[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 30, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5075-H5077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COVID PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND EFFECTIVE PLANNING FOR ADVANCED 
            REQUIREMENTS BY THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH ACT OF 2020

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 7496) to require Federal agencies to submit plans for 
responding to any resurgence of COVID-19, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7496

       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 ``COVID Preparedness, 
     Response, and Effective Planning for Advanced Requirements by 
     the Executive Branch Act of 2020'' or the ``COVID PREPARE Act 
     of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. COVID-19 RESURGENCE PLAN.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the head of each agency shall 
     submit to Congress an initial report detailing an action 
     plan, informed by research and best practices learned from 
     the onset of COVID-19 and previous presidentially declared 
     emergencies, for addressing the needs and mitigating and 
     eliminating the risks and challenges associated with any 
     resurgence in COVID-19 cases, that includes--
       (1) agency priorities for preparing for and responding to 
     any resurgence of COVID-19, including continuity of 
     operations and fulfilling the mission of the agency;
       (2) measurable goals specific to priorities and a time line 
     for addressing each priority;
       (3) anticipated challenges to addressing priorities and how 
     the agency will address such challenges;
       (4) how the agency will consult with Congress, the public, 
     State and municipal governments, and relevant stakeholders 
     while working remotely; and
       (5) how the agency plans to issue relevant guidance to 
     entities under the jurisdiction of the agency.
       (b) Subsequent Reports.--Not later than 60 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter 
     until the President ends the declared emergency, the head of 
     each agency shall submit to Congress a report that provides 
     an update of the details submitted in the plan under 
     subsection (a), including--
       (1) the status of each priority;
       (2) an explanation for any goal that has not been met 
     within the specified time frame; and
       (3) any changes or updates to the plan.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
       (2) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
     States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth, 
     territory, or possession of the United States, and each 
     federally recognized Indian Tribe.

     SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Connolly) and the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. 
Miller) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the measure before us.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Brad Schneider and   John Katko 
for their strong bipartisan work on this good-government bill.
  Reflecting back on the outbreak of the pandemic, I think we can all 
agree that our Nation and the Federal Government were not prepared for 
what lay ahead. Conflicting safety and work-from-home guidelines caused 
confusion across the Federal workforce. We didn't have a clear 
understanding of how the virus spread or how best to respond to it, so 
agencies managing offices and priorities across the country were left 
to make their own best decisions as they saw it. Many agencies were not 
telework-ready, and we did not grasp the sheer length of time that this 
pandemic would last, let alone plan for it.
  Now with the winter months approaching, the projections are grim. In 
June, the University of Washington School of Medicine predicted 200,000 
U.S. deaths by October, a number we had already passed by September 22. 
Their model now predicts, sadly, the death rate will more than double 
by the end of this year. In all likelihood, the worst is still to come. 
But this time we can and must be prepared.
  To make sure the Federal Government is ready for the challenges 
ahead, the COVID PREPARE Act would require each Federal agency submit 
to Congress an initial action plan for addressing and managing any 
resurgence of coronavirus cases. The plans would use the important 
lessons learned since the onset of the coronavirus crisis to develop 
data-driven blueprints for anticipating and addressing any resurgence. 
The bill also would require agencies to provide quarterly progress 
reports to Congress.
  Agencies should already be engaging in the strategic evidence-based 
planning required by this bill, so compliance ought not to be 
difficult. Adding this important step would maximize the impact of 
these plans by ensuring transparency and accountability through 
oversight.
  It is more urgent than ever that Federal agencies ensure the 
responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars while protecting their 
workforces and the most effective pandemic response possible by 
committing to a sound and transparent planning and preparedness 
process.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this thoughtful bill as a complement 
to the bill we just passed, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 7496, the COVID PREPARE Act of 
2020.

[[Page H5076]]

  The bill requires every Federal agency to report COVID-19 resurgent 
action plans to Congress. These plans will cover agency pandemic 
resurgence preparations to assure agency mission continuity.
  The bill also requires agencies to outline their communication plans 
to necessary stakeholders, including Congress, States, and localities, 
and entities in the agency's jurisdiction. Finally, the bill requires 
quarterly updates on these plans through the end of the pandemic. This, 
of course, presumes a resurgence of the pandemic, which we hope will 
not happen.
  In discussing this bill, we would be remiss if we did not commend the 
work the Federal agencies and their workforce have already done and 
continue to do combating COVID-19 across our Nation.
  We should recognize the progress we have made as a nation in fighting 
this global pandemic. Thanks to this administration's leadership, we 
are seeing continual progress in the coronavirus fight.
  The President's Cabinet and agency leaders have been constantly 
evaluating the pandemic and making decisions in real time, with the 
safety of the Federal workforce and the American public as their 
primary goal.
  As our collective knowledge of COVID-19 evolves, Congress needs to 
ensure that the legislation we advance empowers Federal agencies to 
make these critical real-time decisions. Congress needs to be careful 
about continually laying on new reporting requirements to already-
strained Federal agencies.

                              {time}  1300

  These agencies are currently responsible to congressional oversight, 
and new, broadly defined reporting requirements can have the unintended 
consequences of redirecting scarce agency resources during a national 
emergency.
  H.R. 7496 requires, within 30 days of the legislation's enactment, 
that every Federal agency communicates plans to Congress for how they 
will handle the unthinkable; this pandemic worsening.
  The bill's language is broad, and we didn't have the opportunity to 
fully engage in debate on what it means and what metrics we are using.
  Legislation like this could have benefited from additional work in 
our committee to clarify its intentions.
  Fortunately, the agencies already have plans in place, and we hope 
the resurgence action plans envisioned by this bill won't be needed.
  Thanks to the administration's Operation Warp Speed, the American 
people are optimistic that the Food and Drug Administration will 
shortly announce a safe and effective vaccine.
  In the meantime, we need to work in Congress to assure that Federal 
agencies are able to remain fully focused on handling their present 
work and challenges so that we can stop this virus.
  Our constituents sent us here to work together, put partisanship 
aside, and ensure our Nation's government has the resources that it 
needs.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on legislation that 
helps our government remain effective at fighting this pandemic.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I do think it is important when we talk about Operation 
Warp Speed and we talk about the promise of vaccines, that we remind 
ourselves that not all vaccines are curative. In fact, many vaccines 
exist to lessen the severity of the illness that could follow.
  We are 100 years after the Spanish flu, and we still don't have a 
cure for the flu. We have an annual vaccine to lessen the severity of 
the illness should you get it and to prevent it in some cases, but not 
a cure.
  We have been grappling with AIDS for over 40 years. We don't have a 
drug or a vaccine that completely cures AIDS.
  So when we talk to the American public, we have to be careful about 
the implied promise or explicit promise those of us in public life 
make.
  That is why I think Mr. Schneider's bill and Mr. Katko's bill is so 
important. In the event we don't have a vaccine that is efficacious, we 
need to have contingency planning.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Schneider), the author of this bill and my friend.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Connolly), my friend, for yielding me the time.
  I rise today in support of the COVID PREPARE Act, H.R. 7496.
  As I stand here, our Nation stands at more than 7 million Americans 
confirmed infected with the SARS-Cov-2 virus and more than 206,000 
American lives lost to COVID-19.
  The scale and scope of this pandemic is unprecedented in American 
history, causing dual national crises: one of public health, the other 
of economic calamity.
  Over the past 6 months, the pandemic has affected all of us, putting 
our loved ones at risk, overwhelming our healthcare systems, keeping 
our kids out of school, devastating our businesses, and pushing State 
and local governments to the brink.
  Most experts agree that things are likely to get worse before they 
get better. According to Reuters, for the week ending September 27, 
total new cases are up 10 percent from the prior week. Daily new cases 
are again rising, with The New York Times reporting a 23 percent 
increase in average daily cases over 2 weeks ago. And The Times shows 
that more than half of U.S. States already have high rates of 
infection--at least 15 cases per 100,000 population--or are 
concerningly facing rising rates of infection.
  So many people are suffering and looking to their government for 
relief. They needed help as they navigated the daunting challenges of 
spring and summer, and they want confidence that the Federal 
Government, our entire government, has a plan as we head into the fall 
and winter.
  Every day I hear from constituents in my community, Illinois' 10th 
Congressional District, about how they are struggling to cope. I hear 
from parents juggling full-time jobs while schooling their children; 
from small business owners scraping to pay their bills and worried they 
may have to shut their doors forever; from healthcare workers forced to 
use and reuse their PPE, the personal protective equipment that keeps 
them safe--for up to an entire week because of ongoing shortages of 
supplies; from city mayors and village presidents forced into cutting 
essential services and laying off critical workers; from individuals of 
all ages and in all stages of life concerned about their future and the 
future of our country.
  With the timeline for rolling out a safe and effective vaccine still 
unknown, it is imperative that the government develop and implement 
comprehensive strategies for beating back this virus and mitigating its 
effect on our healthcare system, on our economy, and our lives and our 
livelihoods.
  This is not about politics. Congress and the administration must work 
together to provide immediate relief to those suffering now and get us 
on a path to full recovery as soon as possible.
  We can't get there by ignoring our challenges or by wishing them 
away. We can only get to the other side of these crises with clear-eyed 
assessment and realistic, fact-based, science-driven solutions.
  These are the ideas that lie behind the COVID PREPARE Act. This is 
bipartisan, commonsense legislation, crafted with my friend   John 
Katko, to assure the American people that their Federal Government is 
fully prepared to address this ever-changing public health crisis and 
economic crisis.
  This legislation would require Federal agencies to submit to Congress 
their plans for addressing surges of COVID-19, anticipating a potential 
increase in infections and even greater demands on our healthcare 
system and pressure on our economy.
  Trying to anticipate the unforeseen is always a difficult task, but 
any number of our ills--from shortages of PPE, to nationwide testing 
strategies, to school reopening protocols--could be at least partially 
cured by thoughtful planning and careful preparation.
  The COVID PREPARE Act will provide bipartisan oversight and full 
transparency in both the planning and execution of our national 
response.
  The goal of this legislation is not to tell our Federal agencies what 
to do. Rather, this bill provides the American people transparency and 
confidence that their government is putting their

[[Page H5077]]

needs and the needs of our Nation front and center; that the government 
is anticipating what resources and responses will be required in the 
immediate, middle, and long-term battle against COVID; and that we are 
taking the necessary steps at the Federal level to maximize our 
likelihood of national success.
  In a time of such great uncertainty, any reassurances we can provide 
our country should and will be a welcome salve.
  I will say it again: ending the pandemic should not, should not be a 
partisan issue. We need to move forward together, Democrats and 
Republicans. My bill seeks to do just that, and to take an aggressive 
approach to tackling this urgent public health crisis.
  We can certainly hope for the best, but we must responsibly prepare 
for the worst.
  Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am 
prepared to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further comments on this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I would just simply close by reminding 
everybody that bad planning exacerbated greatly the severity and 
duration of this pandemic. And if we have learned anything, we have 
learned that we need to plan, we need to have a plan, and that is 
certainly true with our Federal agencies.
  I believe this bill is a commonsense bill that will add to our 
capability to respond quickly in the event of a resurgence of the 
coronavirus, and I urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Heck). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7496, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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