Bill Summary
This Bill, also known as the "American Students Abroad Act", directs the Secretary of State to make copies of consular reports of death of U.S. citizens available to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This information will be used for surveillance and data collection on the deaths of U.S. citizens abroad. This is intended to expand and intensify the programs and activities of the Centers for Disease Control in monitoring and tracking the deaths of U.S. citizens abroad.
Possible Impacts
1. The American Students Abroad Act could affect families of U.S. citizens who die while abroad as they would now have access to consular reports of their loved one's death.
2. The Act could also affect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as they would now have a new responsibility to collect and monitor data on deaths of U.S. citizens abroad.
3. The expansion and intensification of surveillance programs and activities by the CDC could potentially impact the privacy of U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad, as their deaths would now be closely monitored and reported.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2876 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2876
To direct the Secretary of State to make available to the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention copies of consular
reports of death of United States citizens, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 21, 2019
Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in
addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
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A BILL
To direct the Secretary of State to make available to the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention copies of consular
reports of death of United States citizens, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``American Students Abroad Act''.
SEC. 2. COPIES OF CONSULAR REPORTS OF DEATH OF U.S. CITIZENS ABROAD TO
BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall make available to the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for each
calendar quarter a copy of each report described in subsection (b) that
is issued during the preceding calendar quarter.
(b) Report Described.--The report described in this subsection is a
report issued by a United States embassy or consulate relating to the
death of a United States citizen in a foreign country upon receipt by
the embassy or consulate of the foreign death certificate or finding of
death by a local competent authority.
SEC. 3. SURVEILLANCE BY CDC OF DEATHS OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS ABROAD.
The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section
317T of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-22) the following:
``SEC. 317U. SURVEILLANCE OF DEATHS OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS ABROAD.
``The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, shall expand and intensify the programs
and activities of the Centers for surveillance of deaths of United
States citizens occurring abroad.''.
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