To require a study on public health impacts as a consequence of the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Joyce of Ohio (for himself, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Rulli, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to fund a long-term public health study examining the human health effects of the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment involved hazardous chemicals that were subsequently vented and burned, creating potential health risks for nearby residents.
Who Benefits and How
East Palestine residents and surrounding communities benefit most directly, as they will finally receive comprehensive, longitudinal health monitoring to understand whether the chemical exposure caused lasting health effects. Academic research institutions (specifically consortia of higher education institutions) will receive federal grant funding to conduct the study. Institutions with existing community relationships in the affected area receive preferential consideration, incentivizing local expertise.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers will fund this study through appropriations authorized for fiscal year 2026 through September 2030. The exact cost is unspecified ("such sums as may be necessary"), giving flexibility but lacking a cost cap. HHS administrative staff will have increased workload managing the grant/contract process and required congressional reporting.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes HHS to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to conduct a longitudinal health study on East Palestine train derailment impacts
- Requires the grantee to be a consortium of higher education institutions with demonstrated research capacity
- Gives preference to institutions with established relationships in the affected communities
- Mandates two congressional reports: a progress report within 2 years and a final results report within 1 year of publication
- Authorizes "such sums as may be necessary" from FY2026 through September 30, 2030
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Authorizes a longitudinal public health study to monitor long-term human health effects resulting from the February 3, 2023, train derailment and chemical burning in East Palestine, Ohio.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Address public health concerns in East Palestine community through long-term monitoring"
Likely Beneficiaries
- East Palestine residents (health monitoring)
- Academic research institutions (grant recipients)
- Public health researchers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers (funding the study)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A consortium of public or private institutions of higher education that demonstrates requisite capacity and expertise to carry out the study
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology