SEPSIS Act
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create a CDC-directed sepsis program to push prevention, better data, and hospital support for earlier detection and treatment. It sets reporting rules, coordinates federal data and quality measures, and funds a voluntary hospital recognition effort.
Show full summary
- Families and children: Requires improved pediatric sepsis data and annual briefings on pediatric sepsis rates and reduction efforts, targeting a condition that affects about 1.7 million people and causes about 350,000 deaths each year.
- Hospitals and clinicians: Directs a CDC team to lead an education campaign on hospital sepsis best practices, track hospital adoption with an assessment tool, and run an optional Honor Roll that benchmarks early detection and treatment. Readmission rates are high, with about 1 in 5 readmitted within 30 days.
- Federal coordination and research: Orders a report within one year on developing adult and pediatric sepsis outcome measures, updates to core interoperability data elements, data sharing across HHS, and evaluations of the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements.
*Authorizes $20 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, totaling $100 million in authorized funding and increasing federal spending by that amount.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
CDC sepsis team and reporting
If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary, through the CDC Director, to maintain a sepsis team. The team would lead a hospital education campaign on sepsis best practices, improve pediatric sepsis data, update sepsis data elements in U.S. health IT standards, and share information with CMS to help develop sepsis quality measures. The CDC Director would report to the Senate HELP and House Energy and Commerce Committees within one year on sepsis outcome measures, and would brief those committees annually on hospital adoption of best practices, pediatric sepsis rates, DHHS coordination, AHRQ evaluations, and data sharing.
Federal funding for sepsis programs
If enacted, the bill would authorize $20,000,000 a year for CDC sepsis work for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030. That totals $100 million of authorized funding over five years, subject to future appropriations. The money would be available to carry out the new CDC sepsis program, including hospital support, surveillance, grants, and related public health activities. This would not itself change household eligibility for benefits or taxes.
Voluntary hospital sepsis recognition
If enacted, the bill would let the Secretary establish a voluntary program to recognize hospitals that maintain or improve sepsis programs. Hospitals would apply and the Secretary would set public benchmarks for early detection, effective treatment, and reducing sepsis burden. The program is voluntary and focused on recognition rather than direct payments to hospitals.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1]
NJ • D
Cosponsors
Kean
NJ • R
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 1/21/2026
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
NJ • D
Sponsored 1/27/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 2/4/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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