| Shorttitle: | Public Health Service Act |
| Longtitle: | An Act to consolidate and revise the laws relating to the Public Health Service, and for other purposes. |
| Enacted By: | 78th |
| Effective Date: | July 1, 1944 |
| Cite Statutes At Large: | , Chapter 373 |
| Title Amended: | 42 U.S.C.: Public Health and Social Welfare |
| Sections Created: | § 201 et seq. |
| Introducedin: | House |
| Introducedby: | Alfred L. Bulwinkle (D–NC) |
| Introduceddate: | April 18, 1944 |
| Committees: | Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Senate Education and Labor |
| Passedbody1: | House |
| Passeddate1: | May 22, 1944 |
| Passedbody2: | Senate |
| Passeddate2: | June 22, 1944 |
| Agreedbody3: | House |
| Agreeddate3: | June 23, 1944 |
| Agreedvote3: | Agreed |
| Signedpresident: | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Signeddate: | July 1, 1944 |
| Amendments: | Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970 National Cancer Act of 1971 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance Research and Education Amendments of 2001 Hematological Cancer Research Investment and Education Act of 2001[1] Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 |
The Public Health Service Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1944.[2] The full act is codified in Title 42 of the United States Code (The Public Health and Welfare), Chapter 6A (Public Health Service).[3] This Act provided a legislative basis for the provision of public health services in the United States.
The Public Health Service Act clearly established the federal government's quarantine authority for the first time. It gave the United States Public Health Service responsibility for preventing the introduction, transmission and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the United States.[4]
The Public Health Service Act granted the original authority for scientists and special consultants to be appointed "without regard to the civil-service laws", known as a Title 42 appointment.[5]
During COVID-19 pandemic, section has been used for Title 42 expulsion.
It has since been amended many times. Some of these amendments are:
Other attempted amendments to the act have been proposed but failed:
Since the passage of the Act, health services in the US subsequently have been marked by a history of underinvestment that has undermined the public health workforce and support for population health.[12]