ALERT Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4499 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4499 To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and enhance the National Healthcare Safety Network to establish real-time infectious disease and public health surveillance capabilities across nursing homes in the United States, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 12, 2026 Mr. Tillis (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and enhance the National Healthcare Safety Network to establish real-time infectious disease and public health surveillance capabilities across nursing homes in the United States, 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 ``Advanced Long-term care Early Response Technology Act of 2026'' or the ``ALERT Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. NATIONAL NETWORK OF REAL-TIME INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE IN NURSING HOMES. Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 319M (42 U.S.C. 247d-f) the following: ``SEC. 319N. ENHANCEMENT OF NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SAFETY NETWORK FOR REAL-TIME SURVEILLANCE IN NURSING HOMES. ``(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Advanced Long-term care Early Response Technology Act of 2026, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this