[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COVID-19 ORIGIN ACT OF 2023

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 619, which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 619) to require the Director of National 
     Intelligence to declassify information relating to the origin 
     of COVID-19, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. BROWN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a 
third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 619) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 619

       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-19 Origin Act of 
     2023''.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) identifying the origin of Coronavirus Disease 2019 
     (COVID-19) is critical for preventing a similar pandemic from 
     occurring in the future;
       (2) there is reason to believe the COVID-19 pandemic may 
     have originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology; and
       (3) the Director of National Intelligence should declassify 
     and make available to the public as much information as 
     possible about the origin of COVID-19 so the United States 
     and like-minded countries can--
       (A) identify the origin of COVID-19 as expeditiously as 
     possible, and
       (B) use that information to take all appropriate measures 
     to prevent a similar pandemic from occurring again.

     SEC. 3. DECLASSIFICATION OF INFORMATION RELATED TO THE ORIGIN 
                   OF COVID-19.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall--
       (1) declassify any and all information relating to 
     potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and 
     the origin of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), 
     including--
       (A) activities performed by the Wuhan Institute of Virology 
     with or on behalf of the People's Liberation Army;
       (B) coronavirus research or other related activities 
     performed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the 
     outbreak of COVID-19; and
       (C) researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology who fell 
     ill in autumn 2019, including for any such researcher--
       (i) the researcher's name;
       (ii) the researcher's symptoms;
       (iii) the date of the onset of the researcher's symptoms;
       (iv) the researcher's role at the Wuhan Institute of 
     Virology;
       (v) whether the researcher was involved with or exposed to 
     coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology;
       (vi) whether the researcher visited a hospital while they 
     were ill; and
       (vii) a description of any other actions taken by the 
     researcher that may suggest they were experiencing a serious 
     illness at the time; and
       (2) submit to Congress an unclassified report that 
     contains--
       (A) all of the information described under paragraph (1); 
     and
       (B) only such redactions as the Director determines 
     necessary to protect sources and methods.

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