To reauthorize and make improvements to Federal programs relating to the prevention, detection, and treatment of traumatic brain injuries, and for other purposes.

The bill would reauthorize four federal programs through FY2030: two CDC programs covering TBI surveillance, registries, research, and public awareness; and two Administration for Community Living programs providing grants to states, American Indian consortiums, and protection and advocacy agencies serving TBI survivors. It would rename the CDC's national TBI surveillance and registry program after the late Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., and expand program requirements to better identify and serve populations at higher risk — including people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and occupational hazards. CDC would be required to publish aggregated TBI data and tailored prevention strategies for these populations on its public website.

The bill would also direct HHS to conduct a study examining long-term and chronic TBI symptoms, correlations with conditions like dementia, and gaps in research, then submit findings to Congress within two years. A second report would overview higher-risk populations, existing CDC data collection efforts, outreach activities, and associated challenges. The bill would add maintenance-of-effort requirements for state grantees and allow HHS to waive up to half the matching-fund requirement for states or tribes that cannot otherwise carry out the program.

State health agencies and American Indian consortiums that receive CDC and Administration for Community Living grants for TBI surveillance and community services; protection and advocacy agencies supporting people with TBI; individuals living with TBI or at elevated risk, including domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, public safety officers, and workers in high-injury occupations; and researchers studying long-term TBI conditions.

Without reauthorization, the programs providing TBI surveillance data, community services, and legal advocacy for survivors would lose their funding authority after FY2024. The expanded focus on higher-risk populations and mandatory long-term symptom research could close data gaps that currently limit how effectively federal, state, and tribal agencies target prevention efforts and connect at-risk individuals to care.

HHS and CDC would implement the expanded requirements through existing grant mechanisms. States and American Indian consortiums applying for ACL grants would need to document maintenance-of-effort spending at prior-year levels, though HHS could waive up to 50% of the matching requirement on a per-fiscal-year basis upon request. CDC would update its public website with aggregated TBI data tailored to higher-risk populations. HHS would commission or directly conduct the long-term TBI study through a nonprofit contractor and must deliver both congressional reports within two years of enactment. Grantees would continue to coordinate with state agencies, community providers, schools, and third-party payers.