IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 97 
Establishing the Joint Select Committee on the Events and Activities 
Surrounding China’s Handling of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 17, 2020 
Mr. BARR submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Rules 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Establishing the Joint Select Committee on the Events and 
Activities Surrounding China’s Handling of the 2019 
Novel Coronavirus. 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), 
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT. 
There is hereby established in the Senate and the 
House of Representatives a joint select committee to be 
known as the ‘‘Joint Select Committee on the Events and 
Activities Surrounding China’s Handling of the 2019 
Novel Coronavirus’’ (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Joint 
Select Committee’’). 
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•HCON 97 IH 
SEC. 2. MEMBERSHIP. 
(a) SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Joint Select Committee 
shall be composed of 20 Members of the House of 
Representatives and Senate, of whom— 
(A) 10 shall be Members of the House of 
Representatives, of whom 5 shall be appointed 
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
and 5 shall be appointed by the minority leader 
of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) 10 shall be Senators, of whom 5 shall 
be appointed by the majority leader of the Sen-
ate and 5 shall be appointed by the minority 
leader of the Senate. 
(2) TREATMENT OF DELEGATE AND RESIDENT 
COMMISSIONER.—For purposes of this section, a 
‘‘Member’’ of the House of Representatives includes 
a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Con-
gress. 
(b) CO-CHAIRS.—Two of the members of the Joint 
Select Committee shall serve as co-chairs of the Joint Se-
lect Committee, and shall be appointed as follows: 
(1) One shall be a Member of the House of 
Representatives, who shall be appointed as co-chair 
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 
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consultation with the minority leader of the House 
of Representatives. 
(2) One shall be a Senator, who shall be ap-
pointed as co-chair by the majority leader of the 
Senate in consultation with the minority leader of 
the Senate. 
(c) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the membership of the 
Joint Select Committee (including a vacancy resulting be-
cause a member ceases to be a Member of the House of 
Representatives or a Senator) shall not affect its powers, 
and shall be filled not later than 14 calendar days after 
the date on which the vacancy occurs in the same manner 
as the original appointment was made. 
(d) DEADLINES.—Members of the Joint Select Com-
mittee and the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee 
shall be appointed not later than 14 calendar days after 
the date of the adoption of this concurrent resolution. 
SEC. 3. INVESTIGATION AND REPORT ON THE EVENTS SUR-
ROUNDING CHINA’S HANDLING OF THE 2019 
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS. 
(a) INVESTIGATION AND REPORT.—The Joint Select 
Committee is authorized and directed to conduct a full and 
complete investigation of, and to issue a final report to 
the House of Representatives and Senate regarding, the 
following: 
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tions, international humanitarian organizations, and 
foreign governments offering to provide information, 
expertise, resources, and assistance to China and the 
Chinese people to combat such coronavirus. 
(7) Accountability for policies, decisions and ac-
tivities related to influencing the World Health Or-
ganization’s response to the outbreak of such 
coronavirus, including individuals and entities re-
sponsible for those policies, decisions, and activities. 
(8) All policies, decisions, and activities by 
China to manufacture, produce, procure, possess, or 
hoard personal protective equipment and critical 
pharmaceutical 
components 
to 
manipulate 
or 
weaponize the supply chain against the international 
community, including the United States. 
(9) Vulnerabilities in the United States domes-
tic and global supply chain to combat a global pan-
demic due to reliance on Chinese manufacturing and 
recommendations for decreasing dependence on Chi-
nese manufacturing by improving and securing a do-
mestic supply chain for antibiotics, viral drugs, crit-
ical pharmaceutical components, masks, and other 
personal protective equipment. 
(10) Information related to lessons learned 
from China’s handling of such coronavirus. 
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(11) Any other relevant issues relating to Chi-
na’s actions that led to further spread of such 
coronavirus, China’s response to such coronavirus, 
or the investigation by the Joint Select Committee 
into China regarding such coronavirus. 
(12) Any recommendations to Congress and the 
executive branch regarding actions the United States 
government should take in response to China’s han-
dling of such coronavirus. 
(b) TRANSFER OF RECORDS.—At the request of the 
co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee, any standing 
committee of the Senate or House of Representatives hav-
ing custody of records in any form relating to the matters 
described in subsection (a) shall transfer such records to 
the Joint Select Committee. 
(c) INTERIM REPORTS.—In addition to the final re-
port issued under subsection (a), the Joint Select Com-
mittee may issue such interim reports as it considers nec-
essary. 
(d) CLASSIFIED ANNEX.—The Joint Select Com-
mittee may include a classified annex in any report issued 
under this section. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.— 
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•HCON 97 IH 
(1) CHINA.—In this section, the term ‘‘China’’ 
means the Government of the People’s Republic of 
China and any of the following: 
(A) An official of the Chinese Communist 
Party. 
(B) An official of the Government of the 
People’s Republic of China. 
(C) An agent or instrumentality of the 
Government of the People’s Republic of China. 
(D) Any other person owned or controlled 
by or acting on behalf of any person described 
in subparagraphs (A) through (C). 
(2) 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘‘2019 novel coronavirus’’ means 
the coronavirus disease (COVID–19) and severe 
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS– 
CoV–2). 
SEC. 4. POWERS. 
(a) HEARINGS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.—For the 
purpose of carrying out its duties, the Joint Select Com-
mittee may hold such hearings and undertake such other 
activities as the Joint Select Committee determines to be 
necessary to carry out its duties, whether the Congress 
is in session, has recessed, or has adjourned. 
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(b) AUTHORITY TO USE SUBPOENAS.—The Joint Se-
lect Committee may require by subpoena the attendance 
of such witnesses and the production of such books, pa-
pers, and documents, as it considers appropriate. 
(c) ACCESS TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH SERVICES.— 
The Joint Select Committee shall have access to the serv-
ices of the Government Accountability Office, the Congres-
sional Budget Office, and the Congressional Research 
Service in the same manner and under the same terms 
and conditions as any standing committee of the House 
of Representatives or Senate. 
(d) ADOPTION OF RULES.—Not later than 7 days 
after all of its members have been appointed, the Joint 
Select Committee shall adopt rules governing its oper-
ations, including rules governing the issuance of sub-
poenas and rules governing the use of official funds for 
travel by members and staff, and shall submit such rules 
to the Clerk of the House of Representatives and Sec-
retary of the Senate for publication in the Congressional 
Record. 
SEC. 5. STAFF; FUNDING. 
(a) STAFF.— 
(1) USE OF EXISTING STAFF.—To the greatest 
extent practicable, the Joint Select Committee shall 
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utilize the services of staff of employing offices of 
the Senate and House of Representatives. 
(2) AUTHORITY TO APPOINT STAFF.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Each of the co-chairs 
of the Joint Select Committee may appoint, 
prescribe the duties and responsibilities of, and 
fix the pay of such staff as the co-chair con-
siders appropriate to assist the Joint Select 
Committee in carrying out its duties, so long as 
the number of staff appointed by one of the co- 
chairs does not exceed the number of staff ap-
pointed by the other co-chair. 
(B) DETAIL OF CONGRESSIONAL EMPLOY-
EES.—Upon the joint request of the co-chairs, 
the head of an employing office of the House of 
Representatives or Senate (including a joint 
committee of the Congress) is authorized to de-
tail, without reimbursement, any of the staff of 
the office to the Joint Select Committee to as-
sist the Joint Select Committee in carrying out 
its duties. 
(3) EXPERTS
AND
CONSULTANTS.—Section 
202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 
(2 U.S.C. 4301(i)) shall apply with respect to the 
Joint Select Committee in the same manner as such 
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section applies with respect to a standing committee 
of the Senate, except that any consultant whose 
services are procured by the Joint Select Committee 
shall be selected jointly by the co-chairs of the Joint 
Select Committee. 
(b) FUNDING.— 
(1) VOUCHERS.—Payments for expenses of the 
Joint Select Committee shall be made using vouch-
ers authorized by the Joint Select Committee, signed 
by co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee, and ap-
proved in a manner directed by the Committee on 
Rules and Administration of the Senate and the 
Committee on House Administration of the House of 
Representatives. 
(2) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—There are authorized 
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
for the operation of the Joint Select Committee, of 
which— 
(A) 50 percent shall be derived from the 
applicable accounts of the House of Representa-
tives; and 
(B) 50 percent shall be derived from the 
contingent fund of the Senate. 
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