IC 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1340 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 

Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

AN ACT 

To authorize activities to combat the Ebola outbreak in the 

Democratic Republic of the Congo, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ebola Eradication Act 

3 of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) The current Ebola outbreak in the Demo7 cratic Republic of the Congo, which began in August 

8 2018 in eastern Congo, is the second largest in his9 tory and has resulted in over 1,600 cases and 1,000 

10 deaths. 

11 (2) Despite the use of preventive tools and new 

12 therapeutics, insecurity and community resistance to 

13 response efforts remain major obstacles to ending 

14 the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Re15 public of the Congo, and the outbreak continues to 

16 spread. 

17 (3) Hospitals, health clinics, and Ebola clinics 

18 have been repeatedly attacked by armed actors. 

19 (4) On February 28, 2019, Doctors Without 

20 Borders suspended its work in Ebola epicenters after 

21 two treatment centers were attacked. 

22 (5) On April 19, 2019, Dr. Richard Valery 

23 Mouzoko Kiboung, an epidemiologist from Cameroon 

24 deployed by the World Health Organization to east25 ern Congo to help stop the outbreak, was killed in 

26 an attack on Butembo University Hospital. 


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1 (6) Healthcare workers responding to Ebola 

2 have expressed concerns about their ability to con3 tinue working on the response given the complex se4 curity situation. 

5 (7) If the outbreak is not brought under con6 trol, it risks spreading across the border to neigh7 boring countries and endangering millions of people. 

8 (8) The Administration released a November 

9 29, 2018, Presidential Memorandum implementing 

10 aid restrictions to most countries on Tier III of the 

11 2018 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report that fully 

12 restricted non-humanitarian, non-trade related aid to 

13 the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

14 (9) Paragraphs (4) and (5) of section 110(d) of 

15 the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 

16 U.S.C. 7107(d)(4) and (5)) authorize the continu17 ation of assistance in Tier III countries if such as18 sistance is determined to be in the national interest 

19 of the United States. 

20 (10) Section 110(d)(5)(B) of the Trafficking 

21 Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 

22 7107(d)(5)(B)) states, ‘‘The President shall exercise 

23 the [waiver] authority under paragraph (4) when 

24 necessary to avoid significant adverse effects on vul25 nerable populations, including women and children.’’. 


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1 (11) The President has not exercised the waiver 

2 authority provided for in section 110(d)(5)(B) of the 

3 Trafficking in Victims Protection Act of 2000 in re4 lation to health, education, or community outreach 

5 activities essential to the success of the Ebola re6 sponse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

7 (12) It is in the national interest of the United 

8 States to help control and end the current Ebola 

9 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

10 before it spreads. 

11 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION TO ADDRESS THE EBOLA OUT12 BREAK IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF 

13 THE CONGO. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 110 of 

15 the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 

16 7107), and subject to the availability of appropriations, 

17 the Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter18 national Development shall immediately provide assist19 ance, including targeted foreign assistance under chapters 

20 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

21 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 2293 et seq.) for global 

22 health and activities necessary to respond to the threat 

23 posed by Ebola, and under chapter 4 of part II of the 

24 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.), 

25 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, 


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1 and Burundi to effectively combat the Ebola outbreak that 

2 began in August 2018, including water and sanitation in3 frastructure, global health activities, public messaging and 

4 other critical activities necessary for ending the outbreak. 

5 Such assistance shall be provided at levels commensurate 

6 both to address the threat posed by the Ebola outbreak 

7 and conduct activities necessary for an effective response. 

8 Activities to expand and improve access to communities 

9 heavily affected by the Ebola outbreak should be 

10 prioritized under this section. 

11 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 days 

12 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis13 trator of the United States Agency for International De14 velopment shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Rela15 tions of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

16 of the House of Representatives a report— 

17 (1) describing the actions the Administrator has 

18 taken and plans to take under section 3(a) to end 

19 the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic 

20 of the Congo; and 


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1 (2) proposing any additional legal authorities 

2 required to improve the response to the Ebola out3 break in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Passed the Senate September 23, 2019. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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