“(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2019], should—“(1) provide integrated drug treatment packages to as many individuals suffering from NTDs or at risk of acquiring NTDs, including individuals displaced by manmade and natural disasters, as logistically feasible;
“(2) better integrate NTD control and treatment tools and approaches into complementary development and global health programs by coordinating, to the extent practicable and appropriate, across multiple sectors, including those relating to HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, education, nutrition, other infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene;
“(3) establish low-cost, high-impact community- and school-based NTD programs to reach large at-risk populations, including school-age children, with integrated drug treatment packages, as feasible;
“(4) as opportunities emerge and resources allow, engage in research and development of new tools and approaches to reach the goals relating to the elimination of NTDs as set forth by the 2012 World Health Organization publication ‘Accelerating Work to Overcome the Global Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Roadmap for Implementation’, including for Chagas disease, Guinea worm, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), leprosy, and visceral leishmaniasis; and
“(5) monitor research on and developments in the prevention and treatment of other NTDs so breakthroughs can be incorporated into the Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, as practicable and appropriate.
“(b) Program Priorities.—The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (referred to in this section as the ‘Administrator’) should incorporate the following priorities into the Neglected Tropical Diseases Program (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act):“(1) Planning for and conducting robust monitoring and evaluation of program investments in order to accurately measure impact, identify and share lessons learned, and inform future NTD control and elimination strategies.
“(2) Coordinating program activities with complementary development and global health programs of the United States Agency for International Development, including programs relating to water, sanitation, and hygiene, food and nutrition security, and education (both primary and secondary), in order to advance the goals of the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (2012).
“(3) Including morbidity management in treatment plans for high-burden NTDs.
“(4) Incorporating NTDs included in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 into the program as opportunities emerge, to the extent practicable and appropriate.
“(5) Continuing investments in the research and development of new tools and approaches that complement existing research investments and ensure that new discoveries make it through the pipeline and become available to individuals who need them most.