[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4767 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4767

To establish programs to support research and development with respect 
       to personal protective equipment for health care workers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 30 (legislative day, September 29), 2020

Mr. Casey (for himself and Ms. Stabenow) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish programs to support research and development with respect 
       to personal protective equipment for health care workers.

    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 ``PPE Innovation Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE SUPPLY OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 319M the following:

``SEC. 319N. PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE THE SUPPLY OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE 
              EQUIPMENT.

    ``(a) National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory.--The 
Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, shall continue to carry out the activities of 
the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory within the 
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, including by--
            ``(1) conducting research and development related to 
        personal protective equipment, which shall include developing 
        new methods to test effectiveness of such equipment;
            ``(2) developing and implementing science-based national 
        guidance for respiratory equipment and other personal 
        protective equipment;
            ``(3) establishing guidance and tools to help employers and 
        workers use personal protective equipment as effectively and 
        efficiently as possible; and
            ``(4) developing and evaluating innovative designs and test 
        methods to improve acceptability, comfort, fit, and usability 
        of personal protective equipment.
    ``(b) Research and Development Program for Personal Protective 
Equipment for Health Care Workers.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall establish, within the National Personal Protective 
        Technology Laboratory described in subsection (a), a program to 
        ensure innovation with respect to personal protective equipment 
        for health care workers, by conducting and applying scientific 
        research on essential safety, design considerations, and usage 
        qualities and standards of personal protective equipment used 
        in health care settings.
            ``(2) Requirements.--The program established under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) integrate consultation with heath care 
                personnel who use personal protective equipment in 
                their work to inform factors such as comfort over 
                short- and long-durations, fit, durability, and 
                feasibility in real-world health care settings;
                    ``(B) conduct pilot testing for periods of 6 months 
                to evaluate workforce experience with, and preliminary 
                efficacy of, newly developed equipment; and
                    ``(C) coordinate with manufacturers to--
                            ``(i) ensure capability for large scale-
                        production of personal protective equipment, 
                        even in the potential circumstance of low-
                        profitability, and
                            ``(ii) guarantee the ability to increase 
                        supply of such equipment rapidly in response to 
                        sudden medical need, through manufacturing at 
                        facilities within the United States and at 
                        reliable manufacturing facilities abroad.
            ``(3) Consultation.--In carrying out the program under this 
        subsection, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention shall consult with--
                    ``(A) the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
                Occupational Safety and Health to align and integrate 
                the objectives of the 2 agencies with respect to 
                innovative development of personal protective equipment 
                for health care workers; and
                    ``(B) the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to ensure 
                appropriate communication related to relevant 
                certification of personal protective equipment.
            ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        subsection, there are authorized to be appropriated 
        $180,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
    ``(c) Reporting.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall seek to enter into a 
        contract with the National Academies of Science, Engineering 
        and Medicine (referred to in this subsection as the 
        `Academies') under which, not later than 3 years after the date 
        of enactment of the PPE Innovation Act of 2020, and thereafter, 
        at such regular intervals as the Secretary shall determine, the 
        Standing Committee on Personal Protective Equipment for 
        Workplace Safety and Health of such Academies shall--
                    ``(A) present a workshop to update the public on 
                progress of the program under subsection (b) and the 
                progress and remaining knowledge gaps with respect to 
                implementation of such program and innovative product 
                deployment of personal protective equipment in health 
                care settings in the United States; and
                    ``(B) submit a written summary of such workshop to 
                the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
                of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
                of the House of Representatives.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be required to 
        carry out this subsection.
    ``(d) Definition.--In this section, the term `personal protective 
equipment' means equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that 
cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses and includes respiratory 
protection, clothing, eye protection, and such other equipment to 
protect the wearer as the Secretary may determine.''.
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