Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 1489
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-09-02: Star Print ordered on the measure.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-10T16:14:01Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2025 aims to address structural racism and police violence as public health issues by funding research, data collection, and interventions through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It seeks to promote racial equity in health outcomes by declaring racism a public health crisis and developing strategies to dismantle its effects.
Key Provisions
- Definitions: Defines "antiracism" as policies and ideas that promote racial equity (equal opportunities and outcomes across racial groups) and "antiracist" as measures that produce or maintain such equity.
- National Center on Antiracism and Health (Section 3): Establishes a new center within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) led by a director with experience in racial and ethnic minority communities. Key duties include:
- Declaring racism a public health crisis and studying its mechanisms in healthcare and related systems.
- Conducting research on topics like policies with disparate impacts on communities of color, implicit bias (unconscious prejudices), white supremacy, weathering (cumulative stress from discrimination), and intersections with other oppressions (e.g., based on age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability).
- Awarding grants to public and nonprofit entities for data collection on social determinants of health (factors like poverty, housing, and environment influenced by racism).
- Creating at least three regional centers of excellence in minority communities to research racism's role in health inequities and successful antiracist efforts.
- Building a data clearinghouse for comprehensive, disaggregated data (broken down by race, ethnicity, etc.) that is publicly available while protecting privacy under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
- Providing public education on racism's health impacts and consulting with other CDC offices to integrate racism measures into surveys, training, and grants.
- Ensuring Tribal consultation and data sovereignty (Tribal control over their data).
- Producing biennial reports on antiracist activities.
- Law Enforcement Violence Prevention Program (Section 4): Establishes a program within CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control to:
- Research public health effects of police use of force, including brutality and violence, and develop interventions to reduce deaths, injuries, trauma, and mental health harms.
- Collect and analyze data on police-related deaths, injuries, and factors like discrimination or socioeconomic issues, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and independent researchers.
- Award grants for epidemiologic research (studies of disease patterns, here applied to violence) and interventions.
- Standardize data collection across agencies and study international best practices and alternatives to police responses.
- Submit annual reports to Congress with recommendations to improve data and address racism in policing.
- Funding: Authorizes "such sums as may be necessary" (open-ended appropriations) for both the center and program, without specifying amounts.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Amends Part B of Title III of the Public Health Service Act (which covers general CDC functions) by adding Section 320C to create the National Center on Antiracism and Health, introducing a dedicated federal focus on racism as a public health determinant.
- Adds a new program within the existing National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, expanding its scope from general injury prevention to specifically include police violence as a preventable public health issue.
- Introduces requirements for CDC to integrate racism assessments into all scientific activities, data standards, and Tribal consultations, which were not previously mandated at this level.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: CDC and HHS will gain new responsibilities for research, grants, and reporting, potentially increasing workload and requiring coordination with DOJ and Tribal entities. This could lead to more standardized, equity-focused data collection across federal health programs.
- Citizens: Communities of color and marginalized groups may benefit from targeted interventions addressing health disparities caused by racism and police interactions, such as improved mental health support or policy changes in housing and policing. Public access to data and education could empower advocacy and awareness.
- International Relations: The bill promotes global conversations on racism's health impacts and studies foreign best practices in police violence prevention, potentially influencing U.S. diplomatic efforts on human rights and public health equity, though direct international effects are limited.
Main Stakeholders
- Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities: Primary beneficiaries through research and interventions aimed at reducing health inequities.
- Public Health Professionals and Researchers: Recipients of training, grants, and data resources to study and address racism and police violence.
- Tribal Nations and Organizations: Involved via consultations, data sovereignty protections, and tailored programs.
- Law Enforcement and Justice Agencies: Affected by data collection on police violence and recommendations for reform, in coordination with DOJ.
- Nonprofit and Academic Entities: Eligible for grants to conduct research and establish regional centers.
- General Public: Gains access to educational resources and reports on these issues.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Mandates privacy-compliant data collection under existing laws like HIPAA and the Affordable Care Act's data standards, ensuring no new privacy risks. Grant awards are noncompetitive for some entities, which could raise questions about fairness but aligns with public health priorities.
- Constitutional: Emphasizes equity without infringing on free speech or equal protection; declaring racism a crisis is a policy statement, not enforceable law, but could support future litigation on discriminatory practices under the 14th Amendment (equal protection clause).
- Political: Positions public health as a tool for social justice, potentially sparking debate over federal involvement in racial issues and policing. Biennial and annual reports to Congress could influence policy agendas, while Tribal sovereignty respects federal-Indian relations under treaties and statutes. The bill's focus on "white supremacy" and "implicit bias" may be politically divisive but is framed neutrally as research topics.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (4)
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN], Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Recent Actions
- 2025-09-02: Star Print ordered on the measure.
- 2025-04-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2025-04-10: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2025 — issued 2025-04-10 — PDF (12 pages)