Public Health Emergency Declaration – PRA Waivers

Section 3087 of the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in December 2016, added subsection (f) to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act. This new subsection gives the HHS Secretary the authority to waive Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 USC 3501 et seq.) requirements with respect to voluntary collection of information during a public health emergency (PHE), as declared by the Secretary, or when a disease or disorder is significantly likely to become a public health emergency (SLPHE).

Under this new authority, the HHS Secretary may waive PRA requirements for the voluntary collection of information if the Secretary determines that: (1) a PHE exists according to section 319(a) of the PHS Act or determines that a disease or disorder, including a novel and emerging public health threat, is a SLPHE under section 319(f) of the PHS Act; and (2) the PHE/SLPHE, including the specific preparation for and response to it, necessitates a waiver of the PRA requirements. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) has been designated as the office that will coordinate the process for the Secretary to approve or reject each request.

Please contact ASPE with any questions regarding this process at: PHEPRAWaiver@hhs.gov.

All PRA waiver requests approved by the Secretary under this authority will be posted below.

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Emergency Preparedness