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<dc:title>117 HR 5642 IH: Follow Accepted Science Together Act of 2021</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2021-10-20</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">117th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 5642</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20211020">October 20, 2021</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="I000056">Mr. Issa</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HIF00">Committee on Energy and Commerce</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To make any individual who is demonstrated to have antibodies to the virus that causes COVID–19 exempt from any Federal mandate for vaccination against COVID–19.</official-title></form><legis-body id="HB7D47BC6D816417A94770B4EC8B270BE" style="OLC"><section id="H7035EB9020094A6B8493C0142F5400BB" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Follow Accepted Science Together Act of 2021</short-title></quote>. </text></section><section id="HE0EE4E8AC61F4A469F4483B26DC223F5"><enum>2.</enum><header>Findings</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Congress finds as follows:</text><paragraph id="H2DFD1BE74AA94190ADE569227DB72469"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The National Institutes of Health reported in March, 2021, that <quote>people who have had evidence of a prior infection with SARS–CoV–2 … appear to be well protected against being reinfected with the virus …</quote>. The study stated, <quote>the data from this study suggest that people who have had a positive result from a commercial antibody test appear to have substantial immunity to SARS–CoV–2 which means they are at a lower risk for future infection</quote>.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H3B0182B9F0C844D8B722824AE03B74B3"><enum>(2)</enum><text>The National Institutes of Health reported in January 2021, that <quote>after people recover from infection with a virus, the immune system retains a memory of it. Immune cells and proteins that circulate in the body can recognize and kill the pathogen if it’s encountered again, protecting against disease and reducing illness severity. All of these immune system components have been found in people who recover from SARS–CoV–2, the virus that causes COVID–19. Researchers found durable immune responses in the majority of people studied.</quote>.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H4AFC1679DD194D8D8A370E9BC009094F"><enum>(3)</enum><text>A study at Emory University in July 2021, found that recovered COVID–19 patients retain broad and effective longer-term immunity to the disease. The study looked at 254 patients with mild to moderate symptoms over a period of eight months and found that their immune response to the virus remained durable and strong.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H1E6D92BFBBB843E8B5E45EEE46D41AEA"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Patient and doctor relationships should always be paramount and forefront in each patient’s life.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H10E185DD542440B8B7031644FE99DAC5"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Religious, mental health, physical health, immune health, and other exemptions from vaccination requirements give patients and doctors the flexibility to adapt to the limitations or prerequisites of a patient’s health.</text></paragraph></section><section id="HFB398FFA5E9644C0914CA2994E408A19"><enum>3.</enum><header>Inapplicability of any COVID–19 vaccine mandate to individuals with antibodies</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Any individual who is demonstrated to have antibodies to the virus that causes COVID–19 shall be exempt from any Federal mandate for vaccination against COVID–19.</text></section></legis-body></bill> 

