PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Aug 3, 2009
Better Health in the Arctic Act - Directs the Arctic Research Commission, in collaboration with federal health agencies, to prepare and submit to Congress a two-year study to examine the science base, gaps in knowledge, and strategies for the prevention and treatment of mental, behavioral, and physical health problems faced by populations in the Arctic, with a focus on Alaska.
Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) in collaboration with other governmental agencies and private and nonprofit entities involved in Arctic health issues, to develop a national Arctic health science policy; and (2) in developing the policy, to review and take into consideration the National Arctic Health Science Policy developed by the American Public Health Association Task Force in 1984.
Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a Desk for Arctic Health within the Office of the Director's Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which shall: (1) work with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee to ensure adequate health representation from federal agencies; (2) collaborate and consult with governmental entities and U.S. nongovernmental organizations involved in Arctic health issues; and (3) collaborate with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on indigenous Arctic people health issues.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish a program at CDC's National Center of Environmental Health to foster advances and help provide technical support in the field of Arctic health impact assessments.
People & committees
Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK] · D–AK
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8685-8687)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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