117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2118 
AN ACT 
To authorize United States participation in the Coalition 
for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Securing America 
From Epidemics Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Due to increasing population and popu-
lation density, human mobility, and ecological 
change, emerging infectious diseases pose a real and 
growing threat to global health security. 
(2) While vaccines can be the most effective 
tools to protect against infectious disease, the ab-
sence of vaccines for a new or emerging infectious 
disease with epidemic potential is a major health se-
curity threat globally, posing catastrophic potential 
human and economic costs. 
(3) The COVID–19 pandemic has infected more 
than 119,960,700 individuals and has killed at least 
2,656,822 people worldwide, and it is likely that un-
reported cases and deaths are significant. 
(4) Even regional outbreaks can have enormous 
human costs and substantially disrupt the global 
economy and cripple regional economies. The 2014 
Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 
11,000 and cost $2,800,000,000 in losses in the af-
fected countries alone. 
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(5) While the need for vaccines to address 
emerging epidemic threats is acute, markets to drive 
the necessary development of vaccines to address 
them—a complex and expensive undertaking—are 
very often critically absent. Also absent are mecha-
nisms to ensure access to those vaccines by those 
who need them when they need them. 
(6) To address this global vulnerability and the 
deficit of political commitment, institutional capac-
ity, and funding, in 2017, several countries and pri-
vate partners launched the Coalition for Epidemic 
Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). CEPI’s mission 
is to stimulate, finance, and coordinate development 
of vaccines for high-priority, epidemic-potential 
threats in cases where traditional markets do not 
exist or cannot create sufficient demand. 
(7) Through funding of partnerships, CEPI 
seeks to bring priority vaccines candidates through 
the end of phase II clinical trials, as well as support 
vaccine platforms that can be rapidly deployed 
against emerging pathogens. 
(8) CEPI supported the manufacturing of the 
United States-developed Moderna COVID–19 vac-
cine during its Phase 1 clinical trial, and CEPI has 
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initiated at least 12 partnerships to develop vaccines 
against COVID–19. 
(9) CEPI is co-leading COVAX, the vaccines 
pillar of the ACT–Accelerator, which is a global col-
laboration to quickly produce and equitably dis-
tribute safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics 
for COVID–19. 
(10) Support for and participation in CEPI is 
an important part of the United States own health 
security and biodefense and is in the national inter-
est, complementing the work of many Federal agen-
cies and providing significant value through global 
partnership and burden-sharing. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR UNITED STATES PARTICIPA-
TION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The United States is hereby au-
thorized to participate in the Coalition for Epidemic Pre-
paredness Innovations (‘‘Coalition’’). 
(b) DESIGNATION.—The President is authorized to 
designate an employee of the relevant Federal department 
or agency providing the majority of United States con-
tributions to the Coalition, who should demonstrate knowl-
edge and experience in the fields of development and pub-
lic health, epidemiology, or medicine, to serve— 
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(1) on the Investors Council of the Coalition; 
and 
(2) if nominated by the President, on the Board 
of Directors of the Coalition, as a representative of 
the United States. 
(c) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Presi-
dent shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report that includes the following: 
(1) The United States planned contributions to 
the Coalition and the mechanisms for United States 
participation in such Coalition. 
(2) The manner and extent to which the United 
States shall participate in the governance of the Co-
alition. 
(3) How participation in the Coalition supports 
relevant United States Government strategies and 
programs in health security and biodefense, includ-
ing— 
(A) the Global Health Security Strategy 
required by section 7058(c)(3) of division K of 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 
(Public Law 115–141); 
(B) the applicable revision of the National 
Biodefense Strategy required by section 1086 of 
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the National Defense Authorization Act for Fis-
cal Year 2017 (6 U.S.C. 104); and 
(C) any other relevant decision-making 
process for policy, planning, and spending in 
global health security, biodefense, or vaccine 
and medical countermeasures research and de-
velopment. 
(d) UNITED STATES CONTRIBUTIONS.—Amounts au-
thorized to be appropriated under chapters 1 and 10 of 
part I and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) are authorized to 
be made available for United States contributions to the 
Coalition. 
(e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 
In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
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(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 20, 2021. 
Attest: 
Clerk. 
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117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2118 
AN ACT 
To authorize United States participation in the Co-
alition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, 
and for other purposes. 
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