Sens. Clinton, Reid Introduce Environmental Disease Tracking Bill

Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) yesterday introduced a bill that would create a national tracking system to study the link between chronic diseases and the environment, AP/Newsday reports. The Nationwide Health Tracking Act of 2002 would offer states grants to enhance their health tracking systems and would link the state systems to a national system "to track trends." The bill would also publish the national system's findings and develop a public health "rapid response system" to coordinate the health system's response to areas with higher-than-average rates of chronic disease. The plan would cost $1 billion over five years. Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) are sponsoring a companion measure in the House (AP/Newsday, 3/21).