[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3526-S3527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2062. Mr. SASSE (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1502 proposed by Mr. Schumer to 
the bill S. 1260, to establish a new Directorate for Technology and 
Innovation in the National Science Foundation, to establish a regional 
technology hub program, to require a strategy and report on economic 
security, science, research, innovation, manufacturing, and job 
creation, to establish a critical supply chain resiliency program, and 
for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title V of division B, add the following:

     SEC. 2528. GLOBAL COVID-19 RELIEF PROGRAM.

       (a) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that--
       (1) the COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a generation 
     opportunity for the United States to demonstrate global 
     leadership;
       (2) the People's Republic of China is engaged in an 
     aggressive vaccine diplomacy game and uses COVID-19 
     assistance as a coercive tool to secure political and 
     economic gains;
       (3) providing other countries with COVID-19 assistance and 
     access to vaccines should be a top priority for the 
     Department of State

[[Page S3527]]

     and the United States Agency for International Development 
     for the rest of fiscal year 2021; and
       (4) it is in the interests of the United States to work to 
     preserve and protect United States private sector incentives 
     for future vaccine development and to ensure technological 
     innovation in order to meet the vaccine diplomacy challenges 
     of the next pandemic.
       (b) Global COVID-19 Relief Program.--The Secretary of State 
     should establish a global COVID-19 relief program through 
     which Department of State and United States Agency for 
     International Development personnel, including contractors, 
     can--
       (1) assist host governments with--
       (A) the procurement from the United States Government of 
     COVID-19 vaccines developed in the United States;
       (B) direct procurement of such vaccines from United States 
     vaccine manufacturers; and
       (C) procurement of other COVID-19-related medical advice, 
     technical advice, and material assistance from the United 
     States Government and United States vaccine manufacturers; 
     and
       (2) serve as liaisons for United States vaccine 
     manufacturers to facilitate--
       (A) overseas licensing agreements;
       (B) direct purchase agreements; and
       (C) the expansion of vaccine production capacity overseas.
       (c) American Vaccine Diplomacy Task Force.--
       (1) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State should 
     establish a task force to facilitate the overseas licensing 
     and direct purchasing agreements of vaccines developed in the 
     United States.
       (2) Membership.--If a task force is established pursuant to 
     paragraph (1), the task force should be composed of--
       (A) 1 or more representatives of the Department of State at 
     the Under Secretary level, or designees;
       (B) 1 or more representatives of the United States Agency 
     for International Development at the Assistant Administrator 
     level, or designees;
       (C) 1 or more representatives of the Department of Commerce 
     at the Under Secretary level, or designees;
       (D) 1 or more representatives of private sector companies 
     in the United States that are significantly involved in the 
     production of COVID-19 vaccines;
       (E) 1 or more representatives from civil society, including 
     organizational leaders with expertise in the manufacturing, 
     procurement, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines developed 
     in the United States; and
       (F) any other representatives that the Secretary of State 
     determines are necessary to support the work of the task 
     force.
       (3) Duties.--If a task force is established pursuant to 
     paragraph (1), the task force should identify--
       (A) a target set of countries for the facilitation of 
     overseas licensing and direct purchasing agreements of COVID-
     19 vaccines developed in the United States;
       (B) existing policy and legal hurdles to the facilitation 
     of overseas licensing and direct purchasing agreements of 
     such vaccines; and
       (C) the necessary resources at the consulate, embassy, and 
     bureau levels to expedite the facilitation of overseas 
     licensing and direct purchasing agreements of such vaccines.
       (4) Reporting requirement.--Not later than 60 days after 
     the establishment of the task force pursuant to paragraph (1) 
     and every 90 days thereafter until the date set forth in 
     paragraph (5), the task force should deliver a written or 
     verbal report to Congress and to the Secretary of State that 
     describes--
       (A) the activities of the task force; and
       (B) any legal, bureaucratic, or resourcing challenges 
     preventing the expedited facilitation of overseas licensing 
     and direct purchasing agreements of COVID-19 vaccines 
     developed in the United States.
       (5) Sunset provision.--If a task force is established 
     pursuant to paragraph (1), the task force shall terminate on 
     the date that is 1 year after the date of its establishment 
     unless the Secretary of State--
       (A) determines that the duration of the task force should 
     be extended; and
       (B) not later than 30 days before extending the duration of 
     the task force, notifies Congress of the duration of, and 
     justification for, such extension.
                                 ______