(a) In general

The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall establish a program to fund innovative oral health activities that improve the oral health of children under 6 years of age who are eligible for services provided under a Federal health program, to increase the utilization of dental services by such children, and to decrease the incidence of early childhood and baby bottle tooth decay.

(b) Grants

Terms Used In 42 USC 247d-8

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Secretary: means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. See 42 USC 201
  • Service: means the Public Health Service. See 42 USC 201
  • State: includes , in addition to the several States, only the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. See 42 USC 201

The Secretary shall award grants to or enter into contracts with public or private nonprofit schools of dentistry or accredited dental training institutions or programs, community dental programs, and programs operated by the Indian Health Service (including federally recognized Indian tribes that receive medical services from the Indian Health Service, urban Indian health programs funded under title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act [25 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.], and tribes that contract with the Indian Health Service pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act [25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.]) to enable such schools, institutions, and programs to develop programs of oral health promotion, to increase training of oral health services providers in accordance with State practice laws, or to increase the utilization of dental services by eligible children.

(c) Distribution

In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, ensure an equitable national geographic distribution of the grants, including areas of the United States where the incidence of early childhood caries is highest.

(d) Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each 1 the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.