[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3560-S3561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 4484. Mrs. ERNST (for herself and Mr. Johnson) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 2943, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2017 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle I of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1097. BIODEFENSE STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Title V of the Homeland Security Act of
2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``SEC. 527. NATIONAL BIODEFENSE STRATEGY.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `biodefense' means any involvement in
mitigating the risks of major biological incidents and public
health emergencies to the United States, including with
respect to--
``(A) threat awareness;
``(B) prevention and protection;
``(C) surveillance and detection;
``(D) response and recovery; and
``(E) attribution of an intentional biological incident;
``(2) the term `Council' means the Biodefense Coordination
Council established under subsection (b);
``(3) the term `Federal biodefense enterprise' means the
programs, projects, activities, and resources across the
Federal Government that are involved in biodefense; and
``(4) the term `Strategy' means the National Biodefense
Strategy required to be established under subsection (b)(5).
``(b) Biodefense Coordination Council.--
``(1) Establishment.--The President shall establish a
Biodefense Coordination Council, which shall be comprised of,
at a minimum--
``(A) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
``(B) the Secretary of Agriculture;
``(C) the Secretary of Defense;
``(D) the Secretary;
``(E) the Secretary of State;
``(F) the Director of National Intelligence; and
``(G) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency.
``(2) Duties.--The Council shall--
``(A) provide the expertise necessary to develop the
Strategy; and
``(B) in coordination with the Office of Management and
Budget, review, prioritize, and align necessary biodefense
activities and spending across the Federal Government, in a
manner consistent with the Strategy.
``(3) Rotating chair.--During the 4-year period beginning
on the date on which the Council is established, and each 4-
year period thereafter, each of the 4 Secretaries described
in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (1) shall serve
as the chairperson for the Council for 1 year. The first
chairperson of the Council shall be the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
``(4) President's annual budget.--The recommendations of
the Council shall inform the budget submitted by the
President under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code,
with respect to biodefense activities.
``(5) Strategy.--The President shall develop a National
Biodefense Strategy to direct and align the inter-
governmental and multi-disciplinary efforts of the Federal
Government towards an effective and continuously improving
biodefense enterprise, including threat awareness, prevention
and protection, surveillance and detection, and
[[Page S3561]]
response and recovery to major biological incidents.
``(c) Coordination.--
``(1) Council.--In developing the Strategy, the President
shall utilize the Council.
``(2) Other agencies.--In developing the Strategy, the
President may utilize--
``(A) the Secretary of Commerce;
``(B) the Attorney General; and
``(C) any other Federal department, agency, or interagency
body the President determines appropriate, including the
Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise.
``(3) Other entities.--The President may receive input on
elements of the Strategy from private sector biodefense
entities and State, local, tribal, and territorial
governments.
``(4) Academic institutions.--The President may receive
input on elements of the Strategy from academic institutions.
``(d) Coordination With Existing Strategies.--The Strategy
shall serve as a comprehensive guide for United States
biodefense that directs and harmonizes all other strategies
or plans established or maintained by a Federal department or
agency with respect to biodefense.
``(e) Contents.--
``(1) Requirements.--The Strategy shall include, at a
minimum--
``(A) a comprehensive description of the entities and
positions of leadership with responsibility, authority, and
accountability for implementing, overseeing, and coordinating
Federal biodefense activities described in subsection (b)(5),
including a description of how such entities coordinate on
each aspect of biodefense;
``(B) 5-year goals, priorities, and metrics to improve and
strengthen the ability of the Federal Government to prevent,
detect, respond to, and recover from a major biological
incident;
``(C) short- and long-term research and development
projects or initiatives planned to improve biodefense
capability; and
``(D) recommendations for legislative action needed to
expedite progression toward the goals identified in the
Strategy.
``(2) Considerations.--In developing the Strategy, the
President may consider--
``(A) the trade-offs made between differing goals and
requirements, due to constraints in expected assets and
resources over the time period of such goals and
requirements; and
``(B) any other analysis the President determines
appropriate.
``(3) Analysis.--The Strategy shall include an appendix,
which shall contain--
``(A) a review of current and previous collaborative
efforts between the Armed Forces and the civilian sector of
the Federal Government on biodefense activities and
coordination;
``(B) a detailed analysis of the--
``(i) relevant recommendations issued by external
biodefense review panels or commissions, and the extent to
which the recommendations have been considered and
implemented by Federal departments and agencies;
``(ii) lessons learned from the response of the Federal
Government to public health emergencies occurring within the
5 years preceding the submission of the strategy;
``(iii) risks associated with major biological incidents;
``(iv) resources and capabilities needed to address
identified risks; and
``(v) resource and capability gaps in the Federal
biodefense enterprise, including gaps in--
``(I) each category of biodefense activity described in
subsection (a)(1);
``(II) identification and research of emerging biological
threats;
``(III) programs, projects, and activities in effect before
the date of enactment of this section;
``(IV) strategies and implementation plans related to
biodefense activities in effect before the date of enactment
of this section;
``(V) the ability to reallocate Federal resources to
address risks posed by emerging biological threats; and
``(VI) meeting the needs of vulnerable populations during
the response to and recovery from a public health emergency;
and
``(C) prioritization and allocation of investment across
the Federal biodefense enterprise.
``(f) Deadline.--Not later than 24 months after the date of
enactment of this section and in accordance with subsection
(k), the President shall submit the Strategy to the Committee
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate
and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives.
``(g) Status Updates.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this section, and every 180 days
thereafter until the date on which the Strategy is submitted
to the congressional committees described in subsection (f),
the President shall submit to such congressional committees
an update on the status of the Strategy.
``(h) Requirement.--In accordance with subsection (k), the
Strategy shall be made available on a public Internet
website.
``(i) Five-Year Update.--Beginning 5 years after the date
on which the Strategy is submitted to the congressional
committees described in subsection (f), and not less
frequently than every 5 years thereafter, the President shall
update the Strategy.
``(j) Annual Biodefense Expenditures Report.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which the President submits a budget to Congress under
section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the President
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report detailing the total amount of expenditures on
biodefense activities by all Federal departments and agencies
and how the expenditures relate to the goals and priorities
required under subsection (e)(1)(B).
``(2) Requirement.--The first report submitted under
paragraph (1) shall provide historical context by detailing
the total amount of expenditures on biodefense for the 3
preceding fiscal years, in addition to the fiscal year
requirements for the fiscal year covered by the report.
``(k) Classified Annex.--To the fullest extent possible,
any reports required to be made publicly available under this
section shall be unclassified, but may include classified
annexes that shall be submitted concurrently to the
congressional homeland security committees.''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section
1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 note)
is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
526 the following:
``Sec. 527. National Biodefense Strategy.''.
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