Sec. 1. Short title; sense of Congress

272 words·~1 min read·/bill/117/s/3203/is/section-1

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

This Act may be cited as the . National Commission on the COVID–19 Pandemic Act It is the sense of Congress that— the SARS–CoV–2 (COVID–19) pandemic has caused immense suffering in the United States, having resulted in more than 736,000 American deaths as of October 2021, and infecting at least 45,000,000; following other destructive and traumatic events in our history, including the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress has established a bipartisan commission of experts to study the event and produce a report and recommendations, and such an exercise can assist in national healing; the extent of the loss of life and the economic cost of the pandemic demonstrate the high risks that pandemic diseases can pose to public health and to national security, and demands a thorough, authoritative, and independent review of the origin of SARS–CoV–2 as well as United States actions and policies before and during the pandemic, and recommendations to Congress and policymakers as to how we can be better prepared for future pandemic diseases, including those that could be caused by intentional biological attacks; individuals appointed to the Commission established in subsection

(b)should be prominent citizens of the United States with national recognition and significant experience and expertise in— public health and biosafety; epidemiology; medicine; emergency management or response; public administration; logistics; organizational management; or medical intelligence and forensic investigations; and it is crucial to better understand and manage the increasing likelihood of pandemic threats (such as the recent threats of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Ebola, the 2009–H1N1 influenza, and COVID–19) and related health issues that the United States could face during the next several decades.