II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4964 

To provide for a comprehensive Federal response to Long COVID, including 

research, education, and support for affected individuals, to direct the 

National Institutes of Health to establish a Long COVID research program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 1, 2024 

Mr. SANDERS (for himself, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. KAINE, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. 

SMITH, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 

Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide for a comprehensive Federal response to Long 

COVID, including research, education, and support for 

affected individuals, to direct the National Institutes of 

Health to establish a Long COVID research program, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Long COVID Research 

5 Moonshot Act’’. 


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1 TITLE I—LONG COVID 

2 BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH 

3 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF LONG COVID RESEARCH 

4 PROGRAM. 

5 Title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

6 281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 PART K—LONG COVID PROGRAMS 

9

10 ‘‘SEC. 499B. ESTABLISHMENT OF LONG COVID RESEARCH 

11 PROGRAM. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established within the 

13 Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health 

14 a research program, to be known as the Long COVID Re15 search Program (referred to in this part as the ‘Pro16 gram’), for purposes of expediting research to identify new 

17 ways to prevent, detect, manage, and treat symptoms as18 sociated with Long COVID. 

19 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.— 

20 ‘‘(1) APPOINTMENT.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Program shall be 

22 headed by a Director, appointed by the Sec23 retary, in consultation with the Director of 

24 NIH, who has— 


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1 ‘‘(i) experience managing clinical or 

2 research programs focused on pathogenic 

3 mechanisms and biological pathways re4 lated to Long COVID; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) demonstrated commitment to ad6 dressing Long COVID and other infection7 associated chronic conditions, such as 

8 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue 

9 syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia 

10 syndrome, and post-treatment Lyme dis11 ease syndrome/persistent Lyme disease. 

12 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION.—In appointing the 

13 Director under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 

14 shall consult with independent, patient-led orga15 nizations or advocacy groups representing Long 

16 COVID patients and their families. 

17 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director of the 

18 Program shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) act as the primary Federal official 

20 with responsibility for coordinating all Long 

21 COVID research conducted or supported by the 

22 National Institutes of Health; 

23 ‘‘(B) represent the National Institutes of 

24 Health Long COVID Research Program at all 


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1 relevant Executive branch task force meetings 

2 and committees; and 

3 ‘‘(C) maintain communication with all rel4 evant Federal departments and agencies to en5 sure the timely transmission of information con6 cerning advances in Long COVID research and 

7 the clinical treatment of Long COVID and 

8 other infection-associated chronic conditions be9 tween such departments and agencies, and for 

10 dissemination to affected communities and 

11 health care providers. 

12 ‘‘(c) ACTIVITIES.—The Program shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) investigate the etiology, pathophysiology, 

14 risk factors, and pathology of Long COVID in 

15 adults and children; 

16 ‘‘(2) explore the best ways to prevent, detect, 

17 monitor, manage, and treat Long COVID in adults 

18 and children; 

19 ‘‘(3) contribute knowledge to the under20 standing, prevention, mitigation, management, and 

21 treatment of Long COVID; 

22 ‘‘(4) develop and facilitate programs on Long 

23 COVID, within the National Institutes of Health 

24 and in other settings; 


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1 ‘‘(5) conduct comparative research to under2 stand the similarities and differences between Long 

3 COVID and other infection-associated chronic condi4 tions with similar phenotypes, such as myalgic 

5 encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, postural 

6 orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and post-treat7 ment Lyme disease syndrome/persistent Lyme dis8 ease, and how activities funded by the Program 

9 could improve understanding of such other condi10 tions; and 

11 ‘‘(6) conduct comparative research to under12 stand the similarities and differences between Long 

13 COVID and severe, long-term effects from COVID– 

14 19 vaccinations. 

15 ‘‘(d) DUTIES.— 

16 ‘‘(1) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION OF LONG

17 COVID ACTIVITIES.—The Director of the Program 

18 shall coordinate with the national research institutes 

19 and national centers, as appropriate, on Long 

20 COVID research. In carrying out this paragraph, 

21 the Director of the Program shall evaluate the Long 

22 COVID activities of each such institute or center 

23 and shall provide for the periodic reevaluation of 

24 such activities. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The Director of the Pro2 gram shall carry out all duties, including the devel3 opment of the research plan under section 499B–1 

4 in consultation with the heads of the national re5 search institutes and national centers, with the advi6 sory councils of such institutes and centers, and with 

7 the Long COVID Research Program Advisory Board 

8 established under section 499B–4. 

9 ‘‘(e) NON-DUPLICATION OF EFFORT.—The Director 

10 shall ensure that activities carried out under this section 

11 do not unnecessarily duplicate the efforts of other Federal 

12 departments or agencies. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 499B–1. LONG COVID RESEARCH PLAN. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

15 date of enactment of the Long COVID Research Moonshot 

16 Act, the Director of the Program established under section 

17 499B shall develop and make public a comprehensive re18 search plan for the conduct and support of all Long 

19 COVID research activities of the national research insti20 tutes and national centers. The Director of the Program 

21 shall update such plan annually. 

22 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The research plan developed under 

23 subsection (a) shall— 

24 ‘‘(1) identify current Long COVID research 

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1 stitutes and national centers, opportunities and 

2 needs for additional research, including among pa3 tients who face the highest disease burden and pedi4 atric patients, and priorities for such research; 

5 ‘‘(2) evaluate the progress of Long COVID re6 search against strategic priorities, goals, and objec7 tives, identified in previous versions of the research 

8 plan; 

9 ‘‘(3) make recommendations for the coordina10 tion of such research conducted or supported by the 

11 National Institutes of Health and other agencies of 

12 the Federal Government; and 

13 ‘‘(4) include goals and objectives of the Pro14 gram for conducting, supporting, and coordinating 

15 Long COVID research. 

16 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.—In developing the research 

17 plan under subsection (a), the Director of the Program 

18 shall— 

19 ‘‘(1) ensure that the plan establishes priorities 

20 among Long COVID research that the Program is 

21 authorized to carry out; 

22 ‘‘(2) ensure that the plan establishes objectives 

23 regarding such research and describes the means for 

24 achieving the objectives; 


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1 ‘‘(3) ensure that all amounts appropriated for 

2 such research under section 499B–6 are expended in 

3 accordance with the plan; 

4 ‘‘(4) review the plan not less frequently than 

5 annually, and revise the plan as appropriate to 

6 prioritize funding and research relative to scientific 

7 urgency; 

8 ‘‘(5) ensure that the plan serves as a broad, 

9 binding statement of policies regarding Long 

10 COVID research of the National Institutes of 

11 Health, but does not affect the responsibility of any 

12 of the national research institutes or centers with re13 spect to the programs or projects of such institutes 

14 and centers; and 

15 ‘‘(6) annually prepare and submit to the Direc16 tor of NIH for review and transmittal by the Direc17 tor of NIH to the President and to Congress a 

18 budget estimate for carrying out the plan for the up19 coming fiscal year. 

20 ‘‘(d) CONSULTATION.—In developing, implementing, 

21 reviewing, and prioritizing elements of the research plan 

22 under this section, the Director of the Program shall con23 sult, as appropriate with— 

24 ‘‘(1) representatives of other Federal agencies 

25 involved in Long COVID research, including the 


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1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

2 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and 

3 the Administration for Community Living; 

4 ‘‘(2) the Long COVID Research Advisory 

5 Board established under section 499B–4; 

6 ‘‘(3) the Office of Long COVID Research and 

7 Practice of the Department of Health and Human 

8 Services; 

9 ‘‘(4) leading scientific experts on Long COVID; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(5) independent, patient-led organizations or 

12 advocacy groups representing patients with Long 

13 COVID and other infection-associated chronic condi14 tions with similar phenotypes, and the families of 

15 such patients. 

16 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—The Director of the Program shall 

17 submit the research plan developed under subsection (a), 

18 and updates to such plan, to— 

19 ‘‘(1) the Committee on Health, Education, 

20 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 

21 ‘‘(2) the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

22 of the House of Representatives; 

23 ‘‘(3) the Secretary; 


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1 ‘‘(4) the Office of Long COVID Research and 

2 Practice of the Department of Health and Human 

3 Services; and 

4 ‘‘(5) the Director of NIH, who shall post the 

5 plan, and updates to the plan, on the website of the 

6 National Institutes of Health. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 499B–2. EXPEDITED LONG COVID RESEARCH. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH shall estab9 lish a process to expedite the award of grants, contracts, 

10 and cooperative agreements for research projects con11 ducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health 

12 and relating to Long COVID. 

13 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS FOR MAKING EXTERNAL

14 FUNDING AVAILABLE.—With respect to programs of 

15 grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements described in 

16 subsection (a), the Director of NIH shall— 

17 ‘‘(1) make publicly available the deadlines for 

18 submitting applications for such programs, and en19 sure that such deadlines provide applicants with suf20 ficient time from the date of the announcement for 

21 such grant, contract, and cooperative agreement to 

22 submit an application; 

23 ‘‘(2) ensure that applicants receive a final deci24 sion on their applications within 120 days of submis25 sion; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) with respect to applications that are de2 nied, provide a written explanation to the applicant 

3 on the reasons for the denial. 

4 ‘‘(c) EVALUATION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS.—In 

5 making a determination to award a grant, contract, and 

6 cooperative agreement for research projects described in 

7 subsection (a), the Director of NIH shall— 

8 ‘‘(1) give priority to research that— 

9 ‘‘(A) tests the outcomes of existing drug 

10 and device interventions in patients with Long 

11 COVID; 

12 ‘‘(B) focuses on identifying interventions 

13 for pediatric patients with Long COVID; 

14 ‘‘(C) aids in the development of new inter15 ventions that have evidence to suggest effective16 ness in treating or curing Long COVID; or 

17 ‘‘(D) includes institutions that represent, 

18 or have a successful track record of providing 

19 equitable care or services to, historically under20 served communities; 

21 ‘‘(2) consider research that has the ability to 

22 begin interventions in a timely manner; 

23 ‘‘(3) consider research that uses decentralized 

24 trials or remote monitoring techniques for data col25 lection; and 


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1 ‘‘(4) consider research that includes patients 

2 with other infection-associated chronic conditions 

3 with similar phenotypes, such as myalgic 

4 encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, postural 

5 orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and post-treat6 ment Lyme disease syndrome/persistent Lyme dis7 ease. 

8 ‘‘(d) REASONABLE PRICING.—In awarding contracts, 

9 grants, and cooperative agreements for research projects 

10 described in subsection (a) that relates to the development 

11 of a drug or device for the potential treatment or manage12 ment of Long COVID, or identifying a new indication or 

13 use specific to the treatment or management of Long 

14 COVID in a drug or device that is already approved or 

15 cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, the Direc16 tor of NIH shall include terms and conditions requiring 

17 that the price of such a drug or device for purposes of 

18 procurement by the Federal Government or if sold on the 

19 commercial market, whether procured from, or sold by, the 

20 recipient of such Federal award or another person— 

21 ‘‘(1) is fair and reasonable, taking into ac22 count— 

23 ‘‘(A) the value of the drug and device to 

24 the public health, including the impact of the 

25 price on access to the drug or device; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the costs incurred by the Federal 

2 Government in research and development of the 

3 drug or device; 

4 ‘‘(C) the costs incurred by the recipient of 

5 the award in research and development of the 

6 drug or device, and the costs of manufacturing 

7 such drug or device; 

8 ‘‘(D) whether the drug or device provided 

9 a significant improvement in health outcomes, 

10 compared to other therapies available at the 

11 time of its approval or authorization; 

12 ‘‘(E) the cumulative expected global reve13 nues generated by the drug or device; and 

14 ‘‘(F) other factors, as the Secretary deter15 mines appropriate; and 

16 ‘‘(2) does not exceed the lowest price charged 

17 for such drug or device, among Canada, France, 

18 Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. 

19 ‘‘(e) CONSULTATION.—In making a determination to 

20 award a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement for re21 search projects relating to Long COVID, the Director of 

22 NIH shall consult with the Long COVID Research Advi23 sory Board. Members of the Long COVID Research Advi24 sory Board shall provide a recommendation on any final 

25 funding decisions. If the Director of NIH makes a decision 


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1 that is different than the recommendation, the Director 

2 of NIH shall provide a written justification for the deci3 sion within 5 days. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 499B–3. SCIENTIFIC REVIEW GROUP. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to ensure high quality, 

6 rigorous scientific review of applications for grants, con7 tracts, and cooperative agreements described in section 

8 499B–2(a), consistent with section 492, the Director of 

9 NIH shall establish a scientific review group on Long 

10 COVID and other infection-associated chronic conditions, 

11 and shall convene a group of leading scientific experts to 

12 serve on such group, for terms of up to 5 years. 

13 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The scientific research group shall 

14 conduct an initial review of applications for grants, con15 tracts, and other cooperative agreements described in sec16 tion 499B–2(a), and submit a funding recommendation to 

17 the Director of NIH for final determination. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 499B–4. LONG COVID RESEARCH PROGRAM ADVISORY 

19 BOARD. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH shall estab21 lish the Long COVID Research Program Advisory Board 

22 (referred to in this section as the ‘Advisory Board’). 

23 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Board shall 

25 be comprised of 18 members, including appointed 


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1 members and nonvoting ex officio members, as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(A) The Secretary shall conduct a nomi4 nation process that allows for public input on 

5 nominees. The Secretary shall appoint nomi6 nated individuals, giving particular consider7 ation to individuals from backgrounds that rep8 resent the diversity of the Long COVID popu9 lation, with an emphasis on patients who face 

10 the highest disease burden. Individuals so ap11 pointed shall include the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) 10 members who are scientists, 

13 physicians, and other health care profes14 sionals, who are not officers or employees 

15 of the Federal Government, and who have 

16 primary expertise in Long COVID and 

17 other infection-associated chronic condi18 tions, with consideration given to such in19 dividuals with expertise in pediatric popu20 lations. 

21 ‘‘(ii) 5 members who live with Long 

22 COVID. 

23 ‘‘(iii) 1 member who is a caregiver to 

24 an individual with Long COVID. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) 2 members who are employed by 

2 the National Institutes of Health and have 

3 expertise in Long COVID research. 

4 ‘‘(B) The following shall be ex officio mem5 bers of the Advisory Board: 

6 ‘‘(i) A representative of the Long 

7 COVID Research Program established 

8 under section 499. 

9 ‘‘(ii) A representative of the National 

10 Institutes of Health. 

11 ‘‘(iii) A representative of the National 

12 Institutes of Neurological Disorders and 

13 Stroke. 

14 ‘‘(iv) A representative of the National 

15 Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 

16 ‘‘(v) A representative of the National 

17 Institute of Allergy and Infectious Dis18 eases. 

19 ‘‘(vi) A representative of the Office of 

20 the Assistant Secretary for Health. 

21 ‘‘(vii) A representative of the Centers 

22 for Disease Control and Prevention. 

23 ‘‘(viii) A representative of the Admin24 istration for Community Living. 


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1 ‘‘(ix) A representative of the Agency 

2 for Healthcare Research and Quality. 

3 ‘‘(x) Representatives of any other 

4 agency or office of the Department of 

5 Health and Human Services that the Sec6 retary determines appropriate for the Advi7 sory Board to carry out its function. 

8 ‘‘(2) ENGAGEMENT WITH ORGANIZATIONS.—In 

9 appointing individuals to the Advisory Board, the 

10 Secretary shall engage with leading scientific experts 

11 on Long COVID and independent, patient-led orga12 nizations of advocacy groups representing Long 

13 COVID patients. 

14 ‘‘(c) COMPENSATION.—Ex officio members of the Ad15 visory Board who are officers or employees of the Federal 

16 Government shall not receive any compensation for service 

17 on the Advisory Board. Non-Federal members of the Advi18 sory Board may receive, for each day (including travel 

19 time) they are engaged in the performance of the functions 

20 of the advisory committee, compensation at rates not to 

21 exceed the daily equivalent to the annual rate of basic pay 

22 for level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 

23 of title 5, United States Code. 

24 ‘‘(d) TERMS.—The term of office of an appointed 

25 member of the Advisory Board is 5 years. Any member 


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1 appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term shall 

2 be appointed for the remainder of such term. A member 

3 may serve after the expiration of the member’s term until 

4 a successor has taken office. If a vacancy occurs in the 

5 Advisory Board, the Secretary shall make an appointment 

6 to fill the vacancy not later than 60 days from the date 

7 the vacancy occurred. 

8 ‘‘(e) CHAIR.—The members of the Advisory Board 

9 shall select a chair from among the appointed members. 

10 The term of the Office of Chair shall be 2 years. 

11 ‘‘(f) MEETINGS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Board shall 

13 meet at the call of the chairman or upon request of 

14 the Director of the Program established under sec15 tion 499B, but not less often than monthly in the 

16 first year after establishment, then not less often 

17 than 6 times a year for each subsequent year. The 

18 meetings of the Advisory Board may be held vir19 tually. 

20 ‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—Of the meetings held, one or 

21 more shall be held to address research priorities of 

22 the National Institutes of Health relating to Long 

23 COVID. 

24 ‘‘(3) PUBLICATION OF SUMMARY.—For each 

25 meeting held, the Director of NIH shall post on the 


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1 website of the National Institutes of Health a sum2 mary of the proceedings. 

3 ‘‘(g) DUTIES.—The Advisory Board shall, subject to 

4 the direction and supervision of the Director of NIH— 

5 ‘‘(1) review, approve, and evaluate the imple6 mentation of the research plan issued under section 

7 499B–1, and advise in updating the plan; 

8 ‘‘(2) provide guidance to the Director of the 

9 Program established under section 499B with re10 spect to appropriate research activities to be under11 taken regarding the clinical treatment of Long 

12 COVID, which may include— 

13 ‘‘(A) research on interventions for pre14 venting, treating, and understanding the mech15 anisms of Long COVID; 

16 ‘‘(B) research on the effectiveness of treat17 ing Long COVID with drugs that are not yet 

18 approved by the Food and Drug Administration 

19 for the treatment of Long COVID; 

20 ‘‘(C) reviewing ongoing publicly- and pri21 vately-supported research on treatments for 

22 Long COVID; 

23 ‘‘(D) issue and make available to health 

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1 scribing and evaluating research described in 

2 subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C); and 

3 ‘‘(E) convene accessible meetings for the 

4 purpose of determining the recommendations 

5 which may inform development of clinical guide6 lines by health care provider organizations; and 

7 ‘‘(3) engage in other necessary activities to con8 tribute to the National Institutes of Health’s overall 

9 research priorities related to Long COVID, and en10 sure accountability, transparency, and communica11 tion of results of the Program established under sec12 tion 499B.’’. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 499B–5. DATA SYSTEM AND CLEARINGHOUSE ON RE14 SEARCH INFORMATION. 

15 ‘‘(a) DATA SYSTEM.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Na17 tional Institutes of Health, in consultation with the 

18 Director of the Program established under section 

19 499B and the Director of the National Library of 

20 Medicine shall establish, maintain, and operate a 

21 data system for the collection, storage, analysis, re22 trieval, and timely dissemination of primary data re23 garding research on Long COVID that is conducted 

24 or supported by the Program. Information from the 

25 data system shall be available through information 


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1 systems available to health care professionals and 

2 providers, researchers, and members of the public. 

3 ‘‘(2) REGISTRY.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The data system es5 tablished under paragraph (1) shall include a 

6 registry of clinical trials of experimental treat7 ments that have been developed for research on 

8 Long COVID. Such registry shall include infor9 mation on patient eligibility criteria, including 

10 the definition of Long COVID, and, as applica11 ble, demographic information, including sex, 

12 age, disability status, ethnicity, and race, and 

13 the location of the trial site or sites. 

14 ‘‘(B) SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION.— 

15 Principal investigators of trials described in 

16 subparagraph (A) shall provide such informa17 tion to the registry not later than 30 days after 

18 public announcement of the clinical trial. Once 

19 a trial has been completed, the principal investi20 gator shall provide the registry with information 

21 pertaining to the results, including potential 

22 toxicities or adverse effects associated with the 

23 experimental treatment or treatments evalu24 ated. 


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1 ‘‘(C) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The registry 

2 described in this paragraph shall be made avail3 able to researchers and the general public, in a 

4 machine-readable format. 

5 ‘‘(b) CLEARINGHOUSE.—The Director of NIH, in 

6 consultation with the Director of the Program and with 

7 the National Library of Medicine, shall establish, main8 tain, and operate a program to provide information on re9 search and prevention activities of the national research 

10 institutes that relate to research on Long COVID. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 499B–6. APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 ‘‘For purposes of carrying out this part, there are ap13 propriated, out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise 

14 appropriated, $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

15 2025 through 2034, to remain available until expended.’’. 

16 TITLE II—PUBLIC HEALTH RE17 SEARCH, SURVEILLANCE AND 

18 RELATED ACTIVITIES 

19 SEC. 201. LONG COVID PROGRAMS. 

20 Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘PART X—LONG COVID ACTIVITIES 

2 ‘‘SEC. 399PP. PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE OF LONG 

3 COVID AND INFECTION-ASSOCIATED CHRON4 IC CONDITIONS. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

6 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre7 vention, shall establish or continue, as applicable, surveil8 lance activities to better understand the burden and sever9 ity of Long COVID and related infection-associated chron10 ic conditions, with specific consideration given to vulner11 able populations, such as children. In carrying out this 

12 section, the Secretary shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) collect data on the incidence, prevalence, 

14 and severity of Long COVID and related infection15 associated chronic conditions; 

16 ‘‘(2) monitor for Long COVID and Long 

17 COVID-like conditions, as appropriate, to enable 

18 early intervention and identification of factors asso19 ciated with severity of symptoms; 

20 ‘‘(3) compile, and make publicly available, in 

21 accessible formats, Long COVID data collected 

22 under paragraph (1); 

23 ‘‘(4) develop and disseminate best practices for 

24 conducting surveillance for State, local, and Tribal 

25 public health officials, and other relevant public 

26 health stakeholders; 


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1 ‘‘(5) provide technical assistance to inter2 national organizations, as applicable, regarding the 

3 monitoring of Long COVID; and 

4 ‘‘(6) conduct additional surveillance activities, 

5 as the Secretary determines appropriate, to better 

6 understand the burden and severity of Long COVID. 

7 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 

8 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

9 to be appropriated $32,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

10 2025 through 2034. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 399PP–1. PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMMING. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

13 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre14 vention, shall make grants to State, local, and Tribal 

15 health departments for the purpose of carrying out activi16 ties related to Long COVID. 

17 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A State, local, or Tribal 

18 health department that receives a grant under subsection 

19 (a) may use funds received through such grant to— 

20 ‘‘(1) provide training on the identification of 

21 Long COVID to clinicians, public health experts, 

22 and other relevant health care professionals; 

23 ‘‘(2) link individuals with Long COVID to care, 

24 as appropriate and applicable; 


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1 ‘‘(3) support the development and dissemination 

2 of public information and educational materials on 

3 Long COVID, including materials to address misin4 formation and disinformation; 

5 ‘‘(4) support laboratory capacity for screening 

6 and diagnosis of Long COVID and associated symp7 toms; and 

8 ‘‘(5) build, maintain, and sustain jurisdiction9 level infrastructure related to preparedness for post10 infectious syndromes. 

11 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 

12 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

13 to be appropriated $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

14 2025 through 2034. 

15 ‘‘SEC. 399PP–2. NATIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN 

16 ON LONG COVID. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

18 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre19 vention, and in collaboration with national, State, local, 

20 and Tribal public health partners, shall develop a public 

21 education campaign for patients, families, and caregivers 

22 to educate and increase awareness about Long COVID in 

23 children and adults. Such campaign shall include informa24 tion on— 

25 ‘‘(1) the signs and symptoms of Long COVID; 


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1 ‘‘(2) how to prevent and seek treatment for 

2 Long COVID; 

3 ‘‘(3) self-management tools and support serv4 ices; and 

5 ‘‘(4) other topics, as the Secretary determines 

6 appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION.—In developing materials for 

8 the campaign, the Secretary shall consult with inde9 pendent, patient-led organizations or advocacy groups rep10 resenting Long COVID patients and their families and 

11 other relevant stakeholders. 

12 ‘‘(c) ACCESSIBILITY.—The public education cam13 paign under this section shall be made available in mul14 tiple languages, including American Sign Language. 

15 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 

16 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

17 to be appropriated $21,500,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2025 through 2029. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 399PP–3. PROVIDER EDUCATION. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) develop and make publicly available best 

22 practices for coordinated, multidisciplinary care for 

23 individuals with Long COVID; 

24 ‘‘(2) develop, update, as appropriate, and make 

25 publicly available clinical guidance and provider eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 17:36 Aug 31, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4964.IS S4964

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1 cation materials, including for providers working 

2 with pediatric populations; and 

3 ‘‘(3) facilitate provider education on Long 

4 COVID signs, symptoms, maintenance, and treat5 ment, including through technology-enabled collabo6 rative learning. 

7 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

8 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

9 to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

10 2025 through 2034.’’. 

11 SEC. 202. REHABILITATION RESEARCH AND TRAINING CEN12 TER ON LONG COVID AMONG PEOPLE WITH 

13 DISABILITIES. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 240(b)(2)(C) of the Reha15 bilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 764(b)(2)(C)) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and insert18 ing a semicolon; 

19 (2) in clause (vi), by striking the period and in20 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

21 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(vii) applied research regarding evi23 dence-based treatments, services, and sup24 ports for individuals with disabilities with 


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1 Long COVID or other infection-associated 

2 chronic conditions.’’. 

3 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

4 out the amendment made by subsection (b), there are au5 thorized to be appropriated to the Director of the National 

6 Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabili7 tation Research, $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 

8 2025 through 2029. 

9 SEC. 203. CLINICAL OUTCOMES ASSESSMENTS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of 

12 Food and Drugs, shall establish or continue the develop13 ment and validation of clinical outcomes assessments to 

14 support regulatory decision making for drugs, including 

15 biological products, and devices used to treat Long 

16 COVID. 

17 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For pur18 poses of carrying out this section, there are authorized to 

19 be appropriated $9,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

20 through 2034. 

21 SEC. 204. ELECTRONIC REPORTING FORM. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

23 Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of 

24 Food and Drugs, shall establish or continue the develop25 ment, refinement, and maintenance of a Long COVID 


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1 electronic reporting form for patients to identify current 

2 treatments and treatments under development for Long 

3 COVID. 

4 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For pur5 poses of carrying out this section, there are authorized to 

6 be appropriated $16,600,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

7 through 2034. 

8 SEC. 205. LONG COVID CARE NETWORK. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

10 Human Services, acting through the Director of the Agen11 cy for Healthcare Research and Quality, shall develop, or 

12 continue to support, multidisciplinary Long COVID clinics 

13 to provide access to comprehensive, coordinated care for 

14 individuals with Long COVID, particularly underserved 

15 populations that are disproportionately impacted by the 

16 effects of Long COVID. 

17 (b) AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 

18 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

19 to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

20 2025 through 2034. 

21 SEC. 206. RESEARCH ON LONG COVID BEST PRACTICES. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

23 Human Services, in coordination with the Director of the 

24 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, shall de25 velop, test, synthesize, and disseminate best practices and 


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1 decision support tools related to the clinical care organiza2 tion, delivery, and integration of clinical and social services 

3 for Long COVID and other infection-associated chronic 

4 conditions. 

5 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

6 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

7 to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

8 2025 through 2034. 

Æ 


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