[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 7197-7199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01854]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 15 / Tuesday, January 26, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 7197]]


                Executive Order 13996 of January 21, 2021

                
Establishing the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board 
                and Ensuring a Sustainable Public Health Workforce for 
                COVID-19 and Other Biological Threats

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, including section 301 of title 3, United 
                States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of my 
                Administration to control coronavirus disease 2019 
                (COVID-19) by using a Government-wide, unified approach 
                that includes: establishing a national COVID-19 testing 
                and public health workforce strategy; working to expand 
                the supply of tests; working to bring test 
                manufacturing to the United States, where possible; 
                working to enhance laboratory testing capacity; working 
                to expand the public health workforce; supporting 
                screening testing for schools and priority populations; 
                and ensuring a clarity of messaging about the use of 
                tests and insurance coverage.

                Sec. 2. COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board.

                    (a) Establishment and Membership. There is 
                established a COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board (Testing 
                Board), chaired by the Coordinator of the COVID-19 
                Response and Counselor to the President (COVID-19 
                Response Coordinator) or his designee. The Testing 
                Board shall include representatives from executive 
                departments and agencies (agencies) that are designated 
                by the President. The heads of agencies so designated 
                shall designate officials from their respective 
                agencies to represent them on the Testing Board.
                    (b) Mission and Functions. To support the 
                implementation and oversight of the policy laid out in 
                section 1 of this order, the Testing Board shall:

(i) coordinate Federal Government efforts to promote COVID-19 diagnostic, 
screening, and surveillance testing;

(ii) make recommendations to the President with respect to prioritizing the 
Federal Government's assistance to State, local, Tribal, and territorial 
authorities, in order to expand testing and reduce disparities in access to 
testing;

(iii) identify barriers to access and use of testing in, and coordinate 
Federal Government efforts to increase testing for:

  (A) priority populations, including healthcare workers and other 
essential workers;

  (B) communities with major shortages in testing availability and use;

  (C) at-risk settings, including long-term care facilities, correctional 
facilities, immigration custodial settings, detention facilities, schools, 
child care settings, and food processing and manufacturing facilities; and

  (D) high-risk groups, including people experiencing homelessness, 
migrants, and seasonal workers;

(iv) identify methods to expand State, local, Tribal, and territorial 
capacity to conduct testing, contact tracing, and isolation and quarantine, 
in order for schools, businesses, and travel to be conducted safely;

(v) provide guidance on how to enhance the clarity, consistency, and 
transparency of Federal Government communication with the public about the 
goals and purposes of testing;

[[Page 7198]]

(vi) identify options for the Federal Government to maximize testing 
capacity of commercial labs and academic labs; and

(vii) propose short- and long-term reforms for the Federal Government to: 
increase State, local, Tribal, and territorial capacity to conduct testing; 
expand genomic sequencing; and improve the effectiveness and speed of the 
Federal Government's response to future pandemics and other biological 
emergencies.

                    (d) The Chair of the Testing Board shall coordinate 
                with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
                and the heads of other relevant agencies or their 
                designees, as necessary, to ensure that the Testing 
                Board's work is coordinated with the Public Health 
                Emergency Countermeasures Enterprise within HHS.

                Sec. 3. Actions to Address the Cost of COVID-19 
                Testing. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, the 
                Secretary of HHS, and the Secretary of Labor, in 
                coordination with the COVID-19 Response Coordinator, 
                shall promptly, and as appropriate and consistent with 
                applicable law:

(i) facilitate the provision of COVID-19 testing free of charge to those 
who lack comprehensive health insurance; and

(ii) clarify group health plans' and health insurance issuers' obligations 
to provide coverage for COVID-19 testing.

                    (b) The Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of 
                Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
                through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
                Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the 
                COVID-19 Response Coordinator, shall promptly, and as 
                appropriate and consistent with applicable law:

(i) provide support for surveillance tests for settings such as schools; 
and

(ii) expand equitable access to COVID-19 testing.

                Sec. 4. Establishing a Public Health Workforce Program. 
                (a) The Secretary of HHS and the Secretary of Labor 
                shall promptly consult with State, local, Tribal, and 
                territorial leaders to understand the challenges they 
                face in pandemic response efforts, including challenges 
                recruiting and training sufficient personnel to ensure 
                adequate and equitable community-based testing, and 
                testing in schools and high-risk settings.

                    (b) The Secretary of HHS shall, as appropriate and 
                consistent with applicable law, as soon as practicable:

(i) provide technical support to State, local, Tribal, and territorial 
public health agencies with respect to testing and contact-tracing efforts; 
and

(ii) assist such authorities in the training of public health workers. This 
may include technical assistance to non-Federal public health workforces in 
connection with testing, contact tracing, and mass vaccinations, as well as 
other urgent public health workforce needs, such as combating opioid use.

                    (c) The Secretary of HHS shall submit to the 
                President, through the COVID-19 Response Coordinator, 
                the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy 
                (APDP), and the Assistant to the President for National 
                Security Affairs (APNSA), a plan detailing:

(i) how the Secretary of HHS would deploy personnel in response to future 
high-consequence public health threats; and

(ii) five-year targets and budget requirements for achieving a sustainable 
public health workforce, as well as options for expanding HHS capacity, 
such as by expanding the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and 
Epidemic Intelligence Service, so that the Department can better respond to 
future pandemics and other biological threats.

                    (d) The Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Homeland 
                Security, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of 
                Education, and the Chief Executive Officer of the 
                Corporation for National and Community Service, in 
                coordination with the COVID-19 Response Coordinator, 
                the APDP, and the APNSA, shall

[[Page 7199]]

                submit a plan to the President for establishing a 
                national contact tracing and COVID-19 public health 
                workforce program, to be known as the U.S. Public 
                Health Job Corps, which shall be modeled on or 
                developed as a component of the FEMA Corps program. 
                Such plan shall include means by which the U.S. Public 
                Health Job Corps can be part of the National Civilian 
                Community Corps program, as well as recommendations 
                about whether it would be appropriate for the U.S. 
                Public Health Job Corps to immediately assign personnel 
                from any of the agencies involved in the creation of 
                the plan, including existing AmeriCorps members, to 
                join or aid the U.S. Public Health Job Corps. The U.S. 
                Public Health Job Corps will:

(i) conduct and train individuals in contact tracing related to the COVID-
19 pandemic;

(ii) assist in outreach for vaccination efforts, including by administering 
vaccination clinics;

(iii) assist with training programs for State, local, Tribal, and 
territorial governments to provide testing, including in schools; and

(iv) provide other necessary services to Americans affected by the COVID-19 
pandemic.

                Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    January 21, 2021.

[FR Doc. 2021-01854
Filed 1-25-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P