Sec. 207. Investigation and report on the events surrounding China’s handling of the 2019 novel coronavirus
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The Joint Select Committee is authorized and directed to conduct a full and complete investigation of, and to issue a final report to the House of Representatives and Senate regarding, the following: The origins and causes of the 2019 novel coronavirus. All policies, decisions, and activities by China regarding the origins and causes of such coronavirus. All policies, decisions, and activities by China in response to the initial outbreak and spread of such coronavirus. All policies, decisions, and activities by China to suppress facts and information regarding the spread, origins, causes, and transmission of such coronavirus, including efforts to silence those making early warnings, punish whistleblowers, and restrict freedom of information about such coronavirus.
All policies, decisions, and activities by China to spread misinformation regarding the origins and causes of such coronavirus, including accusations and misinformation that the coronavirus was brought to the city of Wuhan by the United States military. All policies, decisions, and activities by China to sideline, deny, and suppress charitable service organizations, institutions of civil society, secular and faith-based non-governmental organizations, international humanitarian organizations, and foreign governments offering to provide information, expertise, resources, and assistance to China and the Chinese people to combat such coronavirus.
Accountability for policies, decisions and activities related to influencing the World Health Organization’s response to the outbreak of such coronavirus, including individuals and entities responsible for those policies, decisions, and activities. All policies, decisions, and activities by China to manufacture, produce, procure, possess, or hoard personal protective equipment and critical pharmaceutical components to manipulate or weaponize the supply chain against the international community, including the United States.
Vulnerabilities in the United States domestic and global supply chain to combat a global pandemic due to reliance on Chinese manufacturing and recommendations for decreasing dependence on Chinese manufacturing by improving and securing a domestic supply chain for antibiotics, viral drugs, critical pharmaceutical components, masks, and other personal protective equipment. Information related to lessons learned from China’s handling of such coronavirus. Any other relevant issues relating to China’s actions that led to further spread of such coronavirus, China’s response to such coronavirus, or the investigation by the Joint Select Committee into China regarding such coronavirus.
Any recommendations to Congress and the executive branch regarding actions the United States government should take in response to China’s handling of such coronavirus. At the request of the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee, any standing committee of the Senate or House of Representatives having custody of records in any form relating to the matters described in subsection
(a)shall transfer such records to the Joint Select Committee. In addition to the final report issued under subsection (a), the Joint Select Committee may issue such interim reports as it considers necessary. The Joint Select Committee may include a classified annex in any report issued under this section. In this section, the term China means the Government of the People’s Republic of China and any of the following: An official of the Chinese Communist Party. An official of the Government of the People’s Republic of China. An agent or instrumentality of the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Any other person owned or controlled by or acting on behalf of any person described in subparagraphs
(A)through (C). In this subsection, the term 2019 novel coronavirus means the coronavirus disease (COVID–19) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS–CoV–2).