# 119-s-999: Public Health Improvement Act

119-s-999, Public Health Improvement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-999
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-999
- Congress: 119
- Title: Public Health Improvement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Recasts the CDC to focus only on communicable diseases.** This bill would narrow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's planning and regulatory authority to infectious diseases, impose 12-year term limits for CDC and NIH directors, and move several CDC centers into the National Institutes of Health while adding new congressional checks on emergency declarations. - Families and children: Moves eight named CDC centers, including those for birth defects and chronic disease prevention, to NIH, shifting where research and program decisions for those issues are made. - Workers and workplace safety: Transfers the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to NIH and removes occupational and environmental hazards from the CDC strategic plan, changing which agency oversees worker health and related guidance. - State and local public health and emergencies: Limits HHS regulations to preventing spread of communicable diseases across states or from abroad, lets Congress renew public health emergencies by majority votes with a 90-day renewal window, and preempts inconsistent federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local rules.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT), 2025-03-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limit federal disease and CDC scope: cost, high. If enacted, this bill would limit HHS authority to preventing the spread of communicable diseases across states or from other countries. It would limit federal measures to inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, or destroying infected animals or articles. It would also…
- Federal override of conflicting health laws: mixed, high. If enacted, this bill would say its provisions supersede any Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, or local law, declaration, guidance, or directive to the extent those other rules conflict with this Act.
- Move major CDC centers to NIH: mixed, high. If enacted, this bill would move eight CDC offices into the National Institutes of Health two years after enactment. It would transfer authorities, staff, grants, and assets of those offices. Programs and grants run by those centers could be reorganized or disrupted during the move.
- Congressional renewal of public health emergencies: mixed, medium. If enacted, this bill would let Congress renew a public health emergency by majority votes in both chambers. A renewal would end when the HHS Secretary says the emergency is over or 90 days after both chambers voted in favor of renewal, whichever comes first. The Secretary would have to notify Cong…
- New limits on CDC and NIH leadership: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would limit one person to a maximum of 12 years as CDC Director and 12 years as NIH Director. It would also change who appoints members of the CDC Director's advisory committee, adding congressional leaders and four appointees by the Comptroller General and requiring HHS appoi…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- 119-s-2010: TERMS Act
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-2907: Chloe Cole Act
- 119-s-1162: SHORT Act

## Sources
- [119-s-999 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/999)

## Related
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4668)
- [119-s-2010: TERMS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2010)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-2907: Chloe Cole Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2907)
- [119-s-1162: SHORT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1162)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-999 (as of 2025-12-21).