Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110
§300w–4 Application for Payments; State Plan
Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER XVII — BLOCK GRANTS › Part A — Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grants › § 300w–4
Summary
To get federal public health money each fiscal year, a State must send an application that includes a State health plan, a written certification from the State’s chief executive, any assurances the federal Secretary requires, and the application must be in the form and filed by the date the Secretary sets. The State plan must be made by the agency mainly in charge of public health and developed with a State Preventive Health Advisory Committee. The plan must say which authorized activities will be paid for, which year 2000 health goals they support, which groups will be served, and which groups have extra needs. For each group the plan must give a strategy that describes programs, estimates how many people will be served, and estimates needed public health staff. The plan must also show how much money will go to each activity and to each group. The State’s chief executive must certify that public hearings were held and that future plan changes will also get hearings and public notice. The State must use funds only for the allowed activities, follow the plan, measure and report progress using the required data, keep State spending for these activities at least at the State’s average level for the 2-year period before the fiscal year, set fair rules to evaluate and review funded entities, cooperate with federal investigations, protect patient and sex-offense victim records, and give the State highway safety officer a chance to participate in and comment on emergency medical services plans related to highway safety. The Advisory Committee must hold hearings, make recommendations on assessments, activity choices, money allocation, coordination, and data reporting; include public members and local health department officials (and may include community groups, public health schools, or grantees); be chaired by the State public health officer; and meet at least twice each fiscal year.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §300w–4
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)In general
The Secretary may make payments under section 300w–2 of this title to a State for a fiscal year only if—
(1)the State submits to the Secretary an application for the payments;
(2)the application contains a State plan in accordance with subsection (b);
(3)the application contains the certification described in subsection (c);
(4)the application contains such assurances as the Secretary may require regarding the compliance of the State with the requirements of this part (including assurances regarding compliance with the agreements described in subsection (c)); and
(5)the application is in such form and is submitted by such date as the Secretary may require.
(b)State plan
A State plan required in subsection (a)(2) for a fiscal year is in accordance with this subsection if the plan meets the following conditions:
(1)The plan is developed by the State agency with principal responsibility for public health programs, in consultation with the advisory committee established pursuant to subsection (c)(2).
(2)The plan specifies the activities authorized in section 300w–3 of this title that are to be carried out with payments made to the State under section 300w–2 of this title, including a specification of the year 2000 health objectives for which the State will expend the payments.
(3)The plan specifies the populations in the State for which such activities are to be carried out.
(4)The plan specifies any populations in the State that have a disparate need for such activities.
(5)With respect to each population specified under paragraph (3), the plan contains a strategy for expending such payments to carry out such activities to make progress toward improving the health status of the population, which strategy includes—
(A)a description of the programs and projects to be carried out;
(B)an estimate of the number of individuals to be served by the programs and projects; and
(C)an estimate of the number of public health personnel needed to carry out the strategy.
(6)The plan specifies the amount of such payments to be expended for each of such activities and, with respect to the activity involved—
(A)the amount to be expended for each population specified under paragraph (3); and
(B)the amount to be expended for each population specified under paragraph (4).
(c)State certification
The certification referred to in subsection (a)(3) for a fiscal year is a certification to the Secretary by the chief executive officer of the State involved as follows:
(1)(A)In the development of the State plan required in subsection (a)(2)—
(i)the chief health officer of the State held public hearings on the plan; and
(ii)proposals for the plan were made public in a manner that facilitated comments from public and private entities (including Federal and other public agencies).
(B)The State agrees that, if any revisions are made in such plan during the fiscal year, the State will, with respect to the revisions, hold hearings and make proposals public in accordance with subparagraph (A), and will submit to the Secretary a description of the revisions.
(2)The State has established an advisory committee in accordance with subsection (d).
(3)The State agrees to expend payments under section 300w–2 of this title only for the activities authorized in section 300w–3 of this title.
(4)The State agrees to expend such payments in accordance with the State plan submitted under subsection (a)(2) (with any revisions submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (1)(B)), including making expenditures to carry out the strategy contained in the plan pursuant to subsection (b)(5).
(5)(A)The State agrees that, in the case of each population for which such strategy is carried out, the State will measure the extent of progress being made toward improving the health status of the population.
(B)The State agrees that—
(i)the State will collect and report data in accordance with section 300w–5(a) of this title; and
(ii)for purposes of subparagraph (A), progress will be measured through use of each of the applicable uniform data items developed by the Secretary under paragraph (2) of such section, or if no such items are applicable, through use of the uniform criteria developed by the Secretary under paragraph (3) of such section.
(6)With respect to the activities authorized in section 300w–3 of this title, the State agrees to maintain State expenditures for such activities at a level that is not less than the average level of such expenditures maintained by the State for the 2-year period preceding the fiscal year for which the State is applying to receive payments under section 300w–2 of this title.
(7)The State agrees to establish reasonable criteria to evaluate the effective performance of entities that receive funds from such payments and procedures for procedural and substantive independent State review of the failure by the State to provide funds for any such entity.
(8)The State agrees to permit and cooperate with Federal investigations undertaken in accordance with section 300w–6 of this title.
(9)The State has in effect a system to protect from inappropriate disclosure patient and sex offense victim records maintained by the State in connection with an activity funded under this part or by any entity which is receiving payments from the allotment of the State under this part.
(10)The State agrees to provide the officer of the State government responsible for the administration of the State highway safety program with an opportunity to—
(A)participate in the development of any plan by the State relating to emergency medical services, as such plan relates to highway safety; and
(B)review and comment on any proposal by any State agency to use any Federal grant or Federal payment received by the State for the provision of emergency medical services as such proposal relates to highway safety.
(d)State Advisory Committee
(1)In general
For purposes of subsection (c)(2), an advisory committee is in accordance with this subsection if such committee is known as the State Preventive Health Advisory Committee (in this subsection referred to as the “Committee”) and the Committee meets the conditions described in the subsequent paragraphs of this subsection.
(2)Duties
A condition under paragraph (1) for a State is that the duties of the Committee are—
(A)to hold public hearings on the State plan required in subsection (a)(2); and
(B)to make recommendations pursuant to subsection (b)(1) regarding the development and implementation of such plan, including recommendations on—
(i)the conduct of assessments of the public health;
(ii)which of the activities authorized in section 300w–3 of this title should be carried out in the State;
(iii)the allocation of payments made to the State under section 300w–2 of this title;
(iv)the coordination of activities carried out under such plan with relevant programs of other entities; and
(v)the collection and reporting of data in accordance with section 300w–5(a) of this title.
(3)Composition
(A)A condition under paragraph (1) for a State is that the Committee is composed of such members of the general public, and such officials of the health departments of political subdivisions of the State, as may be necessary to provide adequate representation of the general public and of such health departments.
(B)With respect to compliance with subparagraph (A), the membership of advisory committees established pursuant to subsection (c)(2) may include representatives of community-based organizations (including minority community-based organizations), schools of public health, and entities to which the State involved awards grants or contracts to carry out activities authorized in section 300w–3 of this title.
(4)Chair; meetings
A condition under paragraph (1) for a State is that the State public health officer serves as the chair of the Committee, and that the Committee meets not less than twice each fiscal year.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1992—Pub. L. 102–531 amended section generally, substituting present provisions for provisions relating to submission and form of application for assistance under this part as well as required assurances, public hearings on proposed use and distribution of funds, certifications by chief executive officer of State, and a description of intended use of funds as well as public access to and revision of such description. 1990—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 101–590, which directed amendment of subsec. (c) by adding at the end thereof a new par. (7), was executed by adding par. (7) after par. (6) and before the last sentence to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1988—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–607 inserted at end “The description shall include a statement of the public health objectives expected to be achieved by the State through the use of the payments the State will receive under section 300w–2 of this title.” 1986—Subsec. (c)(6). Pub. L. 99–646 and Pub. L. 99–654 amended par. (6) identically, substituting “sex offense” for “rape”. 1984—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 98–555, § 5(a), redesignated par. (3) as (2). Former par. (2), which related to grants for fiscal year 1982, was struck out. Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 98–555, § 5(a), redesignated par. (5) as (3). Former par. (3) redesignated (2). Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 98–555, § 5(a), redesignated par. (6) as (4). Former par. (4), which related to grants for preventive health service programs for hypertension, was struck out. Subsec. (c)(5) to (8). Pub. L. 98–555, § 5(a), redesignated pars. (7) and (8) as (5) and (6), respectively. Former pars. (5) and (6) redesignated (3) and (4), respectively. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 98–555, § 5(d), struck out subsec. (e) which related to grants by States.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1986
Amendments
by Pub. L. 99–646 and Pub. L. 99–654 effective 30 days after Nov. 10, 1986, and 30 days after Nov. 14, 1986, respectively, see section 87(e) of Pub. L. 99–646 and section 4 of Pub. L. 99–654, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 2241 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.
Effective Date
Section effective Oct. 1, 1981, see section 901 of Pub. L. 97–35, set out in part as a note under section 300w of this title. Delayed Applicability of Requirement Regarding Advisory Committees Pub. L. 102–531, title I, § 103(b), Oct. 27, 1992, 106 Stat. 3473, provided that: “With respect to compliance with the requirement established in subsection (c)(2) of section 1905 of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 300w–4(c)(2)] (as amended by subsection (a) of this section), a State is deemed, notwithstanding such section, to be in compliance with such requirement if the State establishes an advisory committee in accordance with subsection (d) of such section not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 27, 1992].”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 300w–4
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110