At a glance
The LEPAC charter was approved in 2018 and renewed in 2020. The charter's purpose is to review research and Federal programs and services related to lead poisoning and to identify effective services and best practices for addressing and preventing lead exposure in communities.
Overview
The LEPAC is required and established by Section 2203 of Public Law 114-322, “Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act”; 42 U.S.C. §300j-27, “Registry for Lead Exposure and Advisory Committee.” The committee is governed by the provisions of Public Law 92-463, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), which sets forth standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.
Objective and Scope of Activities
Pursuant to the Section 2203 of Public Law 114-322 (42 U.S.C. §300j-27), the Secretary shall establish, within the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), an advisory committee in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other relevant agencies as determined by the Secretary. The objective of the committee is to review research and Federal programs and services related to lead poisoning and to identify effective services and best practices for addressing and preventing lead exposure in communities.
Description of Duties
The LEPAC shall, at a minimum:
- Review the Federal programs and services available to individuals and communities exposed to lead
- Review current research on lead exposure to identify additional research needs
- Review and identify best practices, or the need for best practices regarding lead screening and the prevention of lead poisoning
- Identify effective services, including services relating to healthcare, education, and nutrition for individuals and communities affected by lead exposure and lead poisoning, including in consultation with, as appropriate, the lead exposure registry as established in Section 2203 (b) of Public Law 114-322
- Undertake any other review or activities that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
5-year report
Annually for 5 years (pending funding availability) as determined necessary by the Secretary or as required by Congress, the Committee shall submit a report to the Secretary, the Committees on Finance, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committees on Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Agriculture of the House of Representatives.
The report shall include:
- An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Federal programs and services available to individuals and communities exposed to lead
- An evaluation of additional lead exposure research needs
- An assessment of any effective screening methods or best practices used or developed to prevent or screen for lead poisoning
- Input and recommendations for improved access to effective services relating to health care, education, or nutrition for individuals and communities impacted by lead exposure
- Any other recommendations for communities affected by lead exposure, as appropriate.
Agency or official to whom the committee reports
The committee shall provide advice and guidance to the Secretary, HHS; and Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Estimated annual operating costs and staff years
Estimated annual cost for operating the committee, including compensation and travel expenses for members, but excluding staff support, is $43,173. Estimate of annual person-years of staff support required is 1.80 at an estimated annual cost of $282,543.
Designated federal officer
CDC will select a full-time or permanent part-time Federal employee to serve as the Designated Federal Official (DFO) to attend each meeting and ensure that procedures are within applicable statutory, regulatory, and HHS General Administration Manual directives. The DFO will approve and prepare all meeting agendas, call all of the committee and subcommittee meetings, adjourn any meeting when the DFO determines adjournment to be in the public interest, and chair meetings when directed to do so by the official to whom the committee reports. The DFO or his/her designee shall be present at all meetings of the full committee and subcommittees.
Estimated number and frequency of meetings
Meetings shall be held approximately two times per year at the call of the DFO in consultation with the Chair.
Meetings shall be open to the public except as determined otherwise by the Secretary, HHS, or other official to whom the authority has been delegated in accordance with the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b(c)) and Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act; notice of all meetings shall be given to the public.
Duration and termination
The LEPAC charter is continuing.
Unless renewed by appropriate action prior to its expiration, the LEPAC charter will expire two-years from the date the charter is filed.
Membership and designation
The Committee shall consist of no more than 15 voting Federal and non-Federal members, including the Chair, appointed by the Secretary. Not less than half of the members shall be Federal members, and the Secretary shall designate the Chair from among the Federal members. Members shall include: an epidemiologist, toxicologist, a mental health professional, a pediatrician, an early childhood education, expert, a special education expert, a dietician, and an environmental health expert. Non-Federal Members shall be deemed Special Government Employees.
Federal members
The committee shall consist of Federal members from a range of agencies that may include the Department of Housing and Urban Development; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Consumer Product Safety Commission; the Health Services Resource Administration; the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; the Department of Education; the Food and Drug Administration; the US Department of Agriculture; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; the US Geologic Society.
Non-voting liaison representatives
The committee may also include non-voting liaison representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics; Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; Association of State and Territorial Public Health Laboratory Directors; National Center for Healthy Housing; Green and Healthy Homes Initiative; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; National Indian Health Board; Children's Environmental Health Network; National Association of Medicaid Directors; Association of State Public Health Nutritionists; Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum and other non-voting liaison representatives from organizations with interest in lead poisoning prevention, including organizations representing state and local health departments, as the Secretary deems necessary for the Committee to effectively carry out its functions. Liaison members shall be deemed representatives.
Members shall be invited to serve for a term of not more than three years, and the Secretary may reappoint members for consecutive terms. A member may serve 180 days after the expiration of that member's term if a successor has not taken office.
Subcommittees
Subcommittees composed, in part, of members of the parent committee and other subject matter experts may be established with approval of the Secretary, HHS or his/her designee. The subcommittees must report back to the parent committee and do not provide advice or work products directly to the agency. The Department Committee Management Officer will be notified upon establishment of each subcommittee and will be provided information on its name, membership, function, and estimated frequency of meetings.
Record keeping
The records of the committee established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the committee, shall be managed in accordance with General Records Schedule 6.2, Federal Advisory Committee Records, or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These records shall be available for public inspection and copying, subject to the Freedom of Information Act, (5 U.S.C. 552).