[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8542 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8542

 To prohibit the use of Federal funds by the Department of Health and 
     Human Services, before November 3, 2020, on a public service 
announcement and advertising campaign intended to positively influence 
  public perception, misrepresent facts, or encourage risky behavior, 
                    regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 6, 2020

 Mr. Krishnamoorthi (for himself, Ms. DeLauro, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney 
of New York, and Mr. Clyburn) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit the use of Federal funds by the Department of Health and 
     Human Services, before November 3, 2020, on a public service 
announcement and advertising campaign intended to positively influence 
  public perception, misrepresent facts, or encourage risky behavior, 
                    regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

    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 ``Defeat Pandemic Propaganda Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) over 200,000 Americans have died of COVID-19;
            (2) there is no vaccine for COVID-19 approved by the Food 
        and Drug Administration;
            (3) on August 31, 2020, the Department of Health and Human 
        Services signed an approximately $250,000,000 contract for a 
        public service announcement and advertising campaign to, in 
        part, ``defeat despair and inspire hope, sharing best practices 
        for businesses to operate in the new normal and instill 
        confidence to return to work and restart the economy'' amidst 
        the COVID-19 pandemic; and
            (4) a presidential election is to be held on November 3, 
        2020, approximately 2 months from the date the contract was 
        signed.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) a public service announcement and advertising campaign 
        to promote a return to previous activities amidst the COVID-19 
        pandemic could encourage Americans to defy recommendations by 
        Federal, State, and local public health authorities; and
            (2) a public service announcement and advertising campaign 
        promoting a positive outlook on a pandemic that has resulted in 
        the deaths of over 200,000 Americans, to air in the weeks 
        preceding a presidential election, would be an unethical use of 
        Federal funds.

SEC. 4. NO FEDERAL FUNDS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT AND 
              ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN.

    No Federal funds may be obligated or expended by the Department of 
Health and Human Services, before November 3, 2020, on a public service 
announcement and advertising campaign intended--
            (1) to positively influence public perception regarding the 
        COVID-19 pandemic;
            (2) to misrepresent facts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic; 
        or
            (3) to encourage engagement in activities that carry an 
        undue risk of contracting COVID-19.
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