(a) Data collection with respect to national prevalence

(1) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may, through representative sampling and other appropriate methodologies, provide for the continuous collection of data on the incidence in the United States of cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome and of cases of infection with the etiologic agent for such syndrome. The Secretary may carry out the program of data collection directly or through cooperative agreements and contracts with public and nonprofit private entities.

(2) The Secretary shall encourage each State to enter into a cooperative agreement or contract under paragraph (1) with the Secretary in order to facilitate the prompt collection of the most recent accurate data on the incidence of cases described in such paragraph.

(3) The Secretary shall ensure that data collected under paragraph (1) includes data on the demographic characteristics of the population of individuals with cases described in paragraph (1), including data on specific subpopulations at risk of infection with the etiologic agent for acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

(4) In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary shall, for the purpose of assuring the utility of data collected under this section, request entities with expertise in the methodologies of data collection to provide, as soon as is practicable, assistance to the Secretary and to the States with respect to the development and utilization of uniform methodologies of data collection.

(5) The Secretary shall provide for the dissemination of data collected pursuant to this subsection. In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary may publish such data as frequently as the Secretary determines to be appropriate with respect to the protection of the public health. The Secretary shall publish such data not less than once each year.

(b) Epidemiological and demographic data

(1) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall develop an epidemiological data base and shall provide for long-term studies for the purposes of—

(A) collecting information on the demographic characteristics of the population of individuals infected with the etiologic agent for acquired immune deficiency syndrome and the natural history of such infection; and

(B) developing models demonstrating the long-term domestic and international patterns of the transmission of such etiologic agent.

(2) The Secretary may carry out paragraph (1) directly or through grants to, or cooperative agreeements ¹ or contracts with, public and nonprofit private entities, including Federal agencies.

(c) Long-term research
The Secretary may make grants to public and nonprofit private entities for the purpose of assisting grantees in conducting long-term research into treatments for acquired immune deficiency syndrome developed from knowledge of the genetic nature of the etiologic agent for such syndrome.

(d) Social sciences research
The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, may make grants to public and nonprofit private entities for the purpose of assisting grantees in conducting scientific research into the psychological and social sciences as such sciences relate to acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

(e) Authorization of appropriations

(1) For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year.

(2) Amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) to carry out subsection (c) shall remain available until expended.