Improving Pandemic Preparedness and Response Through Diplomacy Act
This bill requires the President to appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, who shall supervise diplomatic efforts to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from pandemics and other global outbreaks of infectious disease. The bill also requires the Department of the Treasury to remit all U.S.-assessed contributions to the World Health Organization.
The envoy must develop and implement a diplomatic strategy that addresses, among other things (1) the development of medical countermeasures for emerging infectious diseases; (2) zoonotic (animal-to-human transmission) disease prevention, detection, and response; (3) the development of disease surveillance systems; and (4) efforts to combat the spread of disinformation and discrimination related to the outbreak and spread of infectious disease.
The envoy shall regularly convene (1) an interagency steering committee to aid in the development, coordination, and implementation of this strategy; and (2) an outside panel of experts to advise on scientific, technical, and policy matters and to make recommendations for the diplomatic strategy.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4118 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4118
To require the President to appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for
Pandemic Preparedness and Response, who shall develop and implement a
diplomatic strategy to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover
from pandemics and other global outbreaks of infectious disease, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 30, 2020
Ms. Harris introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the President to appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for
Pandemic Preparedness and Response, who shall develop and implement a
diplomatic strategy to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover
from pandemics and other global outbreaks of infectious disease, 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 ``Improving Pandemic Preparedness and
Response Through Diplomacy Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the annual report of the Global
Preparedness Monitoring Board (an independent panel of experts
convened by the World Bank Group and the World Health
Organization), ``The world is at acute risk for devastating
regional or global disease epidemics or pandemics that not only
cause loss of life but upend and create social chaos.''.
(2) The World Health Organization--
(A) declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) a Public Health Emergency of
International Concern on January 30, 2020;
(B) raised its global risk assessment to ``Very
High'' on February 28, 2020; and
(C) ultimately declared the outbreak a pandemic on
March 11, 2020.
(3) The risks associated with future outbreaks of
infections disease and other global health emergencies, whether
naturally-occurring, accidental, or deliberate, are increasing
due to a number of factors, including--
(A) the spillover of pathogens from animals to
humans;
(B) the development of antimicrobial resistance;
(C) population growth and resulting strains on the
environment;
(D) urbanization;
(E) international travel and trade;
(F) forced and voluntary migration;
(G) climate change;
(H) weak public health infrastructures; and
(I) potential acts of bioterrorism.
(4) Vulnerable populations, including those who live in
poverty and in countries with weak public health and government
infrastructure, and at-risk groups, such as the sick, older
people, ethnic and religious minorities, women, people with
disabilities, LGBTQ people, indigenous, migrants, refugees, and
children, are particularly susceptible to the outbreak of
infectious disease and its consequences.
(5) According to an April 2020 report of the International
Monetary Fund--
(A) ``It is very likely that this year the global
economy will experience its worst recession since the
Depression, surpassing that seen during the global
financial crisis a decade ago.''; and
(B) ``As a result of the pandemic, the global
economy is projected to contract sharply by 3 percent
in 2020.''.
(6) As of May 14, 2020, the Department of Labor estimated
that 36,500,000 workers filed for first-time unemployment
claims during the previous 8 weeks, which coincides with the
timeframe during which the impact of the coronavirus became
widespread across the United States.
(7) The United States Government, along with the medical,
scientific, and public health communities, has historically
promoted global public health through--
(A) multilateral cooperation;
(B) funding of relevant research activities; and
(C) the provision of development assistance to
prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from the
outbreak of infectious disease.
(8) The Global Health Security Agenda is a multi-faceted,
multi-country initiative intended to improve partner countries'
measurable capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to
infectious disease, which the United States is committed to
advancing.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) no country, acting alone, can effectively protect the
health and safety of all its people from the outbreak and
spread of infectious disease and other global health
emergencies;
(2) efforts to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover
from disease outbreaks and pandemics globally--
(A) are in the interests of the United States; and
(B) are consistent with the promotion of core
values of peace, prosperity, health, and equal dignity
and rights of all peoples;
(3) robust diplomacy, including multilateral diplomacy and
development assistance, is an essential part of a well-
coordinated, whole-of-government strategy to prepare for,
detect, respond to, and recover from disease outbreak and
spread and other global health emergencies; and
(4) support for, and active participation in, multilateral
organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Health
Organization, enhance the efforts of the United States to
prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from disease
outbreaks and pandemics, both domestically and globally.
SEC. 4. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND
RESPONSE.
(a) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``appropriate
congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate;
(4) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
(5) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate;
(6) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate;
(7) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate;
(8) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(9) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of
Representatives;
(10) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives;
(11) the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives;
(12) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives;
(13) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives;
(14) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(15) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the
House of Representatives.
(b) Office of the Special Presidential Envoy.--There is established
in the Office of the Secretary of State, an Office of the Special
Presidential Envoy, which--
(1) shall be led by the Special Presidential Envoy for
Pandemic Preparedness and Response (referred to in this section
as the ``Special Presidential Envoy'') appointed pursuant to
subsection (c);
(2) shall be staffed with--
(A) detailees from the bureaus and offices under
the jurisdiction of the Under Secretary for Economic
Growth, Energy, and the Environment;
(B) detailees from the Bureau of Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; and
(C) any other Department of State personnel the
Secretary considers necessary.
(c) Appointment.--The President, in consultation with the Secretary
of State and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall appoint
a Special Presidential Envoy for Pandemic Preparedness and Response,
who shall have the rank and status of Ambassador-at-Large.
(d) Qualifications.--The Special Presidential Envoy shall have
extensive experience in global public health, diplomacy, medicine, or a
related field.
(e) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The principal duty of the Special
Presidential Envoy shall be the overall supervision, including
policy oversight of resources, of diplomatic efforts to prepare
for, detect, respond to, and recover from pandemics and other
global outbreaks of infectious disease. The Special
Presidential Envoy shall exercise such powers as the Secretary
of State may prescribe.
(2) Strategy development.--The Special Presidential Envoy
shall develop, and, in coordination with the heads of relevant
departments and agencies, direct the implementation of the
diplomatic strategy described in section 5.
(f) Reports.--
(1) Report on covid-19 pandemic.--Not later than 30 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly
thereafter, the Special Presidential Envoy shall submit a
report to the appropriate congressional committees that
describes his or her efforts to develop and implement a
diplomatic strategy comprised of the elements specified in
section 5 with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2) General report.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter,
the Special Presidential Envoy shall submit a report to the
appropriate congressional committees that describes his or her
efforts to develop and implement a diplomatic strategy
comprised of the elements specified in section 5 with respect
to any and all future outbreaks of infectious disease or
pandemics.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $10,000,000 for the Office of the Special Presidential
Envoy to carry out this section.
SEC. 5. ELEMENTS OF DIPLOMATIC STRATEGY.
The diplomatic strategy to prepare for, detect, respond to, and
recover from pandemics and other global outbreaks of infectious disease
should address--
(1) the development of medical countermeasures, including
vaccines, antimicrobials, therapeutics, and diagnostics for
emerging infectious diseases;
(2) zoonotic disease prevention, detection, and response;
(3) the development of disease surveillance systems;
(4) the promotion of disease reporting and greater
transparency of disease-related information;
(5) increasing the capabilities and capacity of national
laboratories;
(6) combating the spread of antimicrobial resistant
microorganisms;
(7) scientific workforce development and training;
(8) the mitigation of, disruptions to, and other issues
related to, global medical supply chains;
(9) efforts to prevent the outbreak and spread of
infectious diseases among displaced persons and other
vulnerable populations;
(10) the development and use of standards and best
practices for the imposition and lifting of disease mitigation
measures, including travel restrictions, social distancing,
quarantining, and other restrictions on economic and social
activities; and
(11) efforts to combat the spread of disinformation and
racial discrimination related to the outbreak and spread of
infectious disease.
SEC. 6. INTERAGENCY STEERING COMMITTEE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, acting through the Special
Presidential Envoy for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, shall
regularly convene an interagency steering committee to aid in the
development, coordination, and implementation of the diplomatic
strategy described in section 5.
(b) Membership.--The interagency steering committee referred to in
subsection (a)--
(1) should be led by the Special Presidential Envoy; and
(2) shall include, as members--
(A) the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs;
(B) the Global AIDS Coordinator and United States
Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy;
(C) any other Department of State personnel the
Secretary considers necessary;
(D) the Director of the Office of Global Affairs of
the Department of Health and Human Services; and
(E) at least 1 representative from each of the
following agencies:
(i) The United States Agency for
International Development.
(ii) The Department of Health and Human
Services.
(iii) The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
(iv) The National Institutes of Health.
(v) The Department of Agriculture.
(vi) The Department of Homeland Security.
(vii) The Department of the Treasury.
(viii) The Department of Commerce.
(ix) The Office of the United States Trade
Representative.
(x) The Department of Labor.
(xi) The White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy.
(xii) The Office of the Director of
National Intelligence.
(xiii) The Department of Defense.
SEC. 7. OUTSIDE PANEL OF EXPERTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, acting through the Special
Presidential Envoy for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, shall
regularly convene an outside panel of experts--
(1) to advise the Special Presidential Envoy regarding
scientific, technical, and other policy matters; and
(2) to make recommendations for the development and
implementation of the diplomatic strategy described in section
5.
(b) Composition.--The Special Presidential Envoy, in consultation
with the interagency steering committee established pursuant to section
6, shall determine who will be included on the panel convened pursuant
to subsection (a).
(c) Applicability of FACA.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5
U.S.C. App. shall not apply to the panel convened pursuant to
subsection (a)).
SEC. 8. HONORING FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS TO THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION.
Subject to the availability of appropriations, but notwithstanding
any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Treasury shall remit
all United States assessed contributions to the World Health
Organization not later than the date on which such contributions are
due and payable.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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