II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3201 

To establish a joint United States-Taiwan Infectious Disease Monitoring 

Center to serve as an early warning center in the case of an infectious 

disease outbreak in the Indo-Pacific region. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 4, 2021 

Mr. COTTON (for himself, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. 

RUBIO) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To establish a joint United States-Taiwan Infectious Disease 

Monitoring Center to serve as an early warning center 

in the case of an infectious disease outbreak in the 

Indo-Pacific region. 

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 ‘‘United States-Taiwan 

5 Public Health Protection Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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1 (1) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means the 

2 Infectious Disease Monitoring Center established 

3 pursuant to section 3. 

4 (2) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT5 TEES.—The term ‘‘relevant congressional commit6 tees’’ means— 

7 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

8 the Senate; 

9 (B) the Committee on Health, Education, 

10 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 

11 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

12 the House of Representatives; and 

13 (D) the Committee on Energy and Com14 merce of the House of Representatives. 

15 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

16 the Secretary of State. 

17 SEC. 3. INFECTIOUS DISEASE MONITORING CENTER. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in consulta19 tion with the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

20 and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 

21 agencies, shall— 

22 (1) establish an Infectious Disease Monitoring 

23 Center within the American Institute in Taiwan in 

24 Taipei, Taiwan; and 


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1 (2) not later than 1 year after the date of the 

2 enactment of this Act, complete a study of how best 

3 to establish the Center that includes— 

4 (A) consultation with the Taiwan Eco5 nomic and Cultural Representative Office in the 

6 United States, the Taiwan Centers for Disease 

7 Control, and any other relevant instrumental8 ities of the Taiwanese government; and 

9 (B) a consideration of the personnel, mate10 rial, and funding requirements necessary to es11 tablish and operate the Center. 

12 (b) PARTNERSHIP.—The Center shall seek to partner 

13 with the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control to conduct 

14 health monitoring of infectious diseases in the region by— 

15 (1) regularly monitoring, analyzing, and dis16 seminating open-source material from countries in 

17 the region, including viral strains, bacterial sub18 types, and other pathogens; 

19 (2) engaging in people-to-people contacts with 

20 medical specialists and public health officials in the 

21 region; 

22 (3) providing expertise and information on in23 fectious diseases to the Government of the United 

24 States and the Taiwanese government; and 


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1 (4) carrying out other appropriate activities, as 

2 determined by the Director of the Center. 

3 (c) STAFFING.— 

4 (1) INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERTS.—The Sec5 retary of Health and Human Services shall annually 

6 submit a list to the Secretary that identifies not 

7 fewer than 3 infectious disease experts, from among 

8 the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for 

9 Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and 

10 Drug Administration, who are recommended to serve 

11 as detailees to the Center. 

12 (2) OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.— 

13 The heads of other relevant Federal departments 

14 and agencies may submit recommendations to the 

15 Secretary of qualified persons within their respective 

16 departments and agencies to serve as detailees to the 

17 Center. 

18 (3) SELECTION.—The Secretary, after consid19 ering the detailees recommended pursuant to para20 graphs (1) and (2)— 

21 (A) shall appoint, for a period to be deter22 mined by the Secretary— 

23 (i) not fewer than 3 infectious disease 

24 experts detailed from among the National 

25 Institutes of Health, the Centers for DisVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:40 Nov 05, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3201.IS S3201

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1 ease Control and Prevention, and the Food 

2 and Drug Administration to work at the 

3 Center, including 1 expert to serve as the 

4 Director of the Center; and 

5 (ii) not fewer than 1 qualified person 

6 from any other relevant Federal depart7 ment or agency, including the Department 

8 of State and the United States Agency for 

9 International Development, to work at the 

10 Center; 

11 (B) may employ qualified foreign service 

12 nationals or locally engaged staff who are con13 sidered citizens of Taiwan to work at the Cen14 ter; and 

15 (C) may enter into agreements with the 

16 Taiwanese government regarding employees of 

17 the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control who 

18 may be tasked with supporting or coordinating 

19 with the Center. 

20 (4) COMPENSATION.—Individuals appointed by 

21 the Secretary pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) of para22 graph (3)(A)— 

23 (A) shall be placed on leave without pay 

24 from their respective Federal departments and 


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1 agencies for the duration of such appointment; 

2 and 

3 (B) shall be compensated by the Depart4 ment of State. 

5 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

6 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

7 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the rel8 evant congressional committees that contains the results 

9 of the study described in section 3(a)(2), including— 

10 (1) a plan on how to establish and operate the 

11 Center, including— 

12 (A) the personnel, material, and funding 

13 requirements necessary to establish and operate 

14 the Center; and 

15 (B) the proposed structure and composi16 tion of Center personnel; 

17 (2) a description of the efforts that have been 

18 undertaken to establish the Center; and 

19 (3) a description of any consultations or agree20 ments between the Department of State and the 

21 Taiwanese government regarding the establishment 

22 and operation of the Center, including— 

23 (A) the role that employees of the Taiwan 

24 Centers for Disease Control would play in sup25 porting or coordinating with the Center; and 


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1 (B) whether any employees of the Taiwan 

2 Centers for Disease Control would be detailed 

3 to, or co-located with, the Center. 

4 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 (a) DEPARTMENT OF STATE.—There are authorized 

6 to be appropriated to the Department of State— 

7 (1) for fiscal year 2022, $300,000, of which— 

8 (A) $250,000 shall be used to conduct the 

9 study described in section 3(a)(2); and 

10 (B) $50,000 shall be used to determine the 

11 selection of detailees to the Center from among 

12 the National Institutes of Health, the Centers 

13 for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food 

14 and Drug Administration, and other relevant 

15 Federal departments or agencies; and 

16 (2) for fiscal year 2023, and each succeeding 

17 fiscal year, $50,000, which shall be used to deter18 mine the selection of detailees to the Center from 

19 among the National Institutes of Health, the Cen20 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food 

21 and Drug Administration, and other relevant Fed22 eral departments or agencies. 

23 (b) AMERICAN INSTITUTE IN TAIWAN.—There are 

24 authorized to be appropriated to the American Institute 


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1 in Taiwan for fiscal year 2022, and each succeeding fiscal 

2 year, $1,300,000, of which— 

3 (1) $1,200,000 shall be used to employ the per4 sonnel described in section 3(c)(3); and 

5 (2) $100,000 shall be used for management ex6 penses related to operating the Center. 

Æ 


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