6 U.S.C. § 597 — Chief Medical Officer

Page 300 TITLE 6—DOMESTIC SECURITY § 597 the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report evaluating the implemen- tation plan required by paragraph (1) and the report required by paragraph (2), including an assessment of progress made with respect to the performance metrics and milestones re- quired by paragraph (1)(A)(ii) and the sustainment of the capabilities of the STC program. (4) Briefing and submission requirements Before making any changes to the structure or requirements of the STC program, the As- sistant Secretary shall— (A) consult with the appropriate congres- sional committees; and (B) provide to those committees— (i) a briefing on the proposed changes, including a justification for the changes; (ii) documentation relating to the changes, including plans, strategies, and resources to implement the changes; and (iii) an assessment of the effect of the changes on the capabilities of the STC pro- gram, taking into consideration previous resource allocations and stakeholder input. (Pub. L. 107–296, title XIX, § 1928, as added Pub. L. 115–387, § 2(a)(10), Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5164.) PART C—CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER § 597. Chief Medical Officer (a) In general There is in the Office a Chief Medical Officer, who shall be appointed by the President. The Chief Medical Officer shall report to the Assist- ant Secretary. (b) Qualifications The individual appointed as Chief Medical Of- ficer shall be a licensed physician possessing a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of medi- cine and public health. (c) Responsibilities The Chief Medical Officer shall have the re- sponsibility within the Department for medical issues related to natural disasters, acts of ter- rorism, and other man-made disasters, includ- ing— (1) serving as the principal advisor on med- ical and public health issues to the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Assistant Secretary, and other Department officials; (2) providing operational medical support to all components of the Department; (3) as appropriate, providing medical liaisons to the components of the Department, on a re- imbursable basis, to provide subject matter expertise on operational medical issues; (4) coordinating with Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, the medical commu- nity, and others within and outside the De- partment, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Re- sponse of the Department of Health and Human Services, with respect to medical and public health matters; and (5) performing such other duties relating to such responsibilities as the Secretary may re- quire. (Pub. L. 107–296, title XIX, § 1931, as added Pub. L. 115–387, § 2(c)(2), Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5166.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries SIMILAR PROVISIONS Provisions similar to those in this section were con- tained in section 321e of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 115–387, § 2(c)(1). § 597a. Medical countermeasures (a) In general Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall, as appropriate, establish a medical countermeasures program within the components of the Department to— (1) facilitate personnel readiness and protec- tion for the employees and working animals of the Department in the event of a chemical, bi- ological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, other event impacting health, or pandemic; and (2) support the mission continuity of the De- partment. (b) Oversight The Secretary, acting through the Chief Med- ical Officer of the Department, shall— (1) provide programmatic oversight of the medical countermeasures program established under subsection (a); and (2) develop standards for— (A) medical countermeasure storage, secu- rity, dispensing, and documentation; (B) maintaining a stockpile of medical countermeasures, including antibiotics, antivirals, antidotes, therapeutics, and radi- ological countermeasures, as appropriate; (C) ensuring adequate partnerships with manufacturers and executive agencies that enable advance prepositioning by vendors of inventories of appropriate medical counter- measures in strategic locations nationwide, based on risk and employee density, in ac- cordance with applicable Federal statutes and regulations; (D) providing oversight and guidance re- garding the dispensing of stockpiled medical countermeasures; (E) ensuring rapid deployment and dis- pensing of medical countermeasures in a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, other event impacting health, or pandemic; (F) providing training to employees of the Department on medical countermeasures; and (G) supporting dispensing exercises. (c) Medical countermeasures working group The Secretary, acting through the Chief Med- ical Officer of the Department, shall establish a medical countermeasures working group com- prised of representatives from appropriate com- ponents and offices of the Department to ensure that medical countermeasures standards are maintained and guidance is consistent.