H.R. 7717

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7717 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7717

To establish a pilot program at the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention to support local jurisdictions in developing neighborhood-
level, publicly accessible health data platforms, to establish a 
National Neighborhood Health Data Repository, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 25, 2026

Mr. Torres of New York introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a pilot program at the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention to support local jurisdictions in developing neighborhood-
level, publicly accessible health data platforms, to establish a 
National Neighborhood Health Data Repository, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Community Health Profiles Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY HEALTH DATA PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), shall 
establish a pilot program (in this section referred to as the 
``Program'') to award grants, on a competitive basis, to not more than 
25 eligible entities to develop or enhance neighborhood-level, publicly 
accessible health data platforms. Such platforms shall submit de-
identified, aggregated data to the National Neighborhood Health Data 
Repository established under subsection (h), consistent with applicable 
Federal, State, and local privacy laws.
(b) Program Objectives.--The objectives of the Program shall be 
to--
(1) promote equitable access to local health data;
(2) support the integration of Federal, State, and local 
surveillance systems into user-friendly, publicly accessible 
health data platforms;
(3) facilitate data-driven public health planning and 
community engagement;
(4) provide actionable insights at the State and local 
level, with a focus on addressing health disparities; and
(5) support the establishment and maintenance of the 
National Neighborhood Health Data Repository to enable national 
comparability while upholding local data privacy standards.
(c) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible for a grant under the 
Program, an entity shall be--
(1) a State or local health department; or
(2) a municipality or county government.
(d) Partnership With Academic and Nonprofit Institutions.--In 
administering a grant under the Program, an eligible entity may partner 
with an academic or nonprofit institution.
(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under the Program, the 
Secretary--
(1) shall prioritize eligible entities that--
(A) serve populations experiencing health 
disparities, such as medically underserved communities, 
low-income communities, or environmentally burdened 
communities;
(B) lack a neighborhood-level, publicly accessible 
health data system; and
(C) demonstrate plans to use the data collected 
from such a system to reduce health disparities; and
(2) may prioritize eligible entities that propose 
innovative indicators beyond traditional public health 
surveillance (pursuant to subsection (f)(1)).
(f) Use of Funds.--A grant under the Program may only be used to--
(1) develop or expand a publicly accessible health data 
platform to provide neighborhood-level data across key domains, 
including--
(A) social and economic conditions, such as 
education, economic stress, neighborhood, violence, and 
incarceration;
(B) housing and neighborhood conditions, such as 
the prevalence and quality of air conditioners, housing 
quality, and the quality of the built environment;
(C) maternal and child health;
(D) healthy living, such as self-reported health 
status;
(E) health care, such as access to care and 
avoidable hospitalization and vaccination; and
(F) health outcomes, such as chronic conditions, 
the prevalence or treatment of human immunodeficiency 
virus (commonly known as ``HIV'') and Hepatitis C, 
binge drinking and psychiatric hospitalizations, infant 
mortality and premature death, and life expectancy;
(2) integrate data from multiple sources, including--
(A) Federal surveillance systems;
(B) State and local administrative survey data; and
(C) local education, housing, and public safety 
data;
(3) ensure data disaggregation by neighborhood, ZIP code, 
or census tract, and support comparability across local 
jurisdictions where feasible;
(4) design neighborhood-level, publicly accessible health 
data platforms with clear citation of sources and transparent 
methodology;
(5) incorporate into such platforms--
(A) visualization tools, such as charts, maps, and 
trend lines; and
(B) downloadable datasets for public use;
(6) provide training or technical assistance to community 
and local institutions to ensure sustainability and usability 
of such platforms, including assistance in aligning such 
platforms with Federal interoperability standards and model 
legal frameworks for privacy, confidentiality, and data-sharing 
compliance; and
(7) submit de-identified, aggregated data collected or 
generated using grant funds under the Program to the National 
Neighborhood Health Data Repository, in such standardized 
format as the Secretary may require.
(g) Administration and Evaluation.--
(1) Administration.--In administering the Program, the 
Secretary shall--
(A) issue program guidance and technical assistance 
for platform development, data integration, and public 
accessibility, including--
(i) standards for secure data reporting to 
the National Neighborhood Health Data 
Repository and alignment with Federal, State, 
and local laws; and
(ii) model provisions on confidentiality 
and comparability;
(B) provide technical assistance to grant 
recipients on data methodology, privacy protection, and 
system interoperability; and
(C) facilitate collaboration and peer learning 
among grant recipients to share best practices and 
promote replicability.
(2) Evaluation.--
(A) Initial report.--Not later than 1 year after 
the establishment of the Program, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report that--
(i) summarizes the outcomes of the Program 
and the progress made on the development of 
neighborhood-level, publicly accessible health 
data platforms;
(ii) assesses improvements the Program has 
made in public access to health data, data 
usability, and community engagement; and
(iii) identifies lessons learned and makes 
recommendations for whether and how the Program 
could be expanded nationally or extended beyond 
the 4-year termination period described in 
subsection (k).
(B) Updates.--The Secretary may update or 
supplement the report described in subparagraph (A) as 
the Secretary determines appropriate.
(h) National Neighborhood Health Data Repository.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and 
maintain a publicly accessible, searchable National 
Neighborhood Health Data Repository to aggregate de-identified, 
neighborhood-level health data from recipients of grants under 
the Program.
(2) Elements.--The Repository shall--
(A) display data submitted by recipients of grants 
under the Program;
(B) enable comparisons across local jurisdictions; 
and
(C) include tools for visualization, filtering, and 
downloading of data.
(3) Oversight.--The Secretary shall provide oversight of 
the Repository by--
(A) reviewing data submissions;
(B) developing and implementing a methodology for 
the aggregation of health data as described in 
paragraph (4); and
(C) in consultation with States and local 
jurisdictions, enforcing national data standards for 
quality and consistency.
(4) Review of methodology by independent panel.--
(A) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish 
an independent advisory panel (in this paragraph 
referred to as the ``panel'') for the purposes of 
reviewing the methodology developed by the Secretary 
under subparagraph (C).
(B) Appointment of members.--The Comptroller 
General of the United States shall develop, maintain, 
and make publicly available a list of nominees to serve 
as members of the panel. The Secretary shall appoint a 
member of the panel only after reviewing such list. 
Such members shall be experts in epidemiology, 
statistics, public health surveillance, and data 
privacy.
(C) Review authority.--The Secretary shall develop 
and implement a methodology for the aggregation of 
health data for the purposes of the Repository, which 
shall go into effect only upon certification by the 
panel that such methodology--
(i) reflects scientific best practices; and
(ii) maintains public accessibility, 
privacy protections, and data comparability 
across jurisdictions.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Health disparity.--The term ``health disparity'' means 
a difference in health outcomes or access to health services 
that is closely linked to social, economic, environmental, 
racial, ethnic, or other demographic factors.
(2) Local jurisdiction.--The term ``local jurisdiction'' 
means a municipality, county, local health department, or 
regional public health authority with the capacity to implement 
a neighborhood-level, publicly accessible health data platform.
(3) Medically underserved community.--The term ``medically 
underserved community'' has the meaning given such term in 
section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p).
(4) National neighborhood health data repository.--The term 
``National Neighborhood Health Data Repository'' means the 
National Neighborhood Health Data Repository established under 
subsection (h).
(5) Neighborhood-level.--The term ``neighborhood-level'' 
means, with respect to a publicly accessible health data 
platform, that such health data platform focuses on a 
geographic area within a local jurisdiction that is smaller 
than the municipal or county level, such as a ZIP code, census 
tract, or community district.
(6) Publicly accessible health data platform.--The term 
``publicly accessible health data platform'' means an online 
tool, website, or dashboard that makes health data accessible 
to the general public through visualizations, downloadable 
datasets, or written summaries.
(j) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to preempt or supersede any applicable Federal, State, or 
local privacy laws.
(k) Termination.--The Program shall terminate on the date that is 4 
years after the date on which the Secretary establishes the Program.
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