I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3263 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department 

of Homeland Security a medical countermeasures program, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 17, 2021 

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS (for herself, Mr. VAN DREW, and Mr. GIMENEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 

A BILL 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish 

in the Department of Homeland Security a medical countermeasures 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 ‘‘DHS Medical Counter5 measures Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES PROGRAM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle C of title XIX of the 

8 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 1932. MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

3 medical countermeasures program to facilitate personnel 

4 readiness, and protection for the Department’s employees 

5 and working animals in the event of a chemical, biological, 

6 radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occur7 ring disease outbreak, or pandemic, and to support De8 partment mission continuity. 

9 ‘‘(b) OVERSIGHT.—The Chief Medical Officer of the 

10 Department shall provide programmatic oversight of the 

11 medical countermeasures program established pursuant to 

12 subsection (a), and shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) develop Department-wide standards for 

14 medical countermeasure storage, security, dis15 pensing, and documentation; 

16 ‘‘(2) maintain a stockpile of medical counter17 measures, including antibiotics, antivirals, and radio18 logical countermeasures, as appropriate; 

19 ‘‘(3) preposition appropriate medical counter20 measures in strategic locations nationwide, based on 

21 threat and employee density, in accordance with ap22 plicable Federal statutes and regulations; 

23 ‘‘(4) provide oversight and guidance regarding 

24 the dispensing of stockpiled medical counter25 measures; 


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1 ‘‘(5) ensure rapid deployment and dispensing of 

2 medical countermeasures in a chemical, biological, 

3 radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally 

4 occurring disease outbreak, or pandemic; 

5 ‘‘(6) provide training to Department employees 

6 on medical countermeasure dispensing; and 

7 ‘‘(7) support dispensing exercises. 

8 ‘‘(c) MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES WORKING

9 GROUP.—The Chief Medical Officer shall establish a med10 ical countermeasures working group comprised of rep11 resentatives from appropriate components and offices of 

12 the Department to ensure that medical countermeasures 

13 standards are maintained and guidance is consistent. 

14 ‘‘(d) MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES MANAGE15 MENT.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the en16 actment of this section, the Chief Medical Officer shall de17 velop and submit to the Secretary an integrated logistics 

18 support plan for medical countermeasures, including— 

19 ‘‘(1) a methodology for determining the ideal 

20 types and quantities of medical countermeasures to 

21 stockpile and how frequently such methodology shall 

22 be reevaluated; 

23 ‘‘(2) a replenishment plan; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) inventory tracking, reporting, and rec2 onciliation procedures for existing stockpiles and 

3 new medical countermeasure purchases. 

4 ‘‘(e) STOCKPILE ELEMENTS.—In determining the 

5 types and quantities of medical countermeasures to stock6 pile under subsection (d), the Chief Medical Officer shall 

7 utilize, if available— 

8 ‘‘(1) Department chemical, biological, radio9 logical, and nuclear risk assessments; and 

10 ‘‘(2) Centers for Disease Control and Preven11 tion guidance on medical countermeasures. 

12 ‘‘(f) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the 

13 date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

14 submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the 

15 House of Representatives and the Committee on Home16 land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate the 

17 plan developed in accordance with subsection (d) and brief 

18 such Committees regarding implementing the require19 ments of this section. 

20 ‘‘(g) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘medical 

21 countermeasures’ means antibiotics, antivirals, radio22 logical countermeasures, and other countermeasures that 

23 may be deployed to protect the Department’s employees 

24 and working animals in the event of a chemical, biological, 


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1 radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occur2 ring disease outbreak, or pandemic.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

4 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 

5 amended by adding after the item relating to section 1931 

6 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 1932. Medical countermeasures.’’. 

Æ 


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