S. 4048 — PREDICT Act

This section establishes a grant program under new section 2827 of the Public Health Service Act, administered by the CDC Director in coordination with other federal agencies, under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services awards grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to state, tribal, or local health departments (or partnerships thereof) to establish, maintain, or improve wastewater surveillance (i.e., testing sewage for pathogens to enable early detection of infectious disease outbreaks) for public health emergency preparedness and response. Eligible entities must submit applications detailing proposed activities, sampling site selection factors, response plans tied to all-hazards public health emergency plans, post-award sustainability plans, and other required information; the Secretary may prioritize applicants planning public data access for comparability and assessing community needs such as disease burden and surveillance gaps. Award funds support capacity-building for sampling and analysis, surveillance at high-risk sites (e.g., rural facilities without local utility treatment), and evidence-based projects; eligible entities must pursue public-private partnerships and receive technical assistance from the Secretary. The section further requires the Secretary to issue draft guidance within 180 days of enactment recommending assays for efficient multi-disease surveillance, establishing standards for consistent testing protocols and reporting to a public CDC database and dashboard, and authorizes appropriations of such sums as necessary for FY2026 through FY2030. In addition, the section directs the Secretary to continue research on wastewater surveillance for emerging infectious diseases—including improved sample collection, analysis sensitivity/specificity, and population-level estimation practices—without duplicating other HHS efforts.