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Federal

COVID Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov  ·  3,147 words in original text
What This Bill Does
This bill allows the President to impose sanctions against Chinese government officials and institutions if China does not allow an international investigation into the origins of COVID-19 at laboratories in Wuhan within 90 days of the law taking effect. The sanctions include freezing assets, denying visas, and blocking federal research funding with Chinese institutions.
Who It Affects
Leaders of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its affiliated institutes. Chinese Communist Party officials, People's Liberation Army officials, and Chinese government officials from specific agencies who were involved in concealing or obstructing information about the COVID-19 outbreak. United States researchers and institutions that receive federal funding. United States citizens and permanent residents.
Key Provisions
• The President must impose sanctions on Chinese officials if China does not allow a transparent international investigation of suspect laboratories in Wuhan within 90 days of enactment (Sec. 2(a)). • Sanctions include freezing and blocking all transactions involving the property and financial interests of targeted individuals if that property is in the United States or controlled by a United States person (Sec. 2(c)(1)). • The President must deny visas and entry to the United States for all individuals targeted by sanctions, and must revoke any existing visas they hold (Sec. 2(c)(2)). • Federal funding is prohibited for any joint research projects between United States and Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers (Sec. 2(a)(2)). • United States researchers and institutions receiving federal funding cannot participate in gain-of-function research collaborations with Chinese institutions (Sec. 2(a)(3)).
What Changes
If China does not allow the investigation described in the bill, the President will be required to freeze the assets of targeted Chinese officials, deny them entry to the United States, and cut off federal funding for collaborative research between American and Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers. These measures remain in place until China allows and completes a transparent investigation that meets the detailed requirements specified in the bill.
Important Definitions
"Gain-of-function research of concern" means genetic engineering or laboratory methods reasonably expected to increase a virus's ability to spread to humans or cause disease in humans, or serial passage methods in laboratory cultures or animals with the same expected results, or certain laboratory research on dangerous pathogens conducted at biosafety level three or lower (Sec. 2(f)(2)). "Transparent international forensic investigation" means an objective, data-driven investigation with broad expertise and independent oversight that requires China to open all relevant records and facilities to an international team, grant unfettered access to personnel and sites, provide epidemiological and virological data including early COVID-19 cases in Wuhan from fall and winter 2019, allow full forensic examination of multiple Wuhan laboratories, and permit the team to review laboratory logs, notebooks, virus cultures, genetic sequences, databases, and patient specimens from 2007 onward, including access to approximately 22,000 samples and virus sequences previously taken offline in September 2019 (Sec. 2(f)(3)).
Effective Date
The President has 90 days after the date the law takes effect to certify that China has allowed the investigation. If no certification is made within that timeframe, sanctions must be imposed (Sec. 2(a)).
Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.