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II
116TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
S. 4811
To establish procedures related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–
19) in correctional facilities.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
OCTOBER 19, 2020
Ms. WARREN (for herself and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To establish procedures related to the coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID–19) in correctional facilities.
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 Federal Correctional
4
Facilities COVID–19 Response Act.
5
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
6
In this Act:
7
(1) CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.—The term ‘‘cor-
8
rectional facility’’ includes—
9
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(A) Federal prisons, including all prison,
1
correctional, and detention facilities run by the
2
Bureau of Prisons; and
3
(B) privately owned or privately operated
4
prison, correctional, and detention facilities con-
5
tracted by Federal entities, including the Bu-
6
reau of Prisons, to house Federal incarcerated
7
persons.
8
(2) CORRECTIONAL FACILITY EMPLOYEE.—The
9
term ‘‘correctional facility employee’’ means any in-
10
dividual employed at a correctional facility housing
11
Federal incarcerated persons, including—
12
(A) a Federal employee;
13
(B) an employee of a privately owned or
14
privately operated prison, correctional, or deten-
15
tion facility contracted by a Federal entity to
16
house Federal incarcerated persons; and
17
(C) an employee of a private company con-
18
tracted to provide goods and services at a cor-
19
rectional facility.
20
(3) COVID–19 DIAGNOSTIC TEST.—The term
21
‘‘COVID–19 diagnostic test’’ mean a test—
22
(A) that is an in vitro diagnostic product
23
(as defined in section 809.3 of title 21, Code of
24
Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto)
25
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for the detection of SARS–CoV–2 or the diag-
1
nosis of the virus that causes COVID–19; and
2
(B) the administration of which—
3
(i) is approved, cleared, or authorized
4
under section 510(k), 513, 515, or 564 of
5
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
6
(21 U.S.C. 360(k), 360c, 360e, 360bbb–3);
7
(ii) the developer has requested, or in-
8
tends to request, emergency use authoriza-
9
tion under section 564 of the Federal
10
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
11
360bbb–3), unless and until the emergency
12
use authorization request under such sec-
13
tion 564 has been denied or the developer
14
of such test does not submit a request
15
under such section within a reasonable
16
timeframe;
17
(iii) is developed in and authorized by
18
a State that has notified the Secretary of
19
Health and Human Services of its inten-
20
tion to review tests intended to diagnose
21
COVID–19; or
22
(iv) is another test that the Secretary
23
determines appropriate in guidance.
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(4)
COVID–19
PANDEMIC.—The
term
1
‘‘COVID–19 pandemic’’ means the period beginning
2
on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on
3
the date that is 1 year after the date on which the
4
public health emergency declaration under section
5
319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
6
247d) with respect to COVID–19 terminates.
7
(5) HIGH RISK INCARCERATED PERSON.—The
8
term ‘‘high risk incarcerated person’’ means an indi-
9
vidual who meets the definition of ‘‘incarcerated per-
10
son’’ under this section who—
11
(A) is 50 years old or older;
12
(B) has chronic kidney disease;
13
(C) has chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-
14
ease;
15
(D) is immunocompromised;
16
(E) has obesity;
17
(F) has a heart condition, such as coro-
18
nary artery disease or cardiomyopathy;
19
(G) has sickle cell disease;
20
(H) has type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus;
21
(I) has moderate to severe asthma;
22
(J) has cerebrovascular disease;
23
(K) has cystic fibrosis;
24
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(L) has hypertension or high blood pres-
1
sure;
2
(M) has a neurological condition such as
3
dementia or Parkinson’s Disease;
4
(N) has liver disease;
5
(O) is pregnant;
6
(P) has pulmonary fibrosis;
7
(Q) has thalassemia;
8
(R) is a smoker;
9
(S) has a disability; or
10
(T) meets any other characteristic identi-
11
fied by the Centers for Disease Control and
12
Prevention as putting individuals at increased
13
risk of developing sever illness from COVID–
14
19.
15
(6) INCARCERATED PERSON.—The term ‘‘incar-
16
cerated person’’ means an individual involuntarily
17
confined or detained in a correctional facility.
18
(7) SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF COVID–19.—The
19
term ‘‘signs and symptoms of COVID–19’’ means
20
fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or dif-
21
ficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches,
22
headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat,
23
congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diar-
24
rhea, and any other medical condition or reaction
25
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identified by the Centers for Disease Control and
1
Prevention as being a physical reaction to the con-
2
traction of the severe acute respiratory syndrome
3
coronavirus 2 (SARS–CoV–2).
4
SEC. 3. MANDATED COVID–19 TESTING AT CORRECTIONAL
5
FACILITIES.
6
(a) TESTING OF INCARCERATED PERSONS.—
7
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each correctional facility
8
shall—
9
(A) not later than 15 days after the date
10
of enactment of this Act—
11
(i) provide each incarcerated person in
12
the facility with the option to take a
13
COVID–19 diagnostic test, regardless of
14
whether the incarcerated person exhibits
15
symptoms of COVID–19, at no cost to the
16
incarcerated person;
17
(ii) provide each incarcerated person
18
with the results of the diagnostic test, re-
19
gardless of the results, including an inter-
20
pretation of what the test results mean in
21
the incarcerated person’s preferred lan-
22
guage;
23
(iii) provide each incarcerated person
24
who tests positive for COVID–19 with nec-
25
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essary medical care (as outlined in the Na-
1
tional Institutes of Health COVID–19
2
Treatment Guidelines), including COVID–
3
19 tests to monitor recovery if indicated by
4
the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
5
vention, and housing in a medical isolation
6
unit under the care of medical profes-
7
sionals, at no cost to the incarcerated per-
8
son;
9
(iv) place each asymptomatic incarcer-
10
ated person who is exposed to a positive
11
case in quarantine until testing is com-
12
pleted consistent with Centers for Disease
13
Control and Prevention guidance; and
14
(v) place each symptomatic incarcer-
15
ated person into medical isolation while
16
awaiting test results; and
17
(B) during the period beginning not later
18
than 45 days after the date of enactment of
19
this Act and ending on the last day of the
20
COVID–19 pandemic—
21
(i) conduct weekly COVID–19 diag-
22
nostic testing of incarcerated persons in
23
the facility in accordance with the guide-
24
lines developed under section 6, regardless
25
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•S 4811 IS
of whether such incarcerated persons ex-
1
hibit symptoms of COVID–19, at no cost
2
to incarcerated persons;
3
(ii) conduct COVID–19 diagnostic
4
testing for any incarcerated person with
5
COVID–19 symptoms, or for any incarcer-
6
ated person who is a close contact of a
7
known COVID–19 case, in accordance with
8
the guidelines developed under section 6;
9
(iii) provide each incarcerated person
10
with the results of the diagnostic tests, re-
11
gardless of the results, including an inter-
12
pretation of what the test results mean in
13
the incarcerated person’s preferred lan-
14
guage;
15
(iv) provide each incarcerated person
16
who tests positive for COVID–19 with nec-
17
essary medical care (as outlined in the Na-
18
tional Institutes of Health COVID–19
19
Treatment Guidelines), including COVID–
20
19 tests to monitor recovery if indicated by
21
the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
22
vention, and housing in a medical isolation
23
unit under the care of medical profes-
24
sionals, at no cost to the incarcerated per-
25
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son, in accordance with the guidelines de-
1
veloped under section 6;
2
(v) quarantine each incarcerated per-
3
son exposed to a positive COVID–19 case
4
in accordance with the guidelines developed
5
under section 6; and
6
(vi) establish a procedure through
7
which incarcerated people can opt out of
8
COVID–19 testing, in accordance with the
9
guidelines developed under section 6.
10
(2) NEW ENTRANTS.—During the period begin-
11
ning not later than 45 days after the date of enact-
12
ment of this Act and ending on the last day of the
13
COVID–19 pandemic, each correctional facility
14
shall—
15
(A) provide each incarcerated person newly
16
admitted or transferred to the facility with an
17
optional COVID–19 diagnostic test within 24
18
hours of entering the facility, regardless of
19
whether the incarcerated person exhibits symp-
20
toms of COVID–19, at no cost to the incarcer-
21
ated person; and
22
(B) immediately quarantine each incarcer-
23
ated person newly admitted or transferred to
24
the facility within 24 hours of entering the fa-
25
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cility, consistent with Centers for Disease Con-
1
trol and Prevention guidance, until the incar-
2
cerated person has been confirmed to be nega-
3
tive for COVID–19, in accordance with the
4
guidelines developed under section 6.
5
(b) TESTING OF CORRECTIONAL FACILITY EMPLOY-
6
EES.—
7
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each correctional facility
8
shall—
9
(A) not later than 15 days after the date
10
of enactment of this Act—
11
(i) provide each correctional facility
12
employee with a required COVID–19 diag-
13
nostic test, regardless of the whether the
14
employee exhibits symptoms of COVID–19,
15
at no cost to the employee; and
16
(ii) provide each correctional facility
17
employee who tests positive for COVID–19
18
with unlimited paid administrative leave
19
for
the
purpose
of
recovering
from
20
COVID–19, and no cost COVID–19 diag-
21
nostic testing for the purpose of moni-
22
toring recovery if indicated by the Centers
23
for Disease Control and Prevention, until
24
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the employee tests negative for COVID–19;
1
and
2
(B) during the period beginning not later
3
than 45 days after the date of enactment of
4
this Act and ending on the last day of the
5
COVID–19 pandemic—
6
(i) conduct required weekly COVID–
7
19 diagnostic testing of each correctional
8
facility employee in the facility, in accord-
9
ance with the guidelines developed under
10
section 6, regardless of whether the em-
11
ployee exhibits symptoms of COVID–19, at
12
no cost to the employee;
13
(ii) provide each correctional facility
14
employee who tests positive for COVID–19
15
with unlimited paid leave for the purpose
16
of recovering from COVID–19, and no cost
17
COVID–19 diagnostic testing for the pur-
18
pose of monitoring recovery if indicated by
19
the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
20
vention, until the employee tests negative
21
for COVID–19; and
22
(iii) provide each correctional facility
23
employee who is exposed to a positive
24
COVID–19 case with guaranteed paid
25
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leave to quarantine, consistent with Cen-
1
ters for Disease Control and Prevention
2
guidance, or until the employee has been
3
confirmed to be negative for COVID–19.
4
(c) PRIVACY.—Any data collected, stored, received, or
5
published under this section shall—
6
(1) be so collected, stored, received, or pub-
7
lished in a manner that protects the privacy of indi-
8
viduals whose information is included in the data;
9
(2) be deidentified or anonymized in a manner
10
that protects the identity of all individuals whose in-
11
formation is included in the data;
12
(3) comply with privacy protections provided
13
under the regulations promulgated under section
14
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Ac-
15
countability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note);
16
and
17
(4) be limited in use for the purpose of public
18
health and be protected from all other internal use
19
by any entity that collects, stores, or receives the
20
data, including use of the data in determinations of
21
eligibility (or continued eligibility) in health plans,
22
and from any other inappropriate uses.
23
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
24
authorized to be appropriated to relevant medical and pub-
25
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lic officials such sums as are necessary to procure and ad-
1
minister the COVID–19 diagnostic tests and provide the
2
medical care required in this section.
3
SEC. 4. COVID–19 DATA COLLECTION AT CORRECTIONAL
4
FACILITIES.
5
(a) DATA COLLECTION.—During the period begin-
6
ning not later than 45 days after the date of enactment
7
of this Act and ending on the last day of the COVID–
8
19 pandemic, each correctional facility shall submit weekly
9
reports to the Department of Justice, the Centers for Dis-
10
ease Control and Prevention, and the public health author-
11
ity of the State in which the facility is located on the fol-
12
lowing:
13
(1) TESTING NUMBERS.—COVID–19 diagnostic
[Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]