Ebola Eradication Act of 2019

Ebola Eradication Act of 2019

This bill directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to immediately assist in efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DPRC), South Sudan, and Burundi to combat the Ebola outbreak that began in August 2018. The bill also directs the USAID to report to Congress on its efforts in the eastern part of the DPRC and on proposed additional legal authorities needed to improve such efforts.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1340 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1340

To authorize activities to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic 
             Republic of the Congo, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 7, 2019

 Mr. Menendez introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize activities to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic 
             Republic of the Congo, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ebola Eradication Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic 
        of the Congo, which began in August 2018 in eastern Congo, has 
        resulted in 1,554 total cases, and 1,029 deaths.
            (2) Despite the use of preventive tools and new 
        therapeutics, insecurity and community resistance to response 
        efforts remain major obstacles to ending the current Ebola 
        outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the 
        outbreak continues to spread.
            (3) Hospitals, health clinics, and Ebola clinics have been 
        repeatedly attacked by armed actors.
            (4) On February 28, 2019, Doctors Without Borders suspended 
        its work in Ebola epicenters after two treatment centers were 
        attacked.
            (5) On April 19, 2019, Dr. Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, 
        an epidemiologist from Cameroon deployed by the World Health 
        Organization to eastern Congo to help stop the outbreak, was 
        killed in an attack on Butembo University Hospital.
            (6) In the wake of Dr. Kiboung's death, healthcare workers 
        responding to Ebola have threatened to go on strike unless the 
        Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo takes steps 
        to improve security.
            (7) The Administration released a November 29, 2018, 
        Presidential Memorandum implementing aid restrictions to most 
        countries on Tier 3 of the 2018 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) 
        report that fully restricted non-humanitarian, non-trade 
        related aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
            (8) Section 110(d)(5)(B) of the Trafficking Victims 
        Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(d)(5)(B)) states, ``The 
        President shall exercise the [waiver] authority under paragraph 
        (4) when necessary to avoid significant adverse effects on 
        vulnerable populations, including women and children.''.
            (9) The President has not exercised the waiver authority 
        provided for in section 110(d)(5)(B) of the Trafficking in 
        Victims Protection Act of 2000 in relation to health, 
        education, or community outreach activities essential to the 
        success of the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the 
        Congo.
            (10) The United States is a critical partner in helping the 
        Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo end the 
        current outbreak.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION TO ADDRESS THE EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DEMOCRATIC 
              REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
is authorized to provide assistance for efforts to combat the Ebola 
outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, to the extent 
necessary, in other countries, including assistance intended to lower 
community resistance to interventions that the Administrator assesses 
will facilitate efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development shall submit to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives a report--
            (1) describing the actions the Administrator has taken and 
        plans to take under section 3(a) to end the Ebola outbreak in 
        eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo; and
            (2) proposing any additional legal authorities required to 
        improve the response to the Ebola outbreak in eastern 
        Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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