H.R. 2707 — Protecting American Families and Servicemembers from Anthrax Act

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (acting through the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response) and the Secretary of Defense (acting through the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs), jointly and in consultation with the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise, to develop—not later than 180 days after enactment—a modernized 10-year strategy for sustained stockpiling (with replenishment consistent with requirements) of anthrax countermeasures (i.e., FDA-approved, cleared, licensed, or authorized drugs, devices, or biological products, including antitoxins and prophylactics). (As background: Such countermeasures are stockpiled in the Strategic National Stockpile under section 319F–2(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–6b(a)), a national repository of medical supplies for public health emergencies, or by the Department of Defense for civilians, servicemembers, and dependents on military installations.) The strategy must ensure innovative cooperation with, and sustainability of, manufacturers of anthrax countermeasures. This section further requires the covered Secretaries to submit to the appropriate congressional committees (i.e., the House and Senate Appropriations Committees; House Committee on Armed Services; House Committee on Energy and Commerce; and Senate Committee on Armed Services and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions)—not later than 180 days after enactment—a classified initial report (with a possible unclassified annex) that includes the strategy and covers (1) threats to the United States and military installations from weaponized anthrax by foreign countries, designated foreign terrorist organizations, and other sources; (2) non-Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise federal programs and activities (e.g., multi-year budgets, research and development, procurements) addressing the strategy, including for multidrug-resistant strains; and (3) initiatives to ensure adequate availability of anthrax countermeasures for military dependents on U.S. military installations abroad. Annual classified updates to the report (with possible unclassified annexes) are required thereafter.