PREDICT Act
Key claim: The bill would give CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System a permanent legal basis and fund state, tribal, and local health departments to sample wastewater for emerging infectious diseases.
Abstract
(S4048 · 119th Congress) Public health Response and Emergency Detection through Integrated wastewater Community Testing Act or the PREDICT Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Wastewater Surveillance System, which is used to detect and monitor emerging infectious diseases. It also establishes a grant program to support the ability of state, tribal, and local health departments to conduct wastewater sampling and related analysis. Latest action (2026-03-11): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Why this matters
CDC’s wastewater surveillance network currently operates under administrative authority rather than a dedicated statute, which leaves its scope and funding vulnerable to shifting agency priorities. The PREDICT Act would lock in a legal foundation and create a grant stream for jurisdictions that run the actual sampling, affecting how quickly new pathogens are detected locally.