Global Health Security Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3656 To authorize a comprehensive, strategic approach for United States foreign assistance to developing countries to strengthen global health security, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 7, 2020 Mr. MURPHY (for himself and Mr. ROMNEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To authorize a comprehensive, strategic approach for United States foreign assistance to developing countries to strengthen global health security, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Health Security 4 Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) In December 2009, President Obama re- 8 leased the National Strategy for Countering Biologi- 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3656 IS cal Threats, which listed, as 1 of 7 objectives, ‘‘Pro- 1 mote global health security: Increase the availability 2 of and access to knowledge and products of the life 3 sciences that can help reduce the impact from out- 4 breaks of infectious disease whether of natural, acci- 5 dental, or deliberate origin.’’. 6 (2) In February 2014, the United States and 7 nearly 30 other nations launched the Global Health 8 Security Agenda (referred to in this section as 9 ‘‘GHSA’’) to address several high-priority, global in- 10 fectious disease threats. The GHSA is a multi-fac- 11 eted, multi-country initiative intended to accelerate 12 partner countries’ measurable capabilities to achieve 13 specific targets to prevent, detect, and respond to in- 14 fectious disease threats, whether naturally occurring, 15 deliberate, or accidental. 16 (3) In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which specifically 18 reference the importance of global health security as 19 part of Goal 3, ‘‘ensure healthy lives and promote 20 well-being for all at all ages’’, by ‘‘strengthen[ing] 21 the capacity of all countries, in particular developing 22 countries, for early warning, risk reduction and 23 management of national and global health risks’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3656 IS (4) On November 4, 2016, President Obama 1 signed Executive Order 13747 (81 Fed. Reg. 78701; 2 relating to Advancing the Global Health Security 3 Agenda to Achieve a World Safe and Secure from 4 Infectious Disease Threats). 5 (5) In October 2017, at the GHSA Ministerial 6 Meeting in Uganda, the United States and more 7 than 40 GHSA member countries supported the 8 ‘‘Kampala Declaration’’ to extend the GHSA for an 9 additional 5 years to 2024. 10 (6) In December 2017, President Trump re- 11 leased the National Security Strategy, which in- 12 cludes the priority action: ‘‘DETECT AND CON- 13 TAIN BIOTHREATS AT THEIR SOURCE: We 14 will work with other countries to detect and mitigate 15 outbreaks early to prevent the spread of disease. We 16 will encourage other countries to invest in basic 17 health care systems and to strengthen global health 18 security across the intersection of human and animal 19 health to prevent infectious disease outbreaks.’’. 20 (7) In September 2018, President Trump re- 21 leased the National Biodefense Strategy, which in- 22 cludes the following objectives: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3656 IS (A) ‘‘Strengthen global health security ca- 1 pacities to prevent local bioincidents from be- 2 coming epidemics.’’. 3 (B) ‘‘Strengthen international prepared- 4 ness to support international response and re- 5 covery capabilities.’’. 6 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 7 It is the policy of the United States— 8 (1) promote global health security as a core na- 9 tional security interest; 10 (2) advance the aims of the Global Health Se- 11 curity Agenda; 12 (3) collaborate with other countries to detect 13 and mitigate outbreaks early to prevent the spread 14 of disease; 15 (4) encourage other countries to invest in basic 16 resilient and sustainable health care systems; and 17 (5) strengthen global health security across the 18 intersection of human and animal health— 19 (A) to prevent infectious disease outbreaks; 20 and 21 (B) to combat the growing threat of anti- 22 microbial resistance. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3656 IS SEC. 4. GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY AGENDA INTERAGENCY 1 REVIEW COUNCIL. 2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 3 a Global Health Security Agenda Interagency Review 4 Council (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Council’’) to 5 perform the general responsibilities described in sub- 6 section (c) and the specific roles and responsibilities de- 7 scribed in subsection (e). 8 (b) MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet not less fre- 9 quently than 4 times per year to advance its mission and 10 fulfill its responsibilities. 11 (c) GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Council shall 12 be responsible for the following activities: 13 (1) Provide policy-level recommendations to 14 participating agencies on Global Health Security 15 Agenda (referred to in this section as ‘‘GHSA’’) 16 goals, objectives, and implementation. 17 (2) Facilitate interagency, multi-sectoral en- 18 gagement to carry out GHSA implementation. 19 (3) Provide a forum for raising and working to 20 resolve interagency disagreements concerning the 21 GHSA. 22 (4) Review the progress toward and work to re- 23 solve challenges in achieving United States commit- 24 ments under the GHSA, including commitments to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3656 IS assist other countries in achieving the GHSA tar- 1 gets. 2 (5) In carrying out the responsibilities under 3 this subsection, the Council shall consider, among 4 other issues— 5 (A) the status of United States financial 6 commitments to the GHSA in the context of 7 commitments by other donors, and the con- 8 tributions of partner countries to achieve the 9 GHSA targets; 10 (B) the progress toward the milestones 11 outlined in the GHSA national plans for those 12 countries where the United States Government 13 has committed to assist in implementing the 14 GHSA and in annual work-plans outlining 15 agency priorities for implementing the GHSA; 16 and 17 (C) the external evaluations of United 18 States and partner country capabilities to ad- 19 dress infectious disease threats, including— 20 (i) the ability to achieve the targets 21 outlined within the World Health Organi- 22 zation’s Joint External Evaluation tool; 23 and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3656 IS (ii) gaps identified by such external 1 evaluations. 2 (d) PARTICIPATION.—The Council shall consist of 3 representatives, serving at the Assistant Secretary level or 4 higher, from the following agencies: 5 (1) The Department of State. 6 (2) The Department of Defense. 7 (3) The Department of Justice. 8 (4) The Department of Agriculture. 9 (5) The Department of Health and Human 10 Services. 11 (6) The Department of Labor. 12 (7) The Department of Homeland Security. 13 (8) The Office of Management and Budget. 14 (9) The United States Agency for International 15 Development. 16 (10) The Environmental Protection Agency. 17 (11) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre- 18 vention. 19 (12) The Office of Science and Technology Pol- 20 icy. 21 (13) The National Institutes of Health. 22 (14) The National Institute of Allergy and In- 23 fectious Diseases. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3656 IS (15) Such other agencies as the Council deter- 1 mines to be appropriate. 2 (e) SPECIFIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The heads of agencies re- 4 ferred to in subsection (d) shall— 5 (A) make the GHSA and its implementa- 6 tion a high priority within their respective agen- 7 cies and include GHSA-related activities within 8 their respective agencies’ strategic planning and 9 budget processes; 10 (B) designate a senior-level official to be 11 responsible for the implementation of this Act; 12 (C) designate an appropriate representa- 13 tive at the Assistant Secretary level or higher to 14 participate on the Council; 15 (D) keep the Council apprised of GHSA- 16 related activities undertaken within their re- 17 spective agencies; 18 (E) maintain responsibility for agency-re- 19 lated programmatic functions in coordination 20 with host governments, country teams, and 21 GHSA in-country teams, and in conjunction 22 with other relevant agencies; 23 (F) coordinate with other agencies that are 24 identified in this section to satisfy pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3656 IS grammatic goals, and further facilitate coordi- 1 nation of country teams, implementers, and do- 2 nors in host countries; and 3 (G) coordinate across GHSA national 4 plans and with GHSA partners to which the 5 United States is providing assistance. 6 (2) ADDITIONAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBIL- 7 ITIES.—In addition to the roles and responsibilities 8 described in paragraph (1), the heads of the depart- 9 ments and agencies described in subsection (d) shall 10 carry out their respective roles and responsibilities 11 described in subsections (b) through (i) of section 3 12 of Executive Order 13747 (81 Fed. Reg. 78701; re- 13 lating to Advancing the Global Health Security 14 Agenda to Achieve a World Safe and Secure from 15 Infectious Disease Threats), as in effect on the day 16 before the date of the enactment of this Act. 17 SEC. 5. UNITED STATES COORDINATOR FOR GLOBAL 18 HEALTH SECURITY. 19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall appoint an in- 20 dividual to the position of United States Coordinator for 21 Global Health Security (referred to in this section as the 22 ‘‘Coordinator’’). 23 (b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Coordinator shall be re- 24 sponsible for coordinating the interagency process for re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3656 IS sponding to global health security emergencies, in coordi- 1 nation with the President’s Special Coordinator for Inter- 2 national Disaster Assistance, as appropriate. 3 (c) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING.—Not less frequently 4 than twice each year, the Coordinator shall provide a brief- 5 ing to the appropriate congressional committees that de- 6 scribes how the Coordinator has been carrying out his or 7 her responsibilities and activities under this section. 8 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 9 It is the sense of the Congress, given the complex 10 and multisectoral nature of global health threats to the 11 United States, that the President— 12 (1) should consider appointing an individual 13 with significant background and expertise in public 14 health or emergency response management to the 15 position of United States Coordinator for Global 16 Health Security, in accordance with section 5(a), 17 who is an employee of the National Security Council 18 at the level of Deputy Assistant to the President or 19 higher; and 20 (2) in providing assistance to implement the 21 strategy required under section 7(a), should— 22 (A) coordinate, through a whole-of-govern- 23 ment approach, the efforts of relevant Federal 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3656 IS departments and agencies to implement the 1 strategy; 2 (B) seek to fully utilize the unique capa- 3 bilities of each relevant Federal department and 4 agency while collaborating with and leveraging 5 the contributions of other key stakeholders; and 6 (C) utilize open and streamlined solicita- 7 tions to allow for the participation of a wide 8 range of implementing partners through the 9 most appropriate procurement mechanisms, 10 which may include grants, contracts, coopera- 11 tive agreements, and other instruments to the 12 extent necessary and appropriate. 13 SEC. 7. STRATEGY AND REPORTS. 14 (a) STRATEGY.—The United States Coordinator for 15 Global Health Security appointed pursuant to section 5(a) 16 shall coordinate the development and implementation of 17 a strategy to implement the policy described in section 3. 18 This strategy shall— 19 (1) set specific and measurable goals, bench- 20 marks, timetables, performance metrics, and moni- 21 toring and evaluation plans that reflect international 22 best practices relating to transparency, account- 23 ability, and global health security; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 May 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3656.IS S3656 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3656 IS (2) support and be aligned with country-owned 1 global health security policy and investment plans 2 developed with input from key stakeholders, as ap- 3 propriate; 4 (3) facilitate communication and collaboration, 5 as appropriate, among local stakeholders in support 6 of a multi-sectoral approach to global health secu- 7 rity; 8 (4) support the long-term success of programs 9 by building the capacity of local organizations and 10 institutions in target countries and communities; 11 (5) develop community resilience to infectious 12 disease threats and emergencies; 13 (6) leverage resources and expertise through 14 partnerships with the private sector, health organi- 15 zations, civil society, nongovernmental organizations, 16 and health research and academic institutions; and 17 (7) support collaboration, as appropriate, be- 18 tween United States universities, and public and pri- 19 vate institutions in target countries and communities 20 to promote health security and innovation. 21 (b) COORDINATION.—The President, acting through 22 the United States Coordinator for Global Health Security, 23 shall coordinate, through a whole-of-government [Text truncated for display. 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