Community Health Profiles Act

Bill Number

H.R. 7717

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 2

Policy Area

Health

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-02-25: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Last Updated

2026-03-27T20:08:14Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The Community Health Profiles Act (H.R. 7717) aims to improve public access to detailed, local health information by creating a pilot program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program would help local areas build online tools for sharing neighborhood-specific health data while protecting privacy. It also establishes a national database to collect and compare this data across the country, focusing on reducing unfair differences in health outcomes (known as health disparities).

Key Provisions

• Pilot Program Establishment: Within one year of the bill becoming law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (through the CDC Director) must start a competitive grant program. Up to 25 grants will be awarded to eligible groups to create or improve public online health data platforms at the neighborhood level (e.g., by ZIP code or census tract). These platforms must share anonymized, grouped data with a new national repository, following privacy rules.

• Program Goals:
• Ensure fair access to local health data for everyone.
• Combine data from federal, state, and local sources into easy-to-use public tools.
• Support planning for public health and community involvement.
• Offer useful insights to tackle health disparities, especially in underserved areas.
• Build and maintain a national repository for comparing data nationwide while respecting local privacy.

• Eligible Recipients and Partnerships: Grants go to state or local health departments, or city/county governments. They can team up with universities or nonprofits.

• Grant Priorities: Preference for areas with health disparities (e.g., low-income or environmentally stressed communities), those without existing data systems, and projects that plan to use data to fix disparities. Bonus for creative ways to measure health beyond standard tracking.

• How Funds Can Be Used:
• Build platforms covering topics like social/economic factors (e.g., education, poverty, violence), housing quality, maternal/child health, lifestyle (e.g., self-reported health), healthcare access (e.g., vaccinations), and outcomes (e.g., chronic diseases, infant mortality, life expectancy).
• Merge data from federal systems, state/local records, and sources like schools, housing, or safety reports.
• Break down data by small areas and make it comparable across places.
• Include user-friendly features like maps, charts, trends, and downloadable files, with clear sources and methods.
• Offer training to communities for long-term use, including privacy and data-sharing guidance.
• Send anonymized data to the national repository in a standard format.

• Administration and Oversight:
• CDC provides guidance on building platforms, data security, and privacy; helps with technical issues; and encourages sharing of best practices among grantees.
• An independent expert panel (appointed from a public list by the U.S. Government Accountability Office) reviews the CDC's data aggregation methods to ensure they follow science, protect privacy, and allow fair comparisons.

• National Neighborhood Health Data Repository: A public online hub to collect, display, and compare anonymized neighborhood health data from grant recipients. It includes search tools, visualizations, and downloads. The CDC oversees quality, consistency, and privacy.

• Evaluation and Reporting: Within one year of starting, the CDC reports to Congress on progress, access improvements, community use, and suggestions for expanding the program. Updates can follow as needed.

• Definitions and Limits: Key terms include health disparity (differences in health tied to social or demographic factors), neighborhood-level (small local areas like census tracts), and publicly accessible health data platform (online tools for public viewing). The program ends after 4 years and does not override existing privacy laws.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This bill introduces entirely new elements, as it creates a pilot grant program and national repository not mentioned in current laws. It builds on existing public health surveillance (e.g., CDC data systems) by adding neighborhood focus and public tools, but does not alter or repeal prior statutes. It emphasizes integration with federal data while requiring compliance with laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for privacy.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: The CDC gains new responsibilities for grants, technical support, repository management, and reporting, potentially increasing workload and funding needs. State and local health departments or governments could see improved data tools, aiding planning but requiring new skills in data handling.

• Citizens: Public access to detailed, local health data could empower communities to address issues like disparities in underserved areas, leading to better health services, reduced inequalities, and informed decision-making. Residents in low-income or high-risk neighborhoods may benefit most from targeted insights.

• International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic U.S. health data.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Primary: CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (administrators); state/local health departments, municipalities, and counties (grant recipients and platform builders).
• Secondary: Academic institutions and nonprofits (potential partners); communities facing health disparities (e.g., low-income, racial/ethnic minorities, medically underserved groups); the general public (users of data platforms).
• Oversight: Congress (receives reports); independent expert panel (reviews methods).

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Reinforces privacy protections by mandating compliance with federal/state laws and anonymization, avoiding conflicts with data-sharing rules. The independent panel adds accountability without creating new enforcement powers.

• Constitutional: Aligns with the federal government's role in public health (under the general welfare clause) and does not infringe on state/local authority, as it supports rather than mandates participation.

• Political: Promotes equity by prioritizing disadvantaged areas, potentially influencing public health policy debates on disparities. The 4-year pilot allows testing before national expansion, reducing fiscal risks but limiting long-term commitment. No partisan elements are evident in the bill text.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15]

Recent Actions

• 2026-02-25: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
• 2026-02-25: Introduced in House
• 2026-02-25: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Community Health Profiles Act — issued 2026-02-25 — PDF (11 pages)