What This Bill Does
This bill directs the President to work with the Secretary of the Treasury to create and carry out a plan to ask China to reimburse the United States for money spent on COVID-19 response. The President must report to Congress each year on the progress of this reimbursement strategy.
Who It Affects
The President and the Secretary of the Treasury are directly responsible for developing and carrying out the strategy. Congress receives reports on the strategy's progress.
Key Provisions
- The President, after consulting with the Secretary of the Treasury, must develop and carry out a strategy to seek reimbursement from China for U.S. Government funds spent on COVID-19 (Sec. 3(a))
- The President must submit a report to Congress no later than one year after the bill becomes law, and then every year after that, describing the reimbursement strategy and how it has been carried out (Sec. 3(b))
- The reports must be sent to specific congressional committees including the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, Budget, Ways and Means (House) or Finance (Senate), and the Joint Economic Committee (Sec. 3(c))
What Changes
The President gains a legal requirement to create and implement a reimbursement strategy directed at China and to report annually to Congress about that strategy.
Important Definitions
None defined.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 685
To direct the President, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury,
to develop and carry out a strategy to seek reimbursement from the
People’s Republic of China of funds made available by the United States
Government to address the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19).
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 31, 2023
Mr. STEUBE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To direct the President, in consultation with the Secretary
of the Treasury, to develop and carry out a strategy
to seek reimbursement from the People’s Republic of
China of funds made available by the United States
Government to address the Coronavirus Disease 2019
(COVID–19).
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chinese Government
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COVID–19 Accountability Act’’.
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•HR 685 IH
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
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Congress finds the following:
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(1) The United States economy has been se-
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verely affected by the Government of the People’s
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Republic of China’s controls on media reporting that
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limit coverage of the Coronavirus Disease 2019
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(COVID–19).
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(2) United States Government senior officials
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have expressed concerns about the completeness and
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timeliness of information China is reporting on
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COVID–19 and about the overall economic impact of
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COVID–19 in the United States.
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(3) China should be held financially responsible
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for funds made available by the United States Gov-
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ernment to address COVID–19.
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SEC. 3. EXECUTIVE STRATEGY TO SEEK REIMBURSEMENT
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FROM CHINA OF FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE BY
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THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO AD-
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DRESS COVID–19.
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(a) EXECUTIVE STRATEGY.—The President, in con-
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sultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall develop
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and carry out a strategy to seek reimbursement from the
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People’s Republic of China of funds made available by the
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United States Government to address COVID–19.
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(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date
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of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
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•HR 685 IH
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional
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committees a report on the strategy required under sub-
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section (a) and its implementation.
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(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
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FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
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sional committees’’ means—
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(1) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com-
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mittee on the Budget, and the Committee on Ways
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and Means of the House of Representatives;
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(2) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com-
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mittee on the Budget, and the Committee on Fi-
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nance of the Senate; and
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(3) the Joint Economic Committee.
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Æ
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