inefficient use of taxpayer money (Section 2).

  • The complexity of the bill due to multiple amendments might make it difficult for stakeholders and the general public to understand the full implications and changes implemented by this legislation, potentially leading to misunderstandings or lack of accountability (Section 2).

  • The short title of the bill does not provide any immediate information on the contents or implications of the Act, which limits transparency and public understanding (Section 1).

Sections

Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.

1. Short title Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The section provides the official short title of the Act, which is the “Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024” or simply the “BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024”.

2. Extension of programs with respect to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The proposed amendments to the Public Health Service Act aim to enhance programs for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias by improving coordination with the CDC, promoting public health awareness, and translating research findings into community practices. It also suggests funding of $33 million annually for these programs from 2025 through 2029.

Money References

  • (a) Cooperative agreements to States and public health departments for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.—Section 398 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280c–3) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and” and inserting “acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with”; and (B) in paragraph (7), by adding a period at the end; and (2) by transferring subsection (f) to appear after subsection (e). (b) Promotion of public health knowledge and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.—Section 398A(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280c–4(a)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the heads of other agencies as” and inserting “acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with the heads of other agencies, as”; and (2) in paragraph (2)(C)— (A) in clause (vii), by striking “; and” and inserting a semicolon; (B) by redesignating clause (viii) as clause (ix); and (C) by inserting after clause (vii) the following: “(viii) identifying and translating findings from clinical trials and other studies on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, including studies on risk reduction, for application and integration into effective and sustained community-level evidence-based practices, interventions, and policies; and”. (c) Reauthorization of programs.—Section 398B(e) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280c–5(e)) is amended by inserting “, and $33,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029” before the period at the end. ---

1. Short title Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The act described in the section can be called either the "Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024" or the "BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024."

2. Extension of programs with respect to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The section of the bill extends and modifies programs related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias by updating terminology to recognize "Tribes" and "Tribal" throughout, enhancing public health knowledge, and authorizing new funding levels for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. It also emphasizes coordinated action through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and relevant departments and agencies.

Money References

  • (b) Promotion of public health knowledge and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.—Section 398A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280c–4) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the heads of other agencies as” and inserting “acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, as”; and (B) in paragraph (2)(C)— (i) in clause (vii), by striking “; and” and inserting a semicolon; (ii) in clause (viii), by striking “or the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”; (iii) by redesignating clause (viii) as clause (ix); and (iv) by inserting after clause (vii) the following: “(viii) identifying and translating findings from clinical trials and other studies on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, including studies related to reducing risk of cognitive decline or impairment, into evidence-based practices and interventions; and”; (2) by striking “tribal” each place it appears and inserting “Tribal”; and (3) by striking “Indian tribes” each place it appears and inserting “Indian Tribes”. (c) Reauthorization of programs.—Section 398B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280c–5) is amended— (1) in subsection (d)— (A) by striking “tribe” and inserting “Tribe”; and (B) by striking “tribal” and inserting “Tribal”; and (2) in subsection (e), by inserting “, and $33,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029” before the period at the end. ---