PREDICT Act

Bill Number

S. 4048

Origin Chamber

Senate

Congress

119th Congress, Session 2

Policy Area

Health

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-03-11: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Last Updated

2026-03-30T15:52:42Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The PREDICT Act aims to strengthen public health emergency preparedness and response by promoting the use of wastewater surveillance—a method of testing sewage systems to detect infectious diseases early. It requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to fund activities that build or improve this surveillance system nationwide.

Key Provisions

• Funding Mechanism: The Secretary of HHS, through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to establish, maintain, or enhance wastewater surveillance for detecting and monitoring infectious diseases.
• Eligible Entities: State, Tribal, or local health departments, or partnerships between these departments and public or private organizations. Applicants must submit detailed plans, including proposed activities, wastewater sampling site selection criteria, response strategies for findings (aligned with existing emergency plans), sustainability after funding ends, and other required information.
• Award Priorities: Preference is given to applicants that plan to make surveillance data publicly accessible for comparison across projects and assess community needs, such as disease burdens and gaps in other surveillance methods.
• Use of Funds:
• Build or upgrade capacity for wastewater sampling and analysis.
• Conduct surveillance in high-risk areas, like rural locations or facilities (e.g., schools, institutions) without local utility treatment.
• Implement evidence-based or promising practices for surveillance.
• Partnerships and Support: Entities are encouraged to partner with public or private groups to leverage existing resources. HHS must provide technical assistance for planning and implementation.
• Guidance and Standards: Within 180 days of enactment, HHS must issue draft guidance on efficient testing methods (assays) for multiple diseases, consistent protocols for sampling and analysis, and data reporting standards. Reported data will be published in a public HHS database and dashboard.
• Research Component: HHS must continue or support research to improve wastewater surveillance, focusing on better sample collection, analysis efficiency, test accuracy (sensitivity and specificity—meaning how well tests detect true positives and avoid false alarms), and estimating community-level disease prevalence. Efforts must avoid duplicating other HHS activities.
• Funding Authorization: "Such sums as may be necessary" are authorized for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This bill amends Subtitle C of Title XXVIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-31 et seq.) by adding a new Section 2827 specifically on wastewater surveillance. Previously, the Act focused broadly on public health emergencies but did not mandate or fund dedicated wastewater-based pathogen detection programs. It introduces requirements for coordinated federal funding, standardized guidance, public data sharing, and research continuity, expanding emergency preparedness tools without altering core structures of the Act.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Enhances CDC and HHS capabilities in disease monitoring, potentially reducing response times to outbreaks. It promotes inter-agency coordination and creates a national public dashboard for data, improving federal tracking of infectious diseases.
• Citizens: Could lead to earlier detection of outbreaks (e.g., viruses like COVID-19 or flu), enabling faster public health interventions and protecting communities, especially in underserved rural or high-risk areas. Public data access may increase transparency and community awareness.
• International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though shared surveillance data and methods could indirectly support global health efforts, such as those coordinated by the World Health Organization, by contributing to international disease monitoring standards.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Health Departments: State, Tribal, and local agencies, which can apply for funding and lead surveillance efforts.
• Federal Agencies: Primarily HHS and CDC, responsible for awarding funds, providing guidance, technical assistance, and maintaining the public database; other federal departments may coordinate.
• Public and Private Partners: Organizations (e.g., utilities, labs, universities) that collaborate on sampling, analysis, or data sharing.
• Communities: Especially rural residents, institutions, and populations in high-risk areas, benefiting from improved disease detection and response.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Establishes enforceable standards for data reporting and methods, potentially creating accountability for funded entities. It aligns with existing public health laws (e.g., emergency response planning under Section 319C-1) without overriding them, and emphasizes non-duplication to avoid inefficiencies.
• Constitutional: No apparent conflicts; it supports the federal government's role in public health under the Commerce Clause and general welfare provisions, focusing on voluntary grants rather than mandates on states or individuals.
• Political: Reinforces bipartisan support for proactive public health infrastructure (introduced by senators from both parties), potentially influencing future funding debates on emerging technologies like wastewater testing. It highlights post-pandemic lessons on early warning systems without addressing controversial issues like privacy in data collection.

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

Sponsor

Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC]

Cosponsors (5)

Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC], Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME], Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS], Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]

Recent Actions

• 2026-03-11: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
• 2026-03-11: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

• Public health Response and Emergency Detection through Integrated wastewater Community Testing Act — issued 2026-03-11 — PDF (7 pages)